Emeka Ibemere
A social-
cultural organization
The Group,
Eastern Union, EU, frowned at the wisdom of educated former Minister in
preventing the grieved parents from having a chat with the President.
The Group in
their assessment of the action of Ezekwesili said the action is inimical to the
progress the government was making in rescuing the abducted girls.
According to
Honourable Charles Anike, the Group National President, Ezekwesili by her
action, seems to validate the suspicion of majority of Nigerians about the
missing girls.
The Group
also said if Ezekwesili was still working with the World Bank and still goes
ahead to be tackling the President of Nigeria and the government policies, that
it’s wrong.
Anike stated
that the actions of Ezekwesili could be mistaken by majority of uninformed Nigerians,
that her actions were that of the World Bank opinion she was expressing, adding
that the world organization should call her to order, if she was still the
staff of the World Bank.
“Eastern Union
condemns in strong terms the actions credited to Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili and her #BringBackOurGirls group. For preventing
the parents of kidnapped Chibouk girls from meeting with President Goodluck
Jonathan during the visit of Malala, the young Pakistanian activist and social
crusader is wrong”, Anike state in a telephone chat.
“Such
actions are a clear indication that some respected individuals are the real
enemies of our progress. To this end, Nigerians are advised to begin to
identify and number their enemies, no matter how they pretend and package their
claims”.
Speaking
further, he said that Mrs Ezekwesili has always found fault in every efforts of
the present government. And that it was very unfortunate because it confirmed
the general opinion expressed by some people, that most people who wants to
remain relevant in the corridors of power are not always happy each time they
lose such relevance.
“Once they
are not in any government, they won’t see anything good or try to support such
government. Many of such people in the recent time pretend to be human right
crusaders”, Anike stated.
“What we are
trying to point out is that, like Ezekwesili once they feel sidelined or if
they are not among the key policy makers, they become antagonistic to the government
and constitute themselves overnight- social crusaders and human right activists.
Its time we begin to expose these people so they don’t continue to deceive
Nigerians and the world that may mistake their real mission. Some are always
coming out to play the scripts of their pay masters”.
The Group’s
President disclosed that the former Minister has no reason whatsoever to
misguide the parents of the kidnapped girls.
“She should
not try to cry more than the bereaved or claim to be more concerned than the President
and other Nigerians in struggle to rescue the chibok kidnapped girls and also
end the insurgents”.
Last week,
it would also be recalled that #BringBackOurGirls campaign led Dr. Oby
Ezekwesili to the Senate President, Senator David Mark, raised dust and nearly
turned to national disgrace. The Senate President had accused the Group of not
telling them anything tangible about the rescue of the girls.
During her presentation, Dr. Ezekwesili
expressed anger and frustration over the manner the Federal Government handled
the abduction of the over 238 girls of government secondary school Chibok, in Borno
State by the Boko Haram goons, claiming that in other countries, it would not
take few days for the government to embark on the rescue operation of the
girls.
Ezekwesili
said they came to meet the Senate President to ask him to help in giving them
information as they were in solidarity with the girls, adding that there had
not been any information on the efforts of government towards rescuing the
girls to them.
According to
Ezekwesili, her Group had faced harassment and intimidation in the hands of the
government agents adding that her organization was on a genuine agitation. She
equally stated that their effort to get into the National Assembly was a difficult
one alleging that they were stopped and thoroughly screened by the security agents
at the gate.
According to
the former Minister, the team were not on a jamboree campaign because they were
jobless but that they were touched by the predicament of the girls as mothers,
adding that the biggest problem of her group was their fear that the girls
could be forgotten like other things that happen in the country on daily basis.
Senator Mark
told the group that the federal government had made frantic efforts towards
ensuring that the abducted girls were released and that it was the government
determination to see that the girls regained their freedom that made it to
bring countries with experiences to help in the search of the girls.
The veteran
soldier-politician said that at war time, all war resources are brought
together to fight and that the government cannot fight terrorism successfully
without information by the people.
He told the
group not to work at cross purposes with the government and urged various
campaign groups working for the release of the abducted to collaborate with all
relevant government agencies for their eventual release.
He said, “I
am not sure any Nigerian with blood flowing in his vein will be indifference to
the plight of the Chibok girls. Government has not ruled out any option in the
quest to free our girls. Let us be on the same wave length and free the girls
alive. “The case of the Chibok girls is a sad commentary. Nobody anticipated this ugly trend. We are
all under stress locally and internationally. The situation does not call on
anybody to grand stand. All hands must be on deck to rescue the girls.”
While
thanking the initiative of the group led by Dr. Ezekwesili and Mariam Uwais,
Mark reminded them that Boko Haram had declared war on Nigeria, a situation he said
that required diplomacy and purposeful move towards ending the insurgency.
“We must do
everything humanly possible to rescue the girls alive, end insurgency and
terrorism in the land. What is important
to all of us is to work hard to bring our girls alive. Nobody should politicize
this. Lives are involved and we are all fathers and mothers here. It is better
imagined than witness.”
Speaking
further, Mark also observed with apprehension, the conditions of the girls wherever
they are and stated that nobody should put a time line on the release of the
children, stating further that things have to be followed cordially, “We don’t
want the children to be released in a manner they can’t come back. “My appeal
to you is to adjust not to be seen as working at cross purposes with
government. I don’t think any group should play politics with it. Our girls are
suffering, whatever we can do to bring the girls back, and we will do it.”
Perhaps not
satisfied with the Senate President’s appeal, Ezekwesili said that they were embarking
on the agitation not personal issues other than the Chibok girls.
“We talk
with almost with anger because of conflicting reports we are getting,” Dr.
Ezekwesili said.
She said her
group was worried on why it took the federal government such a long time before
action could be taken on how to rescue the girls.
Ezekwesili
also stated that her #BringBackOurGirls wanted a united front against the
common enemy and a result from the rescue operation, adding thus, “this group
is a group for the citizens and a group for Chibok girls. “You haven’t given us
a very tangible response we can hold unto. I hope when we come back, we will
have a tangible response.”
Irked by
this comment, Senator Mark thundered, “I am sure you weren’t expecting me to
tell you the girls are going to be rescued tomorrow. Let us not reduce it to
what the people discus in classroom. “The point I am trying to make is that we
should be at the same wave length, government is doing whatever they can, I
don’t know the tangible answer you want, and you have not received. I am not in
any dialogue with any member of Boko Haram. I am not a party to anybody rolling
out option.”
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