Nigeria�s feared rebel group, Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), said it played a decisive role in Nigeria�s failure to win the bid to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
In a three paragraph email sent to The Times of Nigeria and other news organizations, MEND said �Contrary to the believe of the Nigerian delegation to the Commonwealth draw for the hosting of the 2014 games that Nigeria�s failure was due to racism, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) can confirm that security concerns was the main reason.�
�The Commonwealth Games Federation had contacted us through a third party to enquire about our views. Knowing that by 2014, the Nigerian state can not be trusted to concede resource control to the different regions, we stated that the safety of delegates; especially citizens from the United Kingdom can not be guaranteed.�
�The hosting of the games should not be a priority in a country that has not yet put its house in order. The Republic of South Africa could not have dreamt of hosting the world cup during the period it was hosting apartheid. When there is justice, peace and prosperity will thrive.� The statement concluded.