By Maxwell Adeyemi\u00a0 Adeleye<\/p>\n
A graveyard silence enveloped the nation of Nigeria on the 15th day of
\nApril 2014 when the despicable news of the kidnap of 276 female students
\nof Government Day Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State hit the
\nblogosphere. The girls were said to have been abducted by suspected
\nIslamic Fundamentalist Group, Boko Haram.<\/p>\n
A series of protest trailed the kidnap saga aftermath the failure of the
\nimmediate past administration of Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and the
\nNigerian security formations to rescue the girls from their abductors.<\/p>\n
The incapability of Jonathan\u2019s administration to unravel the misery
\nbehind the controversial kidnap of Chibok girls led to a wild condemnation
\nand rejection of his reign within and outside the shores of Nigeria.<\/p>\n
This singular factor indeed, contributed massively to the defeat of
\nJonathan at the polls in 2015 presidential election. The kidnap saga was a
\ngood campaign PR for the opposition desperately searching for central
\npower. It was a well greased campaign that collapsed a political dynasty
\nembedded with incumbency.<\/p>\n
The hitherto loved, cherished and valued Jonathan by the international
\ncommunity because of his intellectual humility and erudition became a
\nrecluse character decorated with a legendary muffler of cluelessness,
\nineptitude and clumsiness.<\/p>\n
In Nigeria, various groups advocating for the release of the missing
\nChibok girls emerged. Journalists, Activists, Social Commentators and
\nAnalysts within and outside the shores including myself descended on
\nJonathan and his security chiefs through our pen and voices.<\/p>\n
Many Nigerians of higher caliber were not left alone. The former Education
\nMinister, Oby Ezekwesili\u2019s led Bring Back Our Girls Group (BBOG) was the
\nmost vociferous amongst the pro-chibok groups. The group was well oiled by
\nonly God knows people or organization(s).<\/p>\n
For the records, twenty three (23) public lectures were organized by BBOG
\nin honour of the missing girls between June 2014 to May 2015. T-shirts,
\nCaps, leaflets, posters, et al was printed by BBOG to boost the campaign.<\/p>\n
Social networks were in aghast as major Nigerian cities were shut down in
\nprotest against Jonathan government for not securing the release of the
\nabducted girls. Nevertheless, as fate would have it, the opposition party
\nthat promised to rescue the abducted chibok girls within two months and
\nalso put a stop to the menace of Boko Haram attacks if voted into power
\nwas victorious at the polls as predicted. Jonathan was voted out.<\/p>\n
Now, it is over 600 days that the girls in captivity were abducted; and it
\nis about 200 days that the All Progressives Congress (APC) led central
\ngovernment got the insignia of power, yet, the girls are still in the
\ninternment of Boko Haram.<\/p>\n
Today, instead of the attacks to fizzle out, it is gaining momentum.
\nAccording to Amnesty International, close to 2000 Nigerians have been
\nmurdered by Boko Haram with over 10,000 injured within the six months of
\nBuhari\u2019s presidency. Virtually all the seized Nigerian territories
\nalready recovered from Boko Haram before the end of Jonathan\u2019s
\nadministration have been re-taken by the dreaded terrorists.<\/p>\n
The most bizarre melo-drama is the missing chibok girls\u2019 saga. Those
\nphysically leading the public campaign for the release of Chibok Girls
\nhave gone AWOO. No more harsh-tags! No more banners! Those who chastised
\nJonathan government over chibok girls are now Public Relations Consultants
\nto the current government in Abuja.<\/p>\n
Today, a co-founder of BBOG, Hadiza Bala Usman is the Chief of Staff to
\nAPC\u2019s Kaduna State Governor, Nasir Elrufai who in his personal capacity
\nexcessively used his twitter handle @elrufai to lampoon Jonathan to a
\nstandstill over the kidnap saga. And here come a question thus; can Madam
\nHadiza Usman lead protest against the government she currently serves?<\/p>\n
I am particularly shocked that most of my colleagues writing for BBOG have
\nembraced criminal silence in the face of current bombings and spurious
\nattacks against the sovereign state of Nigeria. 170 teenage girls were
\nreportedly kidnapped on Sunday November 29, 2015 at Biam near Buratai, the
\ncountry home of the Chief of Army Staff, Major Buratai, yet, no one is
\nkicking.<\/p>\n
Dr. Oby Ezekwesili operated in hibernation until the names of ministerial
\nnominees were released. Rallies have been technically banned in Abuja. No
\nmore protest in Lagos. Kano is now bored. Kaduna, the base of Hadiza Usman
\nand Elrufai is now a no go area for protesters.<\/p>\n
Pitifully, the parents of the abducted chibok girls are now urging the
\ngeneral public and international community not to release fund to any NGO
\nor group on their behalf anymore. The parents described the Abuja based
\ngroups protesting for the release of their daughters as fraudulent and
\ndeceitful. The representative of the parents, Mr. Mshelia Yakubu alleged
\nthat the struggle for the release of their wards has been turned to a
\nmoney-making venture.<\/p>\n
Consequently, many people who joined the campaign for the release of
\nchibok girls are now forced to ask whether the struggle was real or they
\nwere just used by some political agents masquerading as Social Activists.
\nAnd there\u2019s this another question that, were the girls actually
\nkidnapped?<\/p>\n
More also, people are now asking that how could 276 girls be kidnapped at
\na go and be transported to a forest with a distance of about 280
\nkilometers in a state under a partial emergency rule without being
\nquestioned by the Army officials that liters the highways in Borno State?
\nWhy did the BBOG advocates go on hibernation immediately the baton changed
\nin Abuja? Were they sponsored to be protesting in Abuja and in the media
\nso that the world leaders could reject Jonathan for being incapable of
\nsecuring the lives of his people? Why are BBOG advocates now lobbying for
\nappointment(s) in Abuja instead of demanding for accountability like they
\ndid under Jonathan, and for the release of the girls they claimed they
\nlove and cherish? And will the girls ever return home? Who rings the
\nclock?\u00a0 Time however, will tell!<\/p>\n
Adeleye writes from Magodo, Lagos.
\n@maxwelladeleye on twitter
\n+2347039168005<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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