Posted by By Sam Anokam on
Consul-General of the United States of America in Nigeria, Donna Blair, has urged Nigerians to imbibe the ideology ors philosophy of justice, freedom and liberty in America, which the late Martin Luther King Junior lived and died for.
Consul-General of the United States of America in Nigeria, Donna Blair, has urged Nigerians to imbibe the ideology ors philosophy of justice, freedom and liberty in America, which the late Martin Luther King Junior lived and died for.
This call was made at a programme marking the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King Junior's death, held at the United States Information Service in Lagos.
Blair revealed that it is the slain activist's philosophy and quest for equal rights that made her the first black female consul in Nigeria.
Also speaking at the forum, Country Public Affairs Officer, Atim George, pleaded for a peaceful coexistence even as king championed a non-violence resistance.
Dr Saheed Timehin of the Department of Foreign Languages, Lagos State University blamed the woes of the country on lack of vision and focus.
'We don't need to blame America for our woes.s We need to address our problems ourselves. Our goal is not properly defined and we lost focus of the lofty ideas and vision of our founding fathers. We have the intelligence and desire,s but we lost the will."
Timehin added: 'Why we cannot resist injustice is because of the kind of education we have. We have been programmed to be docile. And being submissive in the face of tyranny is immoral. We have to re-orientate ourselves and then others."
For Mary Lon Johnson-Pizarro, Public Diplomacy Officer, who also anchored the programme, what unites the American people is their values and their belief in the constitution.
Also at the event was Barrister Olasupo Ojo, President, Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, among others.