Senior Pastor of Grace Baptist Church, Mount Vernon, New York, USA, Franklyn Richardson says he is hopeful for a peaceful outcome of the general elections in Nigeria.
Pastor Richardson who expressed his hopes during a church service to mark the 2019 Black History Month noted that Nigeria is too important to be drawn into any political crisis.
NAN reports that, the cleric who heads one of the largest American churches comprising African and Caribbean descents, said: “We pray for peace in the Nigerian election; we pray that the outcome will be peace”.
Calling on whoever loses to accept defeat in a peaceful manner, he advised that, “It’s not about who wins, it’s about keeping the calm in the country no matter what.
“And that’s in the best interest of all Nigerians and all Africans in the world that there be peace in Nigeria,” the cleric said.
According to him, Nigeria or any other country in Africa could not afford any political crisis again.
Representing the diplomatic community at the service was the Consul General of Nigeria to New York, Benaoyagha Okoyen who in his remarks applauded Nigerians and Africans in the diaspora “for their resilience, determination and ingenuity.”
Okoyen further charged: “In recognising the central roles of Blacks in the United States history, we must continue to celebrate the distinct cultural heritage, accomplishments and acknowledge the enormous contributions of the Africans in the development of the United States of America.”
