Buhari’s government disrespects Nigerians – Oby Ezekwesili

Co-Convener, Bring Back Our Girls group, Oby Ezekwesili, has again accused the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government of disrespecting Nigerians.

Ezekwesili, had last week, while reacting to Minister of Defense, Mansur Dan Ali’s statement that it could take years to rescue the missing Chibok girls, said the government was insensitive to the plight of Nigerians.

The former Minister of Education, in a chat with Sun, insisted that government hadd all it takes to bring back the Chibok girls.

Her words: “The government has all the tools. Whatever it used or deployed in order to get the 21 girls released on October 13, let it deploy it maximally. Let it be seen to be actively engaged.

“Let it be seen to actually be even having respect for the parents of our Chibok girls. These parents come asking our group about the progress on the efforts of the government. How can you be disdainful of your people? How?

“The parents of children that have been missing for three years are asking us who have no information of what you are doing? You ignore everybody including parents of the missing girls and whenever you feel like you have to say something.

“You just say what you want to say. Take a look around the world. Nations don’t treat their citizens that way. Significant nations that have made progress never treat their citizens with contempt. They don’t because dignity of human life is paramount for our citizens.”

On her tour of the Sambisa Forest, Ezekwesili said she saw that the military was indeed doing some job in ensuring the safety of lives and looking at feasibility of finding abducted people, including Chibok girls.

“But we came back; much more informed that depending on the operations mounted by the military, whether it is the air or ground component, the Nigeria Army was going to wait for a very long time.

“It was clear factually that that wasn’t going to be the way that we were going to quickly bring back 195 young women. So guess what?

“We did an analysis and said that three girls came back indirectly through military operations after about two years. In one day, 21 girls were released based on negotiation.

“So following our visit to Sambisa, we said to the government, it is time for government to make true their word that another 83 girls are going to be released. At least that was what government said last October and never fulfilled it”, she stated.

On claims by some people that the Chibok girls’ adduction is a myth, Ezekwesili prayed that “May it never happen to any of those people that have said things like that since this saga began three years ago.

“They need to find the mothers of Chibok girls; they need to go and tell Esther Yakubu that her daughter never existed. They need to look for Rebecca Samuel and tell her that her daughter Sarah never existed. She is a myth.

“Those people who say that, you know I have met a few of such people and then tragedy befell them and they said ‘Wao, I am sorry.’ Look, injustice to one is injustice to all.

“One person endangered is all of us in danger. In the early days, some people were saying ‘this is all about politics’ and I said let us even assume that it was politics; what was the sin of the Chibok girls? Did they say, ‘we are available, come and carry us as part of your politics?’

“The truth of the matter is that about 200 girls were sent to school and they were abducted and their fellow citizens had the luxury to sit in their homes and say it is politics”.