It was a mix of Nigerian and American culture, particularly entertainment and foods on Tuesday evening in Lagos at an event organised by the US Mission in Nigeria to mark the 247th Independence Day of the United States of America.
Serving and former state Governors, senior government officials, members of the Diplomatic corps, business, political, and traditional leaders, media executives, representatives of civil society groups, leaders in academia, prominent personalties in the Nigerian entertainment industry and other friends of America in the South-West converged on the Consul General’s residence in Ikoyi for the exciting event.
The event was themed “Nollywood” in acknowledgement of the rapidly growing Nigerian film and music industry.
In a remark, the Chargé d’Affaires of the United States’ Mission in Nigeria, Mr. David Greene, who described the American Independence Day, the 4th of July, as an occasion for Americans both home and abroad to come together to celebrate the birth of the nation, values, democratic practices and rights they hold so dear, said he was delighted to commemorate the event in Nigeria amongst people of like minds.
On lessons Nigerians can learn from the US long history of democratic governance, Mr Greene noted that democracy is not a permanent state of affairs nor a smooth path nor an end state, but a process which can be bumpy as already experienced by both nations and advised Nigerians to continue working at it.
He said “What we know in elected government and in representative governments; in democracies is that you continue working, you continue trying to improve, you are never going to achieve perfection, but what you can do is continue trying to improve, keep focusing on the democratic process and making sure that we are constantly working towards improving our governments and improving the lives of our citizens”
While reiterating the US partnership with Nigeria across various sectors, including security, the Chargé d’Affaires made note of the sad event in Anambra state in May during which three US Mission employees and four Nigeria Police officers died and expressed deep gratitude for the support received from the Federal government.
In a message, Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin congratulated Americans on the occasion of the independence anniversary and also described the event as the celebration of a robust and enduring relationship between Nigeria and the U.S.