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Group Plans Cultural Centre In U.S
A group of Africans resident in the United States of America (USA) are planning to build a Cultural Centre in the US and a Multi-clinic in Abuja, Nigeria. The group working under the aegies of FESTAC-USA said it also working to promote volunteerism in the African continent.
Team leader of the FESTAC-USA which was on a working visit to Abia State, Florence Mkparu, told The Tide in an interview in Umuahia that the Multi-cultural centre to be built in the US would be used to showcase Africa’s rich cultural heritage to the world, just as it would equally be a centre for educating children of African descent on African tradition and culture.
She said the Abuja Multi-Clinic would cater for the health needs of the people, saying that members of the group were worried that Africa’s true culture was not being promoted in the diaspora while the foreign media have worsened the matter by portraying violence as African culture.
Mkparu, said that the aim of the group is to promote African culture and as well use it as a forum to encourage various African professionals in the US to come home and contribute to the development of continent, voluntarily using their talents.
“We met in Houston Texas to find a way to bring people of all African origin to a common goal, to bring us to merge with our white counterparts, to make our children be able to mingle freely, to bridge the gap between us and our counterparts,” Mkparu said of the birth of FESTAC-USA which is due for inauguration this August.
“We want to show the world the real hospitality of the African culture. A lot of things in the news; wars, killing etc, that is what you see in the foreign media. So, we decided to find a forum where they will all come together so that we will be able to exhibit our own origin, the originality of African culture”, she added.
Mkparu said FESTAC-USA “is planning to build a multi-cultural centre in Houston Texas, which will bring artistes, writers from Africa to use our cultural centre to exhibit the African culture and its hospitality and also to teach our children the importance and originality of African culture and languages. Our kids lack the language and cultural issues, we don’t want it to go away”.
“We are also embarking on a programme in Abuja which is a multi-clinic. In that clinic, we have a centre that we are working on that will show a trauma centre, polio-centre, health education centre etc. We have to educate people to enlighten them because most of the problems we have in Nigeria health-wise are preventable diseases like polio, malaria, etc she said.
According to her, FESTAC-USA would provide a platform for collaboration between their members and various governments in African in several areas to improve the living standard of the people. “When we come together under a forum, we will harness our potentials and work with various governments and also attract foreign aids”, she said.
“We were motivated by President Obama’s admonition that it is good for people to dream dreams than to sit quiet and do nothing. If we all come together and dream dreams, we help people to move to the 21st century”, she explained.
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.