#BringBackOurGirlsNYC was formed after consultation with the #BringBackOurGirls coalition in Nigeria. It is a coalition of Nigerians, Nigerian Americans, Africans, Diasporan Africans and friends of Nigeria resident in New York City. We intend to redouble our efforts and continue to protest until these girls are brought back to their families.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
The Nigerian abductions, 58 days post-Chibok
The
humanitarian response is poorly coordinated, haphazard and inadequate to the
point of being nonexistent. I know that
NEMA exists. There are also SEMAs! But the only meaningful demonstration of the
existence of an institution is its effectiveness; its capacity to deliver what
it was established to provide. Are the
displaced populations in Nigeria experiencing the effectiveness of NEMA and the
SEMAs? Not in the least! So, what then does it mean to have the
largest economy in Africa? Is it about
jamborees and crowing in the media about Nigeria being open for business? We should bow our heads, be ashamed, lament
and mourn the absurdity of having this largest economy and lacking at one and
the same time, the basic necessities of life for our embattled majority—the
poor. We should be saddened by the
rampant lack of human security in Nigeria.
We should lament the yet to be realized Education for All (EFA)
goals. We should abhor a situation where
the gross lack of absence of a medical care system means that our leaders and
their affluent friends and family, plus the few privileged Nigerians revel in
seeking medical care abroad. We have had
the disgraceful situation of First Ladies dying while seeking simple things
like plastic surgery, sitting Presidents dying in foreign lands and their
superior hospitals, sitting President’s sibling dying of heart inflammation
while being stabilized for transportation abroad to get the best medical care. The state of our roads is predominantly
atrocious. If you want potable water,
you provide it. If you want a good
school for your children, you pay through the nose, or resign yourself to the tragic
carcasses that most of Nigeria’s schools have become. Our public Universities and other tertiary
institutions are eyesores. The Police
College in Ikeja, Lagos, is an assault to the sensibilities of any thinking
person. What is wrong? Are we conscious of the responsibilities of a
sovereign nation to its people? What is
there to celebrate? What is there to
crow about? If majority of our citizens
are down in the depths of despair about their lack of capacity to put body and
soul together, why are we not mobilized to use the resources of the largest economy
in Africa to turn the situation around?
What is our future if we can live with a situation where our children
can be so easily abducted and kept away from their families by irrational
individuals spouting incoherent diatribes?
I am puzzled.
There is seeming lack of awareness that
we are in a democracy and citizens have a right to a whole panoply of civil
& human rights, including but not limited to: asking questions and demanding answers from
their government; peacefully protest government policies; freedom of speech;
freedom of association; publicly criticize government policy and demand
significant changes; insist on well functioning democratic institutions such as
the rule of law, and by implication an independent, impartial and fearless
judiciary; elections that aren't rigged, and a truly independent and well
functioning INEC, an institution whose name more belies the aspiration that it
encourages in the mind of those that are unfamiliar with its nefarious history
and record of ineptitude, collusion with venal political elites to defraud the
majority of Nigerians. As an aside, most Nigerians hope that the institution
under Professor Attahiru Jega succeeds in demonstrating that it can run clean
elections. The jury is still out on this. The executive branch does not seem to
understand that law enforcement, defense, bureaucratic excellence in policy
implementation and commitment to separation of powers are all it's
responsibility. It seems to think some magic would produce such results. It is
MIA, dead in the water, absent, clueless and seems utterly incapable to
demonstrate any sense of purpose that connects with the hopes, dreams, and
aspirations of Nigerians. One is almost driven to wonder: what is the essence
of Nigeria's claim to being a nascent democracy? Does it mean we should be unmoored, plan
less, stumbling from one crisis to another and modeling our ineptitude as well
as impunity writ large to the world?
Nigeria just this year celebrated 100
years of its existence. I was puzzled by the extravaganza and jamboree that
attended the event. Why on earth do we want to celebrate 100 years of
colonization? If we're confused enough to do so, why not do sober and more
productive reflection that considers the enduring legacies of colonization on
our body politic? Why not re dedicate ourselves to connecting with the best
aspirations of our nationalist struggle for independence, lamenting the
elusiveness of the "life better for all" that was promised in those
heady days and demonstrating a commitment to doing all in our power to awaken
those dreams, regroup, be serious and determined to fulfill the social contract
that those nationalists of yore promised?
Instead we threw a most extravagant party, gave numerous scandalous
awards, displayed in graphic relief that the plight of ordinary Nigerians
matters little to its government. The attitude displayed was one akin to
"fiddling while Rome burns".
What is the way forward? There are passionate advocates of immediate
rescue. These individuals and groups acknowledge the bankruptcy of the Nigerian
government and call upon the international community to rescue us. Some call for a return to military rule
because there was order when the military had its jackboot on our necks. In terms of asking the international
community to swoop in and rescue us, it is surprising that we expect altruism
and magnanimity. Why should any country
perform the magnanimous task of committing its human and material resources to
rescue a country that seems to be hell-bent on self-destruction? What justification would they offer to their
people? How would this be in their
national interest? Do we realize that
when political scientists say that the international system is the realm of anarchy
that the implication is about the salience of self-help? The meaning of this simply is that no one
will help you. You help yourself. If you are “helped” there is a price to
pay. Oftentimes, that price is the loss
of autonomy, a sort of colonization. Is
this what we want? Maybe that’s why we
celebrated 100 years since the instantiation of colonization with so much
fanfare. Maybe that’s why we are so
devoid of a sense of purpose and determination to establish a functioning
political system that is designed to meet the needs of our people. Maybe that’s why we have politicians that
seem determined to fiddle while Rome burns.
They have such high salaries and perquisites of office that it is
ridiculous. Their people—the
constituents they serve are predominantly destitute, hungry, incapacitated by
problems that can be easily solved but prove to be intractable in Nigeria, and
all they’re concerned about is how to fill their pockets with ill-gotten gains
purloined from the patrimony. It is a
shame!
Leftists who raise the alarm about the
craziness of a blanket call for rescue by America and the other world powers
are right. There ain’t nothing like a
free lunch! No rescue without giving
something in return. America is of
course interested. So is China, so is the UK, so is France. There is a panoply of other interested
parties. Each and every one of them is
there in Nigeria “helping” to look for the Chibok girls and others that Boko
Haram has disappeared. We should be
grateful but vigilant. We should thank
all these powers and powerful interests.
If we were organized and our house was in order, we would not need the
extent of assistance that we now need so desperately. However, vigilance is required. The lessons of history, as recently as in
Iraq and farther away in time in the Congo, show us that external intervention
can cause more devastation than provide solutions. No matter how grievous things are, we do not
want to be recolonized. Besides, no one
can rescue us. Only our collective
efforts will rescue us. The job ahead is
messy, formidable, seemingly intractable, but really not insurmountable. We should gird our loins and first rescue our
girls, and then embark anew on the long and painful journey of nation-building. It is difficult. It is not impossible. Without a state that is conscious of its
responsibilities to the people of Nigeria, we cannot accomplish a thing. What I am calling for is such a state to
become manifest. This is the meaning of
independence, autonomy, self-determination and sovereignty.
Nigerians, rise to the challenge.
Sunday, June 8, 2014
Women for Justice and Peace 1st weekly teach-in and discussion on Marina, Lagos
Yesterday, June 7th 2014, I attended a gathering of Nigerian civil society groups for a teach-in and discussion on the Marina in Lagos Island. The gathering was convened by Women for Peace and Justice. It was an overcast day with light drizzling from time to time. I didn't have an umbrella but those who did shared freely. There looked to be about 150 people present. They were of varying ages and varying cultural backgrounds. Many had been affected by political violence directly or in their families. Those present came from all parts of Nigeria, the North, the South, and the East. They were Muslims and Christians primarily. They were all gathered because they shared a commitment to the struggle for democracy and equal citizenship in Nigeria. The event started with the Nigerian national anthem, a Muslim prayer, and a Christian prayer.
Two speakers addressed the crowd and then there was a question and answer session. The first was Ibrahim Audu, an architect and member of the #BBOG group in Abuja and a native of the Chibok region. The other was Chidi Odinkalu, the chair of the governing council of the National Human Rights Commission in Abuja.
Audu made a lot of important points about how Abuja politics stymied the search for the missing girls. When the abductions were first discovered and Chibok pople in Abuja as well as others alerted the authorities, they were dismissed because the powers that be in Abuja insisted that the abduction story was just that, a story, and one meant to politically discredit GEJonathan and his regime. It reminded me of Washington, D.C. where action might be blocked on perfectly reasonable bills simply because Republicans see them as coming from the opposition. similarly, action was blocked on pursuing the abductors because the story was seen as a fabrication of political opponents of the regime. The tragedy, Audu said, is that the girls were kept in a village outside of the Sambisa "forest" for 11 days before being moved to more inaccessible locations. In other words, they could absolutely have been recovered early on if not for the paranoia, callousness, and frank unprofessionalism of responsible officers in Abuja and the Northeast. Three weeks after initial reports of the abduction, the authorities decided to set up a fact-finding committee. This move, only confirmed to the #BBOG abuja folks that the authorities still refused to believe. Meanwhile the clock was ticking on the missing girls.
The #BBOG Abuja folks have also experienced various kinds of harassment. Famously,the Inspector General of Police in blatant contradiction of sections of the Nigerian constitution announced a ban on all rallies and protests related to the Bring Back Our Girls campaign. Of course the Abuja based protestors were most immediately affected. Less known is that there has been a counter protest movement that has emerged in abuja. Wearing red shirts like the #BBOG people, and chanting loudly, members of the Release our Girls group would converge in the sam place as #BBOG folks. They would chant for BH to release the girls, rather than for the Nigerian security forces to go and find them. It was absurdist political theater in Abuja while the clock was ticking on the missing girls.
The other speaker was Chidi Odinkalu with the Nigerian Human Rights Commission. He opened by leading everyone in a round of the activist anthem, "Solidarity." Solidarity forever, we shall always fight for our right...
His talk was organized around 4 thematic areas; 4Cs, one could say: citizenship, caring, country, counting. Odinkalu emphasized the way in which the bbog movment has pulled together the country and recovered a practice of caring across various social lines. even in the small gathering on the marina, about 100 or 150 people, they still represented the diversity of the nation. By contrast government officials go on the news and they cannot account for the numbers of girls missing and yet these same officials readily talk about census numbers and budget numbers. This politics of counting and not counting speaks to the low value accorded to citizens by certain national officials. The case of the missing Chibok girls, and particularly its handling is just another symptom of the limits of Nigeria's democracy. Despite these conditions, people were still committed to the dream of a Nigeria that valued its people and worked to enhance the lives of citizens. Odinkalu and others in the crowd did a roll call of Nigerian activists who had fought and died for democracy in the nation: Funmilayo Kuti, Fela, Beko Ransome-Kuti, Ken Saro Wiwa, Gani Fawehinmi, and others. He emphasized that the larger struggle for justice and peace in Nigeria is a long term struggle and exhorted the gathering not to waste the high costs that others had already paid or to forget the struggles of the past like the pro-democracy movements under Abacha and other dictators.
He closed with a few ideas and take-aways.
1) Security forces in Nigeria may be grossly overextended. There are three ongoing wars in the country.
Niger delta . operation money pulo : operation protect oil
Jos in the middlebelt
Northeast war against BH.
To deal with all this, the country's military has about 45000 folks, who are constrained in various ways due to their involvement in past coups. The troops are also under resourced and heavily centralized, thus ineffective in local areas that they may know little about.
Furthermore, the insurgency started 4 years ago. Women have been abducted since 2010/ 2011 and in the heavily agricultural Northeast, the farms have long been abandoned due to insecurity. There is not much food. All of these are humanitarian challenges for the region.
Ramadan is coming and so is Eid. Odinkalu suggested we need a humanitarian plan for the region that would create a corridor of security, food security, and other basic needs. Using what he called managed displacement these goods could be delivered to citizens while maximizing the available military resources.
On the education front, he said we need a plan to defend education. "People are looking at this as a war for territory but this is also a war for civilization." we need a credible plan to return education to the north. and we need a humanitarian plan for "managed displacement" of directly affected populations.
The gathering then broke into question asking, general discussion, sharing information from their various organizations. A woman from Maiduguri said she was working on a plan to bring girls to the city for post trauma care as Maiduguri was still relatively safe, but she needed more contacts with officials and NGOs or foundations to put together a planning committee. Another woman from the Muritala Muhammad Foundation offered to help. Solidarity in action.
Final Words:
june 16th. people of conscience around the world should wear red in solidarity with the chibok girls
Day 55. To date, 57 of the girls are said to have escaped. 4 quite recently some of whom are in the hospital. 219 girls are still in the forest.
Nigerian elections are coming in 2015. All politicians should be asked what they have done for the campaign. #No Girls No Vote
Two speakers addressed the crowd and then there was a question and answer session. The first was Ibrahim Audu, an architect and member of the #BBOG group in Abuja and a native of the Chibok region. The other was Chidi Odinkalu, the chair of the governing council of the National Human Rights Commission in Abuja.
Audu made a lot of important points about how Abuja politics stymied the search for the missing girls. When the abductions were first discovered and Chibok pople in Abuja as well as others alerted the authorities, they were dismissed because the powers that be in Abuja insisted that the abduction story was just that, a story, and one meant to politically discredit GEJonathan and his regime. It reminded me of Washington, D.C. where action might be blocked on perfectly reasonable bills simply because Republicans see them as coming from the opposition. similarly, action was blocked on pursuing the abductors because the story was seen as a fabrication of political opponents of the regime. The tragedy, Audu said, is that the girls were kept in a village outside of the Sambisa "forest" for 11 days before being moved to more inaccessible locations. In other words, they could absolutely have been recovered early on if not for the paranoia, callousness, and frank unprofessionalism of responsible officers in Abuja and the Northeast. Three weeks after initial reports of the abduction, the authorities decided to set up a fact-finding committee. This move, only confirmed to the #BBOG abuja folks that the authorities still refused to believe. Meanwhile the clock was ticking on the missing girls.
The #BBOG Abuja folks have also experienced various kinds of harassment. Famously,the Inspector General of Police in blatant contradiction of sections of the Nigerian constitution announced a ban on all rallies and protests related to the Bring Back Our Girls campaign. Of course the Abuja based protestors were most immediately affected. Less known is that there has been a counter protest movement that has emerged in abuja. Wearing red shirts like the #BBOG people, and chanting loudly, members of the Release our Girls group would converge in the sam place as #BBOG folks. They would chant for BH to release the girls, rather than for the Nigerian security forces to go and find them. It was absurdist political theater in Abuja while the clock was ticking on the missing girls.
The other speaker was Chidi Odinkalu with the Nigerian Human Rights Commission. He opened by leading everyone in a round of the activist anthem, "Solidarity." Solidarity forever, we shall always fight for our right...
His talk was organized around 4 thematic areas; 4Cs, one could say: citizenship, caring, country, counting. Odinkalu emphasized the way in which the bbog movment has pulled together the country and recovered a practice of caring across various social lines. even in the small gathering on the marina, about 100 or 150 people, they still represented the diversity of the nation. By contrast government officials go on the news and they cannot account for the numbers of girls missing and yet these same officials readily talk about census numbers and budget numbers. This politics of counting and not counting speaks to the low value accorded to citizens by certain national officials. The case of the missing Chibok girls, and particularly its handling is just another symptom of the limits of Nigeria's democracy. Despite these conditions, people were still committed to the dream of a Nigeria that valued its people and worked to enhance the lives of citizens. Odinkalu and others in the crowd did a roll call of Nigerian activists who had fought and died for democracy in the nation: Funmilayo Kuti, Fela, Beko Ransome-Kuti, Ken Saro Wiwa, Gani Fawehinmi, and others. He emphasized that the larger struggle for justice and peace in Nigeria is a long term struggle and exhorted the gathering not to waste the high costs that others had already paid or to forget the struggles of the past like the pro-democracy movements under Abacha and other dictators.
He closed with a few ideas and take-aways.
1) Security forces in Nigeria may be grossly overextended. There are three ongoing wars in the country.
Niger delta . operation money pulo : operation protect oil
Jos in the middlebelt
Northeast war against BH.
To deal with all this, the country's military has about 45000 folks, who are constrained in various ways due to their involvement in past coups. The troops are also under resourced and heavily centralized, thus ineffective in local areas that they may know little about.
Furthermore, the insurgency started 4 years ago. Women have been abducted since 2010/ 2011 and in the heavily agricultural Northeast, the farms have long been abandoned due to insecurity. There is not much food. All of these are humanitarian challenges for the region.
Ramadan is coming and so is Eid. Odinkalu suggested we need a humanitarian plan for the region that would create a corridor of security, food security, and other basic needs. Using what he called managed displacement these goods could be delivered to citizens while maximizing the available military resources.
On the education front, he said we need a plan to defend education. "People are looking at this as a war for territory but this is also a war for civilization." we need a credible plan to return education to the north. and we need a humanitarian plan for "managed displacement" of directly affected populations.
The gathering then broke into question asking, general discussion, sharing information from their various organizations. A woman from Maiduguri said she was working on a plan to bring girls to the city for post trauma care as Maiduguri was still relatively safe, but she needed more contacts with officials and NGOs or foundations to put together a planning committee. Another woman from the Muritala Muhammad Foundation offered to help. Solidarity in action.
Final Words:
june 16th. people of conscience around the world should wear red in solidarity with the chibok girls
Day 55. To date, 57 of the girls are said to have escaped. 4 quite recently some of whom are in the hospital. 219 girls are still in the forest.
Nigerian elections are coming in 2015. All politicians should be asked what they have done for the campaign. #No Girls No Vote
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Nigerian Police ban all protests in Abuja: ???
It's now 50 days after the Chibok abductions. Instead of demonstrating through compassionate, well organized, concerted action that it is not only concerned about the abducted girls and their heartbroken families, yesterday, June 2, 2014, 49 days after the abduction, the response of the Federal Government of Nigeria, via the Nigerian Police Force, was to ban all protests in Abuja. Chibok Schoolgirls: Nigerian Police ban all protests in Abuja
And it's curious that the Doyin Okupe, an advisor to President Goodluck Jonathan could go on international media to say with a straight face, that Nigeria is winning the battle against Boko Haram.
Nigeria 'not losing Boko Haram battle,' says president's adviser
If so, where are our girls?
The #BringBackOurGirls Abuja family is taking the right step by bringing a lawsuit that challenges this infringement on the democratic rights of these noble citizens of Nigeria.
Here is a statement from the group:
In light of the ban of all Chibok Girls protest issued by CP Mbu, we wish to inform you that our lawyers, Femi Falana SAN of Falana Chambers will be filling a suit today to challenge the legality of the action.
Our sit -out for today shall not hold as we shall all convey at the court to accompany our lawyer to file the suit.
Below is our press statement issued out this morning on the purported ban.
Kind regards,
Hadiza
And since Nigeria is 6 hours ahead of EST, the lawsuit should now be ongoing. Members of the #BringBackOurGirls are asked to converge @ FCT High Court, Maitama #BringBackOurGirls
Dear Wonderful People,
We would be converging at the FCT High Court, Maitama for the filling of a suit to challenge the legality of the action of Police ban of protests in Abuja [#BringBackOurGirls campaign].
Time: 12 noon
Dress Code: Red T-Shirt with #BringBackOurGirls Now and Alive inscription, OR any Red apparel.
Hence, the visit to the court would now serve as our sit-out.
The Chibok Girls deserved all the legitimate sacrifice we can muster at this time.
We refused to be distracted from our singular demand: #BringBackOurGirls - Now and Alive!
We shall not fail Our Girls in ensuring that they are brought back home to their families- Now & Alive!
Please inform others.
Thank you.
Joel
www.bringbackourgirls.ng
Here below is the PRESS RELEASE by the group.
Re: Purported Ban on All Protests on the Chibok Girls in FCT by Police Commissioner
We are members of the #BringBackOurGirls Abuja Family, a citizens movement advocating for the speedy rescue of the over 200 girls abducted from Chibok Secondary School, Borno state. Ours has been a single-issue campaign for the safe return of the abducted girls. In the last 34 days we have done so through peaceful daily sit-outs, and some marches to key governmental actors urging them to act swiftly to rescue the girls from the terrorists.
Earlier today we received with shock the statement credited to the FCT Commissioner of Police Joseph Mbu that "...All Protests on the Chibok Girls is hereby banned with immediate effect…"
We wish to remind the Commissioner of Police Mbu that he cannot take any action that violates our Constitutionally guaranteed rights as citizens, particularly our rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, amongst others as enshrined in Chapter Four (Section 40) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended).
We are puzzled about the inconsistencies in the communication emanating from the Nigerian Police. We recall that on 12th May, 2014, the Nigeria Police Force on its website published a news item with the title: "Police Not Against Peaceful Assemblies" in which the Inspector-General of Police, M.D. Abubakar restated the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to the protection and enforcement of the fundamental rights of citizens.
Over the last 34 days, we have been widely acknowledged, including by the Police and the Federal Government delegation, which represented President Jonathan at one of our meetings for the peaceful, disciplined, and decorous manner we have always conducted the activities of our movement. In consonance with our approach, we shall tomorrow be in court with our lawyers, Femi Falana SAN to file a suit challenging this purported ban by C.P. Mbu.
In the interim, we shall not hold our sit-out tomorrow 3rd June, because we shall be accompanying our lawyers to the Court where we hope to obtain an immediate restraint on this unconstitutional, undemocratic and repressive act. Our Movement is legitimate and lawful and cannot be arrested by the police whose responsibility is to enforce, not betray the law.
We, the members of the #BringBackOurGirls Abuja Family, remain resolute and will persist in using all lawful means to sustain our peaceful advocacy for the safe rescue of the Chibok Girls. We therefore encourage all those in Nigeria and other Nations that have similarly taken a stand for the cause of the girls to continue to do so with the clarion call: BRING BACK OUR GIRLS, NOW AND ALIVE!!!
Signed
Oby Ezekwesili and Hadiza Bala Usman
For the #BringBackOurGirls Abuja Family
And here below is a piece done by Maryam Uwais
Chibok, the Coalition and the Federal Government of Nigeria
When, on the morning of 15th of April 2014, an obviously very distressed guard from Chibok approached me, to inform me of the abduction of almost 300 girls from the Government Secondary School in his hometown, I looked at him in utter disbelief. How do almost 300 girls get carted into trucks and taken away, in one fell swoop?
Over the next few days, however, my dread and apprehension slowly manifested into inescapable reality. To this date, our girls still remain in captivity, almost two months after that awful morning. In the period, the BringBackOurGirls Coalition, beginning with one tweet and several protest marches in many State capitals of Nigeria, has succeeded in drawing the attention of the entire world to the plight of these 273 Nigerian girls, who were driven away into the Sambisa forest, without a trace. As a consequence, several countries have offered to support Nigeria in it’s efforts at rescuing them, while protests continue and prayers are being offered, all over the world, for their safety and swift return.
Terror knows no boundaries; everyone is affected by the bombings and killings, without exception. For once, Nigerians from all walks of life, irrespective of ethnicity or faith, are united on this singular effort and message. Our citizens have risen in an unprecedented show of unity, to demand that the girls’ be rescued, while the international community has been galvanized, in an awesome demonstration of human solidarity, to join Nigerians in this quest.
For me, as each day passes, and especially when the sun begins to fade, sobriety overwhelms me. I try to imagine what it must be like for those little girls in the Sambisa forest. I think of the descending dark of night enveloping them; slithering poisonous snakes; wonder how they can keep clean, eat and drink clean water. I imagine them holding onto each other, crying and struggling earnestly to give each other courage. Then I remember those evil men, and my mind draws a blank. I cannot think any further. This must be every mother’s worst nightmare; that her child is kidnapped by armed men, to a place beyond her reach, for days unending. I shudder with the thoughts of how the parents and that community must feel; the suspense and the anguish they must be going through.
I resolve again and again that I must do all that I can to keep the issue on the front burner of the Nigerian discourse. I cannot sit at home and lament about the situation so helplessly; I must remain engaged and involved. I must find creative ways of collectively and constructively engaging our citizens on security concerns, and our leaders on how we can support them, to make our country a safer and more peaceful place to live in. We cannot allow that the girls be forgotten or sidelined by other ‘breaking news’, for that would amount to abandoning them (and their families) to a fate worse than death.
So I have committed to the BringBackOurGirls campaign. The BringBackOurGirls Coalition has become, for me, a place of solace and hope; where Nigerians from all walks of life and irrespective of religion and ethnicity, come together as one, completely shutting out the divisive cacophony of voices in our public sphere, who continue to use these superficial dissimilarities to garner selective advantage. We, as a Coalition, have tried to engage our leaders, elected and appointed, who swore on the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to protect and secure our lives and our welfare. These include the leadership of the National Assembly, the Office of the National Security Advisor, The Minister of Defence, the Chief of Defence Staff, the Governor of Borno State and finally, the President and Commander in Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces. Our meetings with the National Assembly and the Office of the National Security Advisor were constructive and reassuring, but the response from the President, as read out by the Minister of State of the Federal Capital Territory, was disappointing, as it displayed a defensiveness that was unfounded and totally unnecessary. Paradoxically, even though the content of his letter warned against politicizing the Chibok incident, the message from the Executive continues to attribute politics to the discourse, in a matter that is so plainly about safeguarding the lives of vulnerable Nigerian citizens.
The narrative that has since emerged from our engagement with the President’s representatives suggests that Nigerians should direct their message to Boko Haram, to ‘release the girls’, as the message, ‘bring back our girls’, appears to place the blame on government for the incident. As far as the Federal Government is concerned, since it is not in custody of the girls, the demand should be directed at Boko Haram. Ever since then, our peaceful protests (as a Coalition) have been characterized by intimidation. Government buses, loaded with women, have been brought to the precise location where we meet, to sing and dance around the Coalition, in an effort to drown out our voices.
Thugs have been unleashed on one of our meetings, to disrupt our peaceful discussions, snatch bags, phones and break chairs, without provocation. A Government Minister has accused us of being partisan, inferring that we are opposition. We are locked out of parks when we relocate to other public spaces. Determined to remain focused on our singular campaign to bring back our girls, however, we have not reacted or allowed ourselves to be provoked into violence. We have continued to meet wherever we can, notwithstanding these distractions. Precisely because our girls are still out there, somewhere unknown and in danger, and our purpose for meeting remains unfinished.
We are accused of being opposition, merely because we have dared to ask our elected leaders to be accountable to the people that voted them in. I, personally, have never subscribed to any political party and have striven, all my working life, to assist, wherever I can, to making my country a better place. Our 1999 Constitution guarantees me the freedom to assemble, associate and express myself. I ask myself why Government should be so nervous and react so negatively to the demand that it lives up to it’s responsibilities; why should they insist that I direct my questions to Boko Haram? I do not know what the membership of Boko Haram consists of, where they are or how they operate. But I do know my leaders and firmly believe they are in office to serve Nigerians and Nigeria. A responsible leadership should take steps to assuage and allay its citizen’s fears by being receptive and approachable. This is what we see obtains all over the world; should I not remind our own leaders that they are in office for the purpose of service? Most importantly, Government should not alienate it’s own people by intimidating and labeling us enemies of State, especially when all we seek to do is to peacefully exercise our constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedoms.
Moreover, every Nigerian has the right to demand for answers from their leadership, even if politics is our particular vocation in life. Indeed, as Nigerians, we are each, individually bigger than the components (of the identities) of the faiths we profess; greater than our vocations (as politicians), roles or professions; larger than our sundry ethnic groups. We are human beings. Is it so difficult to comprehend that when we confront our leaders with our security concerns, we do not recall what ethnic group or culture they belong to, what language they speak or faith they subscribe to? We do not remember what party platform they utilized to attain office. Can our leaders just please trust that all we want are results and an outcome that is reassuring to us, as citizens?
Yesterday evening, in an inexplicable admission of his incapacity (or unwillingness) to ‘protect citizens from terror’ (his ostensible justification) within the FCT jurisdiction, the FCT Commissioner of Police ‘banned’ the BringBackOurGirls Coalition from holding protests in public places. In a democratic dispensation! We, as law-abiding citizens, have decided to challenge this violation of our constitutionally guaranteed rights, in a court of law. Perhaps we have been under Military rule for too long, and this is why the leadership should feel a sense of outrage, that citizens should dare to remind them that they have responsibilities towards them.
I had hoped and prayed that when the girls are finally rescued, ALL Nigerians, including our President and members of the Coalition would be able to stand together, on the same platform, to welcome them, rejoicing ecstatically. Sadly, members of the Executive in our Government, by their recent tactics, demonstrate a paranoia that renders this scenario mere wishful thinking, on my part.
All we want and continue to demand for is that our girls to be brought back, safe and alive. This singular message has been consistent, loud and clear and cannot be different from what the Government would want to happen. Government just needs to accept that not everyone is the enemy. Not everyone is interested in politics or holding public office. Not everyone is out to disparage, blame or denigrate the other. On the contrary, most Nigerians are more interested in living in peace and harmony. We yearn to be assured of security and protection. We crave a leadership that is responsive, accountable, empathetic and result-oriented.
And all we are asking for now is for those in positions of leadership to ensure that our girls are brought back, now and alive!
Maryam Uwais
1st June 2014
And it's curious that the Doyin Okupe, an advisor to President Goodluck Jonathan could go on international media to say with a straight face, that Nigeria is winning the battle against Boko Haram.
Nigeria 'not losing Boko Haram battle,' says president's adviser
If so, where are our girls?
The #BringBackOurGirls Abuja family is taking the right step by bringing a lawsuit that challenges this infringement on the democratic rights of these noble citizens of Nigeria.
Here is a statement from the group:
In light of the ban of all Chibok Girls protest issued by CP Mbu, we wish to inform you that our lawyers, Femi Falana SAN of Falana Chambers will be filling a suit today to challenge the legality of the action.
Our sit -out for today shall not hold as we shall all convey at the court to accompany our lawyer to file the suit.
Below is our press statement issued out this morning on the purported ban.
Kind regards,
Hadiza
And since Nigeria is 6 hours ahead of EST, the lawsuit should now be ongoing. Members of the #BringBackOurGirls are asked to converge @ FCT High Court, Maitama #BringBackOurGirls
Dear Wonderful People,
We would be converging at the FCT High Court, Maitama for the filling of a suit to challenge the legality of the action of Police ban of protests in Abuja [#BringBackOurGirls campaign].
Time: 12 noon
Dress Code: Red T-Shirt with #BringBackOurGirls Now and Alive inscription, OR any Red apparel.
Hence, the visit to the court would now serve as our sit-out.
The Chibok Girls deserved all the legitimate sacrifice we can muster at this time.
We refused to be distracted from our singular demand: #BringBackOurGirls - Now and Alive!
We shall not fail Our Girls in ensuring that they are brought back home to their families- Now & Alive!
Please inform others.
Thank you.
Joel
www.bringbackourgirls.ng
Re: Purported Ban on All Protests on the Chibok Girls in FCT by Police Commissioner
We are members of the #BringBackOurGirls Abuja Family, a citizens movement advocating for the speedy rescue of the over 200 girls abducted from Chibok Secondary School, Borno state. Ours has been a single-issue campaign for the safe return of the abducted girls. In the last 34 days we have done so through peaceful daily sit-outs, and some marches to key governmental actors urging them to act swiftly to rescue the girls from the terrorists.
Earlier today we received with shock the statement credited to the FCT Commissioner of Police Joseph Mbu that "...All Protests on the Chibok Girls is hereby banned with immediate effect…"
We wish to remind the Commissioner of Police Mbu that he cannot take any action that violates our Constitutionally guaranteed rights as citizens, particularly our rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, amongst others as enshrined in Chapter Four (Section 40) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended).
We are puzzled about the inconsistencies in the communication emanating from the Nigerian Police. We recall that on 12th May, 2014, the Nigeria Police Force on its website published a news item with the title: "Police Not Against Peaceful Assemblies" in which the Inspector-General of Police, M.D. Abubakar restated the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to the protection and enforcement of the fundamental rights of citizens.
Over the last 34 days, we have been widely acknowledged, including by the Police and the Federal Government delegation, which represented President Jonathan at one of our meetings for the peaceful, disciplined, and decorous manner we have always conducted the activities of our movement. In consonance with our approach, we shall tomorrow be in court with our lawyers, Femi Falana SAN to file a suit challenging this purported ban by C.P. Mbu.
In the interim, we shall not hold our sit-out tomorrow 3rd June, because we shall be accompanying our lawyers to the Court where we hope to obtain an immediate restraint on this unconstitutional, undemocratic and repressive act. Our Movement is legitimate and lawful and cannot be arrested by the police whose responsibility is to enforce, not betray the law.
We, the members of the #BringBackOurGirls Abuja Family, remain resolute and will persist in using all lawful means to sustain our peaceful advocacy for the safe rescue of the Chibok Girls. We therefore encourage all those in Nigeria and other Nations that have similarly taken a stand for the cause of the girls to continue to do so with the clarion call: BRING BACK OUR GIRLS, NOW AND ALIVE!!!
Signed
Oby Ezekwesili and Hadiza Bala Usman
For the #BringBackOurGirls Abuja Family
And here below is a piece done by Maryam Uwais
Chibok, the Coalition and the Federal Government of Nigeria
When, on the morning of 15th of April 2014, an obviously very distressed guard from Chibok approached me, to inform me of the abduction of almost 300 girls from the Government Secondary School in his hometown, I looked at him in utter disbelief. How do almost 300 girls get carted into trucks and taken away, in one fell swoop?
Over the next few days, however, my dread and apprehension slowly manifested into inescapable reality. To this date, our girls still remain in captivity, almost two months after that awful morning. In the period, the BringBackOurGirls Coalition, beginning with one tweet and several protest marches in many State capitals of Nigeria, has succeeded in drawing the attention of the entire world to the plight of these 273 Nigerian girls, who were driven away into the Sambisa forest, without a trace. As a consequence, several countries have offered to support Nigeria in it’s efforts at rescuing them, while protests continue and prayers are being offered, all over the world, for their safety and swift return.
Terror knows no boundaries; everyone is affected by the bombings and killings, without exception. For once, Nigerians from all walks of life, irrespective of ethnicity or faith, are united on this singular effort and message. Our citizens have risen in an unprecedented show of unity, to demand that the girls’ be rescued, while the international community has been galvanized, in an awesome demonstration of human solidarity, to join Nigerians in this quest.
For me, as each day passes, and especially when the sun begins to fade, sobriety overwhelms me. I try to imagine what it must be like for those little girls in the Sambisa forest. I think of the descending dark of night enveloping them; slithering poisonous snakes; wonder how they can keep clean, eat and drink clean water. I imagine them holding onto each other, crying and struggling earnestly to give each other courage. Then I remember those evil men, and my mind draws a blank. I cannot think any further. This must be every mother’s worst nightmare; that her child is kidnapped by armed men, to a place beyond her reach, for days unending. I shudder with the thoughts of how the parents and that community must feel; the suspense and the anguish they must be going through.
I resolve again and again that I must do all that I can to keep the issue on the front burner of the Nigerian discourse. I cannot sit at home and lament about the situation so helplessly; I must remain engaged and involved. I must find creative ways of collectively and constructively engaging our citizens on security concerns, and our leaders on how we can support them, to make our country a safer and more peaceful place to live in. We cannot allow that the girls be forgotten or sidelined by other ‘breaking news’, for that would amount to abandoning them (and their families) to a fate worse than death.
So I have committed to the BringBackOurGirls campaign. The BringBackOurGirls Coalition has become, for me, a place of solace and hope; where Nigerians from all walks of life and irrespective of religion and ethnicity, come together as one, completely shutting out the divisive cacophony of voices in our public sphere, who continue to use these superficial dissimilarities to garner selective advantage. We, as a Coalition, have tried to engage our leaders, elected and appointed, who swore on the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to protect and secure our lives and our welfare. These include the leadership of the National Assembly, the Office of the National Security Advisor, The Minister of Defence, the Chief of Defence Staff, the Governor of Borno State and finally, the President and Commander in Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces. Our meetings with the National Assembly and the Office of the National Security Advisor were constructive and reassuring, but the response from the President, as read out by the Minister of State of the Federal Capital Territory, was disappointing, as it displayed a defensiveness that was unfounded and totally unnecessary. Paradoxically, even though the content of his letter warned against politicizing the Chibok incident, the message from the Executive continues to attribute politics to the discourse, in a matter that is so plainly about safeguarding the lives of vulnerable Nigerian citizens.
The narrative that has since emerged from our engagement with the President’s representatives suggests that Nigerians should direct their message to Boko Haram, to ‘release the girls’, as the message, ‘bring back our girls’, appears to place the blame on government for the incident. As far as the Federal Government is concerned, since it is not in custody of the girls, the demand should be directed at Boko Haram. Ever since then, our peaceful protests (as a Coalition) have been characterized by intimidation. Government buses, loaded with women, have been brought to the precise location where we meet, to sing and dance around the Coalition, in an effort to drown out our voices.
Thugs have been unleashed on one of our meetings, to disrupt our peaceful discussions, snatch bags, phones and break chairs, without provocation. A Government Minister has accused us of being partisan, inferring that we are opposition. We are locked out of parks when we relocate to other public spaces. Determined to remain focused on our singular campaign to bring back our girls, however, we have not reacted or allowed ourselves to be provoked into violence. We have continued to meet wherever we can, notwithstanding these distractions. Precisely because our girls are still out there, somewhere unknown and in danger, and our purpose for meeting remains unfinished.
We are accused of being opposition, merely because we have dared to ask our elected leaders to be accountable to the people that voted them in. I, personally, have never subscribed to any political party and have striven, all my working life, to assist, wherever I can, to making my country a better place. Our 1999 Constitution guarantees me the freedom to assemble, associate and express myself. I ask myself why Government should be so nervous and react so negatively to the demand that it lives up to it’s responsibilities; why should they insist that I direct my questions to Boko Haram? I do not know what the membership of Boko Haram consists of, where they are or how they operate. But I do know my leaders and firmly believe they are in office to serve Nigerians and Nigeria. A responsible leadership should take steps to assuage and allay its citizen’s fears by being receptive and approachable. This is what we see obtains all over the world; should I not remind our own leaders that they are in office for the purpose of service? Most importantly, Government should not alienate it’s own people by intimidating and labeling us enemies of State, especially when all we seek to do is to peacefully exercise our constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedoms.
Moreover, every Nigerian has the right to demand for answers from their leadership, even if politics is our particular vocation in life. Indeed, as Nigerians, we are each, individually bigger than the components (of the identities) of the faiths we profess; greater than our vocations (as politicians), roles or professions; larger than our sundry ethnic groups. We are human beings. Is it so difficult to comprehend that when we confront our leaders with our security concerns, we do not recall what ethnic group or culture they belong to, what language they speak or faith they subscribe to? We do not remember what party platform they utilized to attain office. Can our leaders just please trust that all we want are results and an outcome that is reassuring to us, as citizens?
Yesterday evening, in an inexplicable admission of his incapacity (or unwillingness) to ‘protect citizens from terror’ (his ostensible justification) within the FCT jurisdiction, the FCT Commissioner of Police ‘banned’ the BringBackOurGirls Coalition from holding protests in public places. In a democratic dispensation! We, as law-abiding citizens, have decided to challenge this violation of our constitutionally guaranteed rights, in a court of law. Perhaps we have been under Military rule for too long, and this is why the leadership should feel a sense of outrage, that citizens should dare to remind them that they have responsibilities towards them.
I had hoped and prayed that when the girls are finally rescued, ALL Nigerians, including our President and members of the Coalition would be able to stand together, on the same platform, to welcome them, rejoicing ecstatically. Sadly, members of the Executive in our Government, by their recent tactics, demonstrate a paranoia that renders this scenario mere wishful thinking, on my part.
All we want and continue to demand for is that our girls to be brought back, safe and alive. This singular message has been consistent, loud and clear and cannot be different from what the Government would want to happen. Government just needs to accept that not everyone is the enemy. Not everyone is interested in politics or holding public office. Not everyone is out to disparage, blame or denigrate the other. On the contrary, most Nigerians are more interested in living in peace and harmony. We yearn to be assured of security and protection. We crave a leadership that is responsive, accountable, empathetic and result-oriented.
And all we are asking for now is for those in positions of leadership to ensure that our girls are brought back, now and alive!
Maryam Uwais
1st June 2014
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