Saturday, July 30, 2016

#BringBackOurGirls and the Nigerian Government


Gbemisola Adesanya, M.A. Candidate, Brooklyn College, CUNY
“While their intentions are honorable, perhaps the #Bringbackourgirls leadership have not considered the collateral damage which must inevitably follow its riveting and dispiriting claim that the President has ‘broken all promises’ allegedly made to the group on this issue. Or that he has been ‘lackadaisical’ in rescuing the Chibok girls.” – Garba Shehu, official spokesperson to the Nigerian President.
A year ago, when representatives of the #Bringbackourgirls movement met with President Muhammadu Buhari,  there were many promises. All parties involved had the same objective. Suggestions were made, suggestions were accepted. Promises were made, promises were accepted. Demands were made, demands were accepted. It seemed that all parties were on the same page. A year later, the #Bringbackourgirls movement is agitated that the demands accepted by the government have not been met (for a comprehensive account of the demands, head over to the July 8 timeline of human rights activist and founder of Opinion Nigeria, @jeffokoroafor on Twitter.
#Bringbackourgirls Demands presented to President Buhari at the July 8, 2015 meeting
·         Implementation of the Verification, Authentication and Reunification System (VARS)
·         Protocol of engagement with citizens
·         commission of inquiry for accountability on the abduction and rescue of our Chibok girls
·         The public release of committee reports of the Presidential Fact Finding Committee on Chibok Schoolgirls
·         Prevention of the recurrence of such an abduction
More information can also be found at the #BringBackOurGirls website.
Given the present situation and circumstances in Nigeria, are these demands practical and realistic? The request for the establishment of the VARS system in order to accurately determine the identities of the abducted girls after their rescue, demand for their effective rehabilitation, resettlement and psychosocial support for reintegration into the society are not only pragmatic, but also extremely essential. Requesting a structure to enable the sharing and giving of information and public release of the report of the Presidential Fact Finding Committee with concerned citizens is not only sensible, it is also a right. It is, however, the duty of the government to censor highly sensitive and classified information so as not to compromise the mission. Nonetheless, remaining taciturn is unacceptable. The #Bringbackourgirls call for the creation of a commission to investigate the security lapses that led to the abduction and prolonged captivity of the girls is justice long overdue. Finally, suggesting that the government carry out a comprehensive sensitization scheme to curb the trend of youth extremism is crucial if the government wants to stamp out the root causes of the problem. It is even more important given the youth bulge in the country.
What collateral damage will inevitably follow the outcry that the promises to #Bringbackourgirls have been broken by the government? What does it mean for the government to refuse to take criticisms from its people without rhetoric about collateral damage? What does the government mean by saying #Bringbackourgirls claims are dispiriting? Perhaps the government needs to be reminded that dissent and debate are integral aspects of democracy. The government is seemingly irritated by #Bringbackourgirls, a response that should be saved for Boko Haram, the real challengers of the nation’s sovereignty.
To doubting Thomases who still question the authenticity of the abduction, do me a favor, really sit down and think about all of these happenings. Don’t you think that 2+ years is an awfully long time to keep up such a stressful and time-consuming charade that the girls are missing? This is not a reality show or a publicity stunt to give Nigeria notoriety. What do you think the country stands to gain by pretending that 218 #ChibokGirls are still missing? An express ticket to the VIP section on the list of failed states? Global recognition as a strife-riddled state? The much coveted development indicators of economic, social, and political instability? Or perhaps is it that Nigeria stands to gain a lot in terms of international aid and diplomatic relationships based on pity for the country with 218 missing girls?
It would be remiss not to address the situation of other people that have been deeply wounded by Boko Haram. What exactly is the point of having IDP camps if the inhabitants are dying in large numbers due to negligence and inefficiency? What exactly are the Federal and State emergency management agencies doing to alleviate this heartbreaking condition? They have suffered great losses and should not be denied the services and rations necessary for survival and dignified conditions while displaced. More on the plight of the people in various camps and the ineffectiveness of the emergency management agencies can be found here and the Borno State response after the most recent news reports of horrendous conditions in the IDP camps here.
So far, #Bringbackourgirls has remained very open and steadfast about its commitment toward the #ChibokGirls. Perhaps it is now time for the government to demonstrate that it has not forgotten the promises made about rescuing our Chibok girls.. No doubt, the current state of affairs in Nigeria is an overwhelmingly daunting one, and the President is not a wizard who can make things happen at the wave of a wand. No doubt, governing Nigeria requires a lot of work and effort and maybe, just maybe, we expect too much of the President, but he went into this with his eyes wide open and should work on fulfilling all of his promises of change to the people. Our Chibok girls require meaningful and progressive cooperation between #Bringbackourgirls and the Nigerian government and this cannot happen if the government sees #Bringbackourgirls as irritating, like pesky flies on an open sore. To all concerned, to all who think #Bringbackourgirls does more harm than good, #Bringbackourgirls group should be commended for having remained resilient for so long.

The #BringBackOurGirls movement has expressed its desire to re-engage the government on issues concerning the abducted Chibok girls and the insurgency in the Northeast. We have questions that require answers and we are critical of the government, but nevertheless, our #ChibokGirls need us to remain united in our goal to rescue them, and #Bringbackourgirls will continue to welcome partnership with the government and other relevant stakeholders to achieve this goal.

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