The Venezuelan Embassy in Abuja on Saturday held a solidarity football match to continue its global protest against the illegal economic blockade of the U.S. on Venezuela by President Donald Trump.
The friendly football match was held with support from the Hugo Chavez Football Club of Nigeria and the Nigeria Friendship and Solidarity movement with Venezuela.
Venezuela’s Ambassador to Nigeria, David Caraballo said that the #NomoreTrump friendly football match was aimed at drawing more global attention, especially the United Nations to end the total U.S. blockade of Venezuela since Aug. 6.
Caraballo said that the football match which was one of the activities of the global #NomoreTrump protest seeks to protect the rights of the Venezuelan people, Venezuela’s democracy, international law and Multilateralism.
The ambassador said that the signatures collected from Venezuelan citizens and its global supporters in support of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro would be sent to the United Nations General Assembly.
He explained that the move seeks to call on the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres and the International Community to stop the illegal executive orders by the Trump’s administration’s economic blockade of Venezuela.
“Today we are here with the Hugo Chavez football club to support the international campaign #NomoreTrump.
“To support the rights of the Venezuelan people, top defend the sovereignty, and the independence of the process.
“To collect the signings for the support of the letter to the UN General Assembly for the next meeting and express our gratitude to the Nigerian people for the support of all these activities of the Venezuelan people.
“Every day in all the countries around the world, we have different activities in solidarity with the Venezuelan people and signatures in support of Nicolas Maduro’s letter to the UN General Assembly.
“The importance of this document is the support to multilateralism, international law, the United Nations chats against all these actions from Trump to impose his visions about only the economic interest of the United states.
“It has imposed on other countries like Cuba, Nicaragua, Bolivia, they have actions against China, and Russia,” Caraballo said.
Caraballo said that the global campaign had been successful and yielded positive impact with more than six million signatures collected across Venezuela with many more from supporting countries.
Responding to the meeting between representatives of the Venezuelan government and the U.S., Caraballo said that Venezuela was ready to resolve its differences with the U.S. through dialogue.
“For us, it is normal, the process for the political dialogue with the government of the United States and also with the opposition in Venezuela.
“We are ready to continue working to solve in peace within the framework of our constitution the differences within our political situation,” Caraballo said.
Speaking earlier, Mr Dennis Esangbedo, Solidarity President and team member of the Hugo Chaves Football Club said that they were in support of Venezuela to draw international attention to the illegal U.S. actions against Venezuela.
Esangbedo said that the sanctions and illegal economic blockade by Trump on Venezuela had affected the people of Venezuela negatively and a breach to international human rights.
He called on the UN General Assembly to treat the matter with all seriousness and end the U.S. blockade of Venezuela.
Similarly, Mr David Tabakaaji, Community Head of Jankawa, a settlement in the FCT also urged the UN intervention to lift the U.S. economic ban on Venezuela.
He said that the Venezuelan government through its Embassies had contributed to the development of several countries.
Tabakaaji said that Jankawa community had benefitted from the generosity of Venezuela with the establishment of the Hugo Chavez Primary School which had given children of commuters the opportunity to be educated.
On Aug. 6, Trump announced a total U.S. economic blockade of Venezuela.
With the U.S. economic blockade, all entities within the United States, whether individual or government are prohibited from engaging in any economic, commercial or financial transaction with Venezuela.
