UK-based Nigerians plan to embarrass Obasanjo in London http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200903082311767
By Emeka Madunagu
Published: Monday, 3 Aug 2009
A group of Nigerians in the United Kingdom, the Nigeria Liberty Forum, is organising a massive protest at an international conference to be addressed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in London on March 18.

The event is being organised by the Crisis States Research Centre of the London School of Economics and Political Science on the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Our correspondent gathered that Obasanjo was listed alongside former UK Secretary for International Development, Ms. Clare Short; the CSRC‘s Director, Prof. James Putzel; and professorial fellow in Governance at the Institute of Development Studies, Prof. David Leonard as a speaker at the one-day conference.

Obasanjo was invited to the conference, titled ”Eastern DRC - what should the international community be doing?” in his capacity as the special envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General to the DRC, a position he has occupied since November 2008.

But, the NLF is mobilising UK-based Nigerians to disrupt the event, scheduled to hold from 6.30p.m.-8p.m. at the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building in London.

In an emailed message to our correspondent on Saturday, the NLF‘s Convener, Mr. Kayode Ogundamisi, said the protest would show the world that Obasanjo lacked the ”moral authority to speak as (a) statesman.”

Ogundamisi said the group was mobilising Nigerians based in the UK as well as those travelling through London or residing elsewhere but are willing to join the protest to signify their interest.

He said the group would use the protest to draw attention to the military invasion of Odi in Bayelsa State and Zaki Biam in Benue State during Obasanjo‘s tenure.

The group said, ”We cannot let Obasanjo get away with the lies he intends to sell to the British people.

“This is the man who gave Nigeria the worst election in world history; he cannot be allowed to whitewash his sins in the United Kingdom while Al Bashir of Sudan is wanted for genocide.”

The same group had on July 17 last year forced President Umaru Yar‘Adua to change the venue of an address he was to deliver at an event organised by a UK-based organisation, Chatham House.

The event, which was originally slated for the head office of Chatham House, also known as the Royal Institute of International Affairs, at 10, St. James Square, London, had to be moved to a rundown building at 8, John Adams Street, London.

KnowAll:


Obj is of no politcal significance anymore, those people going to demonstrate maybe they are jobless, because if u have a job thats last thing u will want to do.