Sunday, 26 January 2014

'Darkness cannot drive out darkness;only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that'
Martin Luther King, Jr.

 American celebrates King,Honour Nigerian Diplomat

 WHEN a group of about 150 top diplomats from around the world, but based in the US capital, came together with notable African-Americans to honour the memory of the late legend, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., they chose to honour few people who today represent King’s ideals.
   They honored four people in all, including Nigeria’s Ambassador to the US, Prof. Adebowale Adefuye, Rabbi Michael Melnicke, Simeon Booker, a veteran African-American journalist and Ms. Maudine R. Cooper, the immediate past President of Greater Washington Urban League, Inc.
   Adefuye was named the King Legacy honouree for International Service, at a time Nigeria’s image is taking a hard hit in the American media, following news that the federal government has defied western pressure to embrace homosexuality.
   The event, which held last Sunday at the US capital city of Washington DC, was hosted at the same hotel where Dr. King fine-tuned his famous ‘I have a Dream’ speech –Willard Intercontinental Hotel.
   On behalf of Nigeria’s President Jonathan, the Tourism Minister also gave a word of greeting to the gathering, which was moderated by US radio celebrity, Monique Daniel Pressley. Ms Madeline Lawson, a key figure in the planning and spokesperson of the International Salute Committee that selected the honourees, was the chairperson of the event, supported by US college presidents from two very prestigious colleges: Howard University and George Washington University.
  Speaking at the event after he received the honour, Adefuye expressed appreciation for the gesture, which he said was not done only him, but also Nigeria. 
   He then drew a comparison between King and Nelson Mandela who passed on last month. According to him, even though King and Mandela never met in person “but the success of one affected the other,” and kept influencing the entire black race, leading ultimately to what the Nigerian envoy called the “emergence of our own brother, Barack Obama in the White House.”
   Continuing, Adefuye stated that the Obama presidency reflects the ideals that King stood and died for, and concluded by assuring the audience, made up of ambassadors from other nations in the US, university presidents and African-American leaders, that Nigeria, as the largest black nation, will not let the black race down.
   Introducing Adefuye for the award, one of the organisers, Honourable Robert Stanton, former director of the US National Park Service, described the Nigerian ambassador as “a well known intellectual and scholar who is committed to riding the world of conflicts.”
   Adefuye received the highly prestigious Martin Luther King Jr. Award for International Service, just as the United States marked the annual federal holiday commemorating his memory last week across the country.
   A presidential proclamation released few days to the event by President Obama underscored the centrality of the event in America’s national life. According to Obama “each year, America sets aside a day to remember a giant of our nation’s history and a pioneer of the Civil Rights Movement.”
   As Adefuye was being honoured, the UN, the US government and it’s human rights community are irked about the recent signing into law of the Anti-same Sex Marriage bill by President Jonathan.
   The US and western media have been awash with news reports on how the law is a threat to individuals’ rights and liberties in Nigeria, however Nigeria local media has also responded with what is a clear defense of the right of the Nigerian government to promulgate the said bill into law, in line with the dominant cultural belief of Nigerians.
   But concerns about the homosexuality debate was put at the background during the event, which was witnessed by US, Nigerian and other international dignitaries including Tourism Minister Duke Onari, the wife of the ambassador, Mrs. Adefuye, staff of the Nigerian embassy and members of the Nigerian community in the US. Nigerian-born Lyric Soprano, Abiodun Koya, was also in attendance.

Source: Nigerian Guardian News
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