BEN. AGANDE, ABUJA.
The Zonal pastor the Christ Embassy Church, Abuja Zone, Pastor Chidi Ezimako Monday explained that the decision of the church to distribute one Million copies of Rhapsody of Reality, a monthly devotional written by the founder of the Christ Embassy church worldwide and his wife, Mr and Mrs Chris Oyakhilome, is to promote patriotism among the Nigerian people in order to engender national unity.
The free distribution of the devotional would be done on 1st of October to coincide with the country's independence anniversary.
Addressing a pre-distribution media conference in Abuja Monday, Pastor Chidi Ezimako said 'as a nation-building campaign, ReachOut Nigeria has sought to redefine for Nigerians many vital ingredients of our national identity which had long been left unspoken.
"The most vital question in life, the answer to which puts a man in a position of tremendous advantage is the question, 'why?' The man who knows why would always bear rule over the one who knows 'what' or even 'how'.
Abuja Zonal Pastor, Christ Embassy, Pastor Chidi Eziwako display a copy of the Independence Edition of the Rhapsody of Realities during a media launch of the publication at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Abuja. Photo by Abayomi Adeshida 24/09/2012
"So, Why ReachOut Nigeria? Why has Believers' LoveWorld, aka Christ Embassy chosen in the last five years to make so much ado about Nigeria's Independence? To what purpose is these investments in the sponsorship of tens of millions free copies of a devotional, Rhapsody of Realities? What do we seek to achieve?
"Many years ago, the man of God Pastor Chris said that a major challenge in Nigeria is the misunderstanding of patriotism and the absence of a national ideology. We were a nation that didn't stand for anything, and so over the years, there was no true national culture to hand down to coming generations. Hence, in recent times, the celebration of our nation's Independence was relegated to the background; because many didn't see anything worth celebrating.
"But thanks be unto God for the timely vision of ReachOut Nigeria which has salvaged the situation and endeavoured to rekindle in Nigerians the spirit of patriotism that drives men to live for their country and die if need be, to protect her ideologies. With the original motto, 'Promoting a Patriotic Spirit for Nation Building', in the last five years, the ReachOut Nigeria Campaign has changed the course of Independence Day Celebrations in Nigeria for all time" he said.
Pastor Ezimakor said 'Patriotism is beyond the amalgamation of people of diverse ethnicities around a television set in support of the Super Eagles as we often think. Patriotism is a certain kind and quality of loyalty that runs deeper than the surface. It's a devoted love and support for one's country that causes him to be in defense of his nation. This, many of us have not known; little wonder that our national news is full of tales of betrayal of national interest.
"Patriotism starts from the value of national pride, understanding of, and reverence for national symbols such as the National Anthem, the National Flag, the Coat of Arms etc. These are things which must necessarily be part of the day-to-day consciousness of the would-be patriot.
"As a nation-building campaign, ReachOut Nigeria has sought to redefine for Nigerians many vital ingredients of our national identity which had long been left unspoken. The Campaign has highlighted the excellence of our anthem and the beauty of our national colours through bold displays of these symbols. After the first edition in 2007, many Nigerians began to wear our national colours proudly.
Each year since then, boutique owners have learned to stock and display clothing and accessories that reflect the Nigerian colours (Green and White) as the Nation's Independence approaches. This was a thing unknown in time past; no one even considered it fashionable to dress in these colours, let alone parade them in a carnival; but today it's an entirely different story. Gone are the days when Nigerians in other nations were ashamed to display the green-backed Nigerian Passport; we have succeeded in re-instilling national pride in our citizenry" he said.
he pointed out that since 2010, 'ReachOut Nigeria Campaign began to take steps, not only to spread the message of patriotism, but to exemplify patriotism by executing numerous community development projects around the country through our 50 Smiles Initiative.
This caused a great stir, and evidenced the genuineness of our commitment to national interest, hence our decision to carry on with this inclusion in the campaign henceforth. As such, all over Nigeria, as copies of Rhapsody of Realities journey to the nooks and crannies, ReachOut Nigeria Partners would also be putting smiles on the faces of millions of Nigerians in different communities and localities as we endeavour to identify and meet their pressing needs as best we can".
He said the messages contained in the October edition of Rhapsody of Realities "reveal a striking and deliberate effort to sow the seed of patriotism and national interest in the hearts of the reader. There however exists a world of difference between the efficacy of this communication of the God-kind and the average 'patriotism jargon'. Simply put, the message is more than just the letters; it's the Spirit of the Word. That's why we talk about the Spirit of ReachOut
