Society Gists

THE solidarity visit of the Bring-back-our-girls campaign, led by the former Minister of Education and Solid Minerals, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, to the Senate President, Senator David Mark, yesterday turned to altercation and hot exchange of words as the group declared that Mark was not telling them anything tangible about the rescue of the girls. 

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, however, called for urgent negotiation between the Federal Government and Boko Haram to secure the release of the abducted schoolgirls.

Ezekwesili had, in her presentation, expressed anger and frustration over the manner the Federal Government had handled the abduction of the over 200 girls in Government Secondary School Chibok, Borno State, by the Boko Haram sect, alleging that in other climes it would not take up to five days for government to embark on rescue operation of the girls.

She also complained that members of her team had faced harassment and molestation in what she claimed to be a genuine agitation and that to get into the National Assembly was a herculean task as the group was allegedly stopped and thoroughly searched by the security personnel at the gate.

She said that they were not embarking on the campaign because they were jobless, that it was because they were touched by the plight of the girls as mothers.

‘Our concern’

She added that the biggest problem of her group was the fear that the girls could become history as many other strange things happen in the country on daily basis.

Ezekwesili said they came to meet the Senate President to ask him to help in giving them information, adding that there had not been information on the efforts of government towards rescuing the girls.

Responding, 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’s determination to see that the girls regained their freedom that made it allow foreign countries to join in the search of the girls.

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 girls to collaborate with all relevant government agencies for their eventual release.

The Senate President told the campaign team that nobody should put a time line on the release of the children, adding “we do not want the children to be released in such a way that they cannot come back.

“My appeal to you is to adjust so as not to be seen as working at cross purposes with government. I do not think any group should play politics with it. Our girls are suffering; whatever we can do to bring the girls back, we will do it.”

Accusations, counter-accusations

However, the response by the Senate President who received the team alongside other senators did not give conviction to the former World Bank Managing Director, who immediately told the Senate President that they had no ulterior motives other than the concern for the Chibok girls.

She said: “We talk almost with anger because of conflicting reports we are getting,” and wondered why it took the Federal Government a long time before action could be taken on how to rescue the girls.

She said that the campaign wanted a united front against the common enemy and a result from the rescue operation.

She said: “This group is a group for the citizens and a group for Chibok girls. You have not given us a very tangible response we can hold unto. I hope when we come back, we will have a tangible response.”

But angered by her choice of words, Senator Mark replied: “I am sure you were not 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 do not know the tangible answer you want, which 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.”

Tambuwal

Meanwhile, when the group visited the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tambuwal, he told the members that though some leaders in the country were opposed to his call for negotiation with the sect, he had been consistent, stressing that negotiation should not be seen as an act of cowardice or submission to the insurgents, but as a strategy.

According to him, the Federal Government can go after the insurgents after the safe release of the girls.

He said: “I have personally come out about two or three years ago in Kano to advocate for negotiations with Boko Haram. Many Nigerian leaders feel that we should not negotiate.

“I have maintained my position that we should negotiate. If negotiation is what will bring back, for example, Chibok girls, for goodness sake, let’s negotiate. The negotiation is not just submitting. It is a strategy.

“So, let’s get these girls out and then if you want to confront them, you go ahead. But as a government, we must do whatever we need to do to bring back the girls safely and alive.”

He said he was not in the position to get daily updates on the security situation but assured that the security agencies were working hard to rescue the girls.

On the group’s concern that they had been called names and harassed in the course of their campaign, the Speaker admonished them not to relent in their campaign towards the release of the girls.

He said: “I have heard you talk about insinuations and attempt to label your group something that you are not. That should not bother you. It should encourage you. Do not be deterred by that.”

He also apologised to them over a reported attempt to stop them from gaining access to the National Assembly by security operatives.