Dr William Kumuyi, the lead pastor of Deeper Christian Life Ministries, assured Nigerians of the possibility of a better Nigeria without the citizens indulging in any violent acts of destruction, grievance, or retaliation.
Addressing Journalists at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Rivers State, on Wednesday, ahead of the ministry’s, ‘Change Makers Initiative International’ conference which is to commence on Thursday 15th to Sunday 20th, August, at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium in the Rivers State capital, the general superintendent stressed the need for dialogue to resolve conflicts.
He emphasized the adverse effects of the just concluded nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest, which resulted in violence, killings, looting, and destruction of public property in some parts of the country.
“When we say that there should be a change, there could be different methods of bringing up a change. The young people might feel this is the way to bring the change, older people might feel this is the way to bring the change. Even the government, in a few years, will realize, and understand there must be a change, but this is the way.
“If we can harness all our efforts and energy together and we are not trying to defeat anyone, we’re not going to try to crush anyone, the youths and the government, and everyone, knowing that we all have the right constitutionally to bring a change, so we all get together, we brainstorm and we’ll strategize.
“If this is not working, will this work? A sort of that round conference table that we’re able to say why don’t we go this direction? If we have been doing it this way, expecting change, and the change has not come, is there a better way? Is there an alternative?
“I think when we love one another, and we respect and honor one another, and then we’re able to sit down without any kind of a grievance or retaliation or destroying anything, we’re not at one; all we want is a better country. We’ll have it eventually.”
Speaking further, the cleric stressed that “Every individual, every family, and every institution can do better. And if we all one by one do better in various areas, in our relationship and interaction and the workplace and the college everywhere, there’ll be change in the nation.”
Adding that with patience and dialogue “all that we are mourning, groaning about, things will turn around for the better.”
“Change can take place to the left hand or the right hand, but we are talking of positive change. And we’ll see it happen by the grace of God. We have said this (conference) is non-religious, it’s non-partisan, it’s non-denominational. This is for humanity.
“As to the extent of what we’re starting tomorrow (Thursday), when a stone, a pebble falls into the river or throw it at the river, you’ll see that there are ripples, and that’s what we expect, that my light will shine, your light will shine, and once the light shines, it will make us see more than we saw before.
“What we see would also lead to what we do. What we do would also bring change. So it’s a kind of a chain reaction that this starts here, then goes on there, and then you see all the ripples.
“As to what has failed, who has failed, the Change Makers Initiative International is not about witch-hunt, to say that is the culprit, that is the guilty one.
“What we see is that we want a change for the better. As to what had happened in the past, all the water that went under the bridge is gone. We want to have a fresh understanding, a fresh river going on, and a fresh life of A, B, and C serving us so that we can move up.”
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