THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
PRESS STATEMENT
NIDOG condemns assault on Senator Ekweremadu in Nuremberg
The Executive Committee of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Germany (NIDO Germany) held an emergency meeting on Sunday, 18 August to discuss the assault on the person of Senator Ike Ekweremadu at the Second Annual Igbo Cultural Day on Saturday, 17 August in the German city of Nuremberg.
The meeting after exhaustive deliberations agreed that:
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NIDO Germany condemns in no uncertain terms the criminal and barbaric physical assault on the person of Senator (Dr) Ike Ekweremadu (CFR) at the Second Annual Igbo Cultural Day on Saturday, 17 August in the German city of Nuremberg.
We call on the German authorities to bring the full weight of the law upon the perpetrators of the reprehensible and contemptible act.
We dissociate the body of Nigerians in Germany from the despicable and uncivilised behaviour.
NIDO Germany considers the unfortunate incident a sad commentary on the level of education and political literacy of some of our compatriots who live in, and enjoy the benefits of, a liberal democratic society and should know the limits of their right to protest.
The Nuremberg incident does not and cannot represent the overwhelming majority of decent, educated and law-abiding Nigerians living in Germany.
We assure Nigerian leaders that they are always welcome in Germany by the Diaspora.
We appeal to all groups in the Nigerian community to more actively involve NIDO Germany, an umbrella body of Nigerian organisations in Germany, in the planning and implementation of events, such as the Second Annual Igbo Cultural Day.
We would like to use this opportunity to note that the current state of insecurity pervasive in many parts of Nigeria is a source of deep worry among Nigerians in the Diaspora like their compatriots at home.
While we acknowledge the strenuous efforts to improve the state of security in Nigeria, NIDO Germany, once again, appeals to government to be unrelenting until peace and security is fully reinstated across the length and breadth of the country.
We reiterate our position, made at the Nigerian Diaspora Day in Abuja on 25 July, that the current spate of insecurity in Nigeria is causing, in addition to precious loss of lives, enormous economic damage to Nigeria, which can only further exacerbate the problems of unemployment and poverty in the country.
NIDO Germany pledges its full co-operation with government in the promotion of Nigeria as a safe and favourable place to do business and visit for pleasure – to grow our economy, create more jobs and make our land prosperous.
Signed
Dr Rosalyn Dressman
President
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Femi Awoniyi
General Secretary
19 August 2019
