The National Council for Arts and Culture(NCAC) Wednesday evening, held a memorial service in honour of George Floyd who was killed while being arrested by the police in the USA in May, 2020 and was buried Tuesday.
The NCAC Director General Otunba Olusegun Runsewe while speaking at the memorial service, said it has become very necessary for Nigeria to join the over seventeen (17) countries in Africa to organize a memorial service for this black American that was murdered in cold blood by the Minneapolis Police in the United states of America.
According to Runsewe, “It has become necessary to emphasize that as Africans, our culture has great respect for the sanctity of human life, we are a peaceful, loving and God-fearing people that detest violence. This is why we are joining the Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission to ask for justice for Late George Floyd and to propagate the message of peace all over the world.
“We believe that all men are created equal and have inalienable rights among which are rights to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. From Africa to the USA, Latin America, Asian, Europe and the Pacific, we say—let Justice flow, let love reign and let there be peace” he emphasized.
He prayed for God to heal our land and give the families and friends of the departed souls the strength to bear the loss.
In a tribute, the Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa reminded the crowd that witnessed the event that as blacks, this is a fight that must be fought.
According to her, “As a black person, you must aspire to come back to your motherland where you can freely breathe. As a black person, you should think of coming back to Africa/Nigeria to invest in an environment where you can freely breathe and as a black person, come back to your home where you will be shown love”.
A minute silence was observed in memory of Late George Floyd and black heroes all over the world who have suffered violent attacks and even death on account of the colour of their skin. This was followed by two drama presentations titled, “I can’t Breathe”, and “Our Hearts Toughened”.
