, WAD communication director; posted on March
14, 2014
During his March 2014 trip, Pastor Ted N. C. Wilson, Seventh-day
Adventist Church world president, urged government to sustain religious liberty
and freedom of conscience in order to build a better Nigeria.
Wilson said that religious liberty and freedom of conscience
provide a solid foundation for peace and prosperity in any nation, hence it
should be protected in all parts of the country.
“I want to thank the Christian community in Nigeria at large
. . . I also want to give my appreciation to the federal government and to the
state for the religious liberty that is provided for all citizens.
“This is really the foundation of progress and prosperity in
the nation,” he said.
Wilson said that Adventists strive to be good citizens of
Nigeria and other countries around the world where the church is found.
He added that the centenary celebration for Nigeria and the
church’s 100-year celebration made for good company. Church members and clergy
could be useful to the society “as people who do not destroy society, but work
hard to build it.”
“Seventh-day Adventist members want to be part of a fabric
that builds up the society,” said Wilson. “Church and clergy can carry a strong
role in building up a society by pointing people to biblical knowledge and the
wonderful word of God.” Wilson quoted Proverbs 14:34: “Righteousness exalts a
nation.”
During the centenary celebration, the Imo State governor,
Rochas Okorocha, donated a piece of land as a gift to the church. The donated
land is a contribution to the church to build an Adventist school, in order to
continue in the mission of using education to redeem people, explained
Okorocha.
“I am not only giving the land to the church to build a
school, I also want to be part of the building project,” Okorocha said during his
meeting with Wilson.
Wilson stated his appreciation on behalf of the church in
Nigeria, lauding the governor’s plans for better, free education, a stop to
corruption, and the observance of laws. Wilson also called for sustenance of
religious liberty.
Wilson and church leaders from the General Conference, Benjamin
Schoun, Heather-Dawn Small, and George Egwakhe, along with West-Central Africa
Division president Gilbert Wari, three union presidents, local union
presidents, and other laypersons, met with the governor at the Government House
in Owerri, Imo State capital, on March 10, 2014.
During the meeting, Wilson also led out in a season of
prayer for the governor, the State of Imo, the federal government of Nigeria,
and the citizens at large.
