Mr. President, it is 70 days
now that those unsuspecting Chibok girls were abducted by Boko Haram
extremists. For 70 days, the Nigerian State has failed these girls, their
families and other well-meaning Nigerians who are eager to see them regain
their freedom. Nigerians have shouted, tweeted, demonstrated, protested yet you
have not brought back these girls. The truth, Mr. President, is that I have not
been impressed by the way you have handled this matter. Your initial reaction
to the kidnap was an awkward silence; the reason for which, till today,
Nigerians have not been told. How can you explain why it took you such a long
time to make a statement on the issue? Some of us believe the government’s
lethargic approach to the abduction is what has made it difficult to
#BringBackOurGirls. You also inaugurated a committee to look into the case.
Sincerely, till today, I still don’t understand the rationale for raising the
committee and what the committee was expected to achieve.
Even though the promise you
and your wife made that you would not sleep until the girls were found was apparently
facile, I will still hold you to it. So Mr. President, are you saying before
God and man that you and your wife have not slept for 70 days? Nigerians know
the answer. But do you know that the parents and relative of these girls would
not have had any sound sleep since their kidnapping? If you realise this, then
I hope you are not watching the ongoing FIFA World Cup taking place in Brazil,
even matches involving the Super Eagles. Because Mr. President, if you have
watched even a single match in the ongoing World Cup, then you do not
understand how harrowing the experience of the parents and relatives of the
kidnapped girls must be.
Mr. President, before you or
anyone asks me if I have been watching the ongoing World Cup, let me tell you
straightaway that yes, I have seen a number of matches. You are the
Commander-in-Chief of Nigeria’s Armed Forces, so it is your responsibility to
make sure these girls are returned to their families. The day you took your
oath of office, you swore to defend the citizens of this nation. You swore to defend
the territorial integrity of our nation, which has been so seriously assaulted
by these terrorists even till yesterday, and this is why I do not expect you to
give yourself to any kind of pleasure when innocent girls are being held in the
forest by terrorists. You cannot afford yourself the luxury of any kind of
gratification as long as these girls are captives in their land. Yes, sir, you
cannot be given to any kind of enjoyment, relaxation or hedonism as long as
these girls are missing. You are supposed to be empathetic towards the families
of the girls. So if you have been watching the world cup, please stop and
concentrate on the search for these girls.
Do you know Mr. President, that
the lives of these girls can never be the same again? Having gone through so
much psychological torture, they will need long hours of counselling, if they
are to go back to their normal lives (at least, as close to normal as it can
be) and I doubt if provisions have been made for that. Some of these girls will
live in perpetual fear for the rest of their lives; some of them in the fear of
the male gender that it may be difficult for them to have marital relationships
or even friendships with males. Some of them will not go back to school again
and those who decide to go back may find it difficult to concentrate in school.
Some will have nightmares for the rest of their lives. The truth is that the
consequences of the abduction on these girls (not to talk of their families)
can be very grave and even unimaginable. It is for these reasons that some
concerned citizens and foreigners have been using every opportunity to bring your attention to
the plight of these girls.
Mr. President, eventually,
when (I don’t want to say ‘if’) these girls are found and released, I want to
advise that all of them, including those who escaped, be given national awards
for their courage in the face of danger; they refused to be intimidated even
when they knew that going to write their final exams was dangerous. They have
demonstrated a great desire to be educated and they deserve to be rewarded for
that. I hope my advice will be taken, Mr. President.
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