Members of the civil society organisations on Sunday commemorated the seventh anniversary of the late human rights activist, Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti, with a renewed call for the convocation of Sovereign National Conference.
The SNC, they insisted, was the panacea for the myriad of problems facing the country.
Speaking at a rally in Lagos, Chairman of National Democratic Coalition, Rear Admiral Ndubisi Kanu (retd.); President, Campaign for Democracy, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin; former President of Civil Liberties Organisation, Dr. Ayo Obe, and the President of Voters Assembly, Moshood Erubami, said the conference would soon take place in the country.
Kanu, who extolled Beko’s virtues, described him as “a great leader whose soul is still matching on”.
He urged human rights activists and CSOs not to give up in their struggle for a better Nigeria.
Kanu said, “National conference is one of the things that Beko fought for during his lifetime. All those against the conference don’t want Nigeria to survive.
“Irrespective of government’s attitude to the conference, it will take place very soon. What we want is a peaceful conference but if they prevent a peaceful conference, it may hold in a violent way. I can assure you that it will not be too long before the conference will take place.”
Okei-Odumakin urged the civil society groups rise to the occasion and hold a conference the way Beko, Anthony Enahoro and other patriots had laid the template.
She said, “The attempt by agents of the status-quo to water the demand down by removing ‘sovereign’ from the conference is a waste of time as sovereignty belongs to the people.”
Obe described Beko as a peaceful activist, who sought a better Nigeria while he was alive.
She said, “What we see now is everybody going in their different directions. The civil society groups should develop a political platform for constitutional conference.”
Meanwhile, activists from the Beko Rights Klub, Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders and People’s Action for Democracy also called for the conference, saying it would end the “misfortunes” of the nation’s democracy