By Clara Egbogota
Lagos – Pastor Emmanuel Akpan, Senior Pastor, Real Success Bible School, has urged Nigerians to desist from ethnicity and religious bigotry to achieve national unity and progress in the country.
Akpan made the plea on Monday at the graduation and convocation ceremony of the school held at the Dominion Grace Assembly Mission, Lagos.
According to him, these have accounted for the slow pace at which the nation was developing.
He said: “The vices over the years had militated against good governance and undermined the development of the nation at local, state and national levels.
“To achieve remarkable milestones as individuals and as a nation, we must consciously shun all forms of ethnicity and religious bigotry.
“We are where we are today, because we want to be identified, either as a Muslim or a Christian, a Yoruba or an Hausa man; all these will continue to divide us as a nation.
“Our unity and progress depend on our being truthful to one another, neglecting ethnic and religious bigotry in all our dealings.”
Also, one of the graduands, Pastor Josiah Aniefiok, urged the nation’s leaders to be committed to good governance in order to make life better for the citizens.
He said that positive change of attitude by the leaders and citizens would promote good governance in the country.
“We should think of our country first, either as a Muslim, Christian, traditional believer or free thinker.
“If our forebearers did not do what they were supposed to do, you and I will not be enjoying what we are enjoying today.
“Lets leave Nigeria better than we met it for generations that are coming behind us.
“Our people at the state and the federal levels must invest in human capital development of our the citizens,’’ he said.
The cleric also advised Nigerians to change their attitude and perception and put the country first in all that they were doing so that Nigeria could be great and prosperous again.
(NAN)