Tokyo, Japan - The victory celebration for the International Leadership Conference that took place July 15 to 19 in Nigeria was held in Chiba city in the suburbs of Tokyo on September 18, by the organization of Nigerian members of UPF in Japan, Nigeria-Japan Association (NJA), with the support of UPF-Japan. In the event, the Nigerian members expressed their heartfelt gratitude to the people in Japan who supported the events in Abuja.
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The program started at 3:15 pm as scheduled with the guests and dignitaries seated. I introduced the event after a couple of announcements, and we sang the two verses of the Nigerian national anthem after overcoming some technical difficulties.
The welcome address was delivered by the president of the NJA, Mr. Robert Unodi. This was followed by congratulatory remarks made by the Ambassador, H.E. Godwin N. Agbo. In his remarks, the Ambassador expressed his delight to see Nigerians taking active roles in UPF activities and said that he himself became an Ambassador for Peace a few days earlier. He commended the work of UPF and its efforts to make the world a peaceful place. He went further to say that peace is something we all desire naturally and that there are many diverse ways to attain it. He said he was not in Nigeria during the conference, but when he heard the report that the event was successful, he felt very happy.
Ms. Tsurue Dazai a 15-year-old Congolese-Japanese singer with the voice of an angel, sang “You Raised Me Up” during the entertainment session. It was a very moving song that touched the hearts of the audience.
After special remarks were made by Mr. Sotoji Maeda, president of the Religious Federation for World Peace, Rev. Yoshihiko Kaminaga, Chief Priest of Hitachinokuni-tenmanguu (a Shinto Shrine), spoke about how he traveled alone to Nigeria despite health concerns and his inability to speak English. He expressed his joy to be associated with the UPF and said he would always make himself available for UPF activities.
Prof. Masahisa Hayashi of Waseda University gave a speech making references to some of the remarks that were made during the conference in Abuja. He talked about his love for traveling and expressed his delight about how Nigeria is developing. He called Abuja a beautiful city with modern, state-of-the-art buildings. He said he would have been happier to see old and traditional buildings there as well.
Gen. Takahiro Ninomiya, who was a pilot and is now a special assistant to the Diet members’ Council for Comprehensive Security, also gave remarks in which he likened Nigeria to Russia.
Rev. Hideo Oyamada, Chairman of UPF-Japan, gave the keynote address. Talking directly to the Ambassador, Rev. Oyamada reported about Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s message to the president of Nigeria emphasizing tradition, lineage, and education. He envisions Nigeria becoming the leading nation in Africa with the potential to surpass Britain in its global role. He talked about Rev. Moon’s interest in educating young Nigerians and investing in Nigeria and other African countries. He gave a very impressive report about the Nigerians he had met in the course of his travels in Britain and elsewhere. Diligently listening to the speech, Mrs. Agbo was very impressed and said “amen” throughout the speech.
Rev. Oyamada concluded by showing pictures of the International Leadership Conference in Abuja.
The main event ended at 5:45 pm, and guests moved to the third floor for conversation and a dinner of Nigerian food.
For a report of the events in Nigeria, click here.