Good impression: Pres. Hinckley meets media
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ABA, Nigeria — During a press conference that included two national Nigerian news organizations, President Gordon B. Hinckley tackled questions ranging from the strength of members throughout the world to the giving of aid to Africa.
"People are the same everywhere, really," the Church president said during the Aug. 6 conference in the waiting room of the newly completed Aba Nigeria Temple the day before he dedicated the sacred edifice.
Referring to people he has met across the world during his recent travels, he added: "There isn't a place I've been across this broad world that I have not met people whom I love. It doesn't matter the slant of their eyes, the color of their skin or anything of that kind, what matters is the kindness of their hearts."
President Hinckley spent about a half hour accepting questions from the media, which included the Nigerian Television Authority, a network station serving more than 60 million people; and a representative of This Day newspaper, the largest circulating newspaper in this West African country. Also present and offering questions were representatives of KSL-TV in Salt Lake City and the Church News.
When asked his impressions of Nigeria since his last visit in 1998, the Church president said he had a good impression of the country. "The government is stable, the people are industrious and with those qualities, things will move in the right direction. I have no doubt of that whatever. That's why we built here. We recognize a stability in this country that justifies our building these beautiful buildings here."
In remarks to the media, President Hinckley said, "During the last five years, this Church has sent $77,196,000 worth of aid to Africa, including aid to Nigeria. We have sent to Nigeria nearly $3 million in aid and we have sent (aid) to countries all across Africa. . . ."
He added that the Church has sent 14,612 wheelchairs and drilled wells "so that people will have clean water. We've drilled enough wells to provide enough clean water to 1,083,000 people, many of those in Nigeria."
President Hinckley added: "While we've built these lovely buildings, we've also been helping the poor and the needy and those in trouble and those with diseases and so on and we'll need to do more and we'll continue to do more."
When asked about the problem of AIDS in Africa, the Church president responded: "It is a terrible thing. We just sorrow over it, we just sorrow over it, and we're just hopeful and we'd like to do everything we can to see that the proper medicines and care are sent, but more importantly, you want to teach people to not engage in those practices which lead to HIV and aids."
President Hinckley visited with the media a few moments after completing a tour of the new Aba Nigeria Temple, which will serve members in Nigeria and in Cameroon.
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