The National Democratic Coalition and the Institute for Strategic Development Studies have said they decided to hold a conference on the state of the Nigerian nation in Washington DC and not in Nigeria to avoid intimidation.
The two groups, which recalled that NADECO began its pro-democracy struggle against the military from outside Nigeria, added that the aim of the conference in the United States was to ensure good governance in Nigeria.
Representative of NADECO, Mr. Uyi Meshack, and representative of ISDS, Dr. M. Miller, recalled that some members of the coalition in Nigeria were locked up.
The two groups said in their joint address, “We are going to hold the historic conference in Washington because we have talked about security and nobody will be intimidated.
“If you recall, during the Abacha era, there would have been intimidation if NADECO began the struggle for democracy in Nigeria here. Of course, you know that when the crusade finally got to Nigeria, some members were locked up.”
They maintained that Nigerians should be allowed to express their minds in a democracy, adding that it was wrong for those who aired their views on certain national issues to be locked up in prison.
NADECO and ISDC pointed out that the conference would address issues concerning restructuring, good governance and the economic development of the nation.
Explaining that the coalition was no longer talking about pro-democracy but good governance, the groups specifically stated that Nigeria needed a review that would take place outside the country.
They added, “A consensus seems to have emerged among political titans that Nigeria urgently needs a wholesale review to prevent any political faction from oppression or persecution.
“The review must take place outside Nigeria’s governing institutions, which have vested interest in maintaining the corrupt and dictatorial status quo.
“In the light of the ongoing convulsions of strife in Nigeria, we, the people of Nigeria, have agreed that the Nigerian conference to be held in Washington DC would be necessary to ensure the necessary candour and safety among the participants.”
