Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otumba Olusegun Runsewe, said on Wednesday that violence was not part of Nigerian culture.
Runsewe made this declaration at the memorial held at the NCAC’s premises in honour of late George Floyd, with the theme: “I Can’t Breath” in Abuja.
George Perry Floyd Jr. was an African-American man who was killed by police during an arrest in Minneapolis on May 25.
Since then, protests in response to both Floyd’s death and more broadly to police violence against other black people, quickly spread across the United States and internationally.
Runsewe said the council was joining the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) and over 17 countries around the globe to pay their last respects to late Floyd and blacks globally, who had suffered violent attacks and death on the account of their skin colour.
He emphasised that as Africans, our culture had great respect for the sanctity of human lives.
“We are a peaceful loving and God fearing people. Violence is not part of our culture.
“This is why we are joining NiDCOM to ask for justice for late Floyd and to propagate the message of peace all over the world.
“We believe in the American vision that all men are created equal and are endowed by the Creator with certain inalienable rights among which are right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
“We believe that whether black or white, we are all God’s children and we all have the right to live,” he said.
According to Runsewe: “Peace is imperative, from Africa to the USA, Asia, Europe and the Pacific, we therefore solicit for justice, love and peace everywhere.
“As we honour late Floyd today, our heart also goes to all Nigerians who have died under gruesome circumstances; all the victims of Boko Haram terrorism, kidnapping, rape, hire assassination, cultism and other violent crimes.
“We pray that God should heal our land and give the families and friends of the departed souls the strength to bear the loss.”
Speaking earlier, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the CEO/Chairman of NiDCOM, said the inhumane treatment that happened to Floyd was unacceptable all over the world.
“For us Africans in Africa, we are telling our brothers and sisters in America, Brazil, Jamaica, others that as long as you are black you are an African.
“And as long as we do not work together to develop this continent that is filled with beauty, the world will continue to look down on us as black people.
“So here is my challenge to every black person in the world, have a connection with the mother land, your mother land where you all came from will show you love, affection and emotions.
“The good thing is that here in Nigeria we’ve opened a symbolic door for every black person; it is a door that gives a physical connection, emotional, spiritual and economic connection.
“And we are also saying to every black person, come to the mother land, invest in the mother land, this is home.
“If the Chinese and Indians are investing here, why not our brothers and sisters in America.
“I hope with what is happening all around the world, our brothers and sisters will look back to African continent where they came from.
“Am glad that it is beginning to happen and recently it happened in New York, we had a great event with them,” she said.
She therefore urged black people all over the world to come to the continent where they could breath and would be shown love and affection.
