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
·
A 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
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.
