The Senator representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Magnus Ngei Abe, has declared that every Nigerian has the constitutional right to practice any religion of his choice.

Abe made the declaration while speaking at the 2019 Bob Marley Day Celebration, which was held in Rumuomasi, Port Harcourt.

The Senator said: “In this country, we believe in freedom of religion, people are free to practice their faith and every Nigerian is protected by our constitution in the practice of their own faith as long as you harm no one.

“What I see you doing here, you are promoting music, you are promoting the art, you are celebrating your culture and you are celebrating one of the icons of black consciousness, Bob Marley and I proudly want to associate myself with what you represent here.

“I congratulate and thank you for inviting me and like I said, next year, if it holds again in Port Harcourt, I will like to be here to celebrate with you.”

Abe said Nigerians pay huge amount of money to watch the Notting Hill Carnival in London but don’t find it necessary to watch such carnivals in their own country.

He said: “I have been promising to come here but today I am finally here in person. Let me say that I am very happy to be here to encourage you and to stand with you and let people see me here.

“If this were to be the Notting Hill Carnival in London, Nigerians will pay money from everywhere to go there and go and honour them, but because it’s happening in Rumuomasi in Port Harcourt, everybody will look and do as if something wrong is going on here. What is going on here is music, art, and God.”

Earlier in his remarks, leader of Rastafarians in Nigeria, Ras Edu Dickson, pray God to bless Abe for honouring them with his presence.

Dickson said: “Truth has never been hidden, here comes the truth, our father, our brother, our everything, as he has honoured the Rastaman, I say may Zion and Heavens honour him from now henceforth.”