By Sunday Ani
A UK-Based Church, The Envoy Nation on Sunday joined millions of Nigerians worldwide to mark Nigeria’s 63rd independence anniversary and prayed for peace and unity in the country.
This is the second time the church, which is located in Leicester will be marking the anniversary of Nigeria’s independence as a sovereign nation.
Shortly after the Sunday service, members of the church converged on the Clock Tower at the City Centre where they were joined in the celebration by fellow Nigerians, Britons and other foreign nationals.
Waving their flags, the members, adorned in different shades of green and white which symbolised the colour of the country’s flag, sang, danced and prayed that the future of Nigeria will be far more glorious and peaceful than her past.
Addressing the gathering, Senior Pastor of the church, Dele Osunmakinde charged Nigerians to shun religious, political and ethnic differences and work together for peace and justice in the country.
He also admonished Nigerians not to despair given the current realities in the country but unite in order to provide solutions to the myriads of problems confronting the nation.
According to him, depending on the government to solve all the problems is not realistic.
“I know we are going through a very difficult period in our national life. The socio-economic situation is at an all-time low. Look at the exchange rate of the naira to the pound sterling and dollar. But my message to Nigeria at 63 is that we must not give up on our nation. We must continue to believe in the greatness that lies in our nation.
“In all we do, we must keep up the Nigerian spirit, the resilience spirit that Nigerians are known for wherever they find themselves in the world. Also, we must not continue to wait for the government all the time. We must find a way to make a difference wherever we find ourselves, so that we can have a collective mobilisation of ourselves towards solving our social problems.
“It appears as if the government is overwhelmed now. It is very evident now that the government can’t solve all the problems. So, Nigerians must rise up, take their destinies into their hands and look for ways to solve some of these problems that confronting us as a nation”.
Also addressing the gathering, the immediate past Lord Mayor of Leicester, Mr. George Cole described Nigeria as a great nation, blessed with abundant human and mineral resources. He admonished them to participate in politics so that upright and righteous people can take charge of critical decisions that will shape the future of the country.
In his independence message, Pastor Adewale Adesola, the church’s Director of Administration urged Nigerians to have faith in the government to bring about the needed change in the country.
“We must organise ourselves to challenge weak and anti-people policies and speak with one voice. Much more, we must demonstrate patriotism and display sound societal values at all levels and everywhere we find ourselves. We must show faith and confidence in the fact that Nigeria shall fulfill its potentials and become a great nation” Adesola said.