MORE protests were staged yesterday over the
abduction of schoolgirls in Borno State.
There were protests in Port Harcourt and
Ilorin .
In Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital,
Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi promised to support his Borno State
counterpart, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, to ensure the release of the abducted
girls.
The protesters, who converged on the Isaac
Boro Park, carried placards, and banners with inscriptions, such as: “Destroy
the beast, Boko Haram now”; “Bring back our girls”; “Give us back our future”;
and “Borno elders, Federal Government all parties involved”.
The Protesters, led by the Executive
Director, Niger Delta Civil Society Coalition, Mr. Anyakwe Nsrimovu on the
Federal Government to ensure the girls’ release.
Receiving the protesters at the Government
House, Port Harcourt, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. George
Feyii, who represented the governor promised that the message would be conveyed
to the Presidency.
Feyii said Amaechi would support the efforts
to ensure that the girls were released to their families.
In a letter to President Goodluck Jonathan,
sent through Amaechi, the protesters expressed fear over the security
challenges in the country, appealing that the government should not allow the
nation slip into anarchy.
“We are worried that these are Nigerian
children seeking education, seeking an opportunity for a better future for our
dear country. Their enrolment in Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, was
not just about their immediate families and Chibok community, but about our
dear nation.
“We are worried that among these abducted
children are future ministers, future administrators, entrepreneurs and,
perhaps, Nigeria’s first female president. We are worried that none of them may
be released, if we do nothing now to find, rescue and protect those innocent
girls.”
Women, under the aegis of Coalition of Women
Associations (COWAS), in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, staged a peaceful
protest to solidarise with the parents of the abducted schoolgirls.
The protesters converged on the premises of
the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre on Offa Road.
The coalition comprises Community-Based
Organisations (CBOs), Faith-Based Organisations (FBOs), women journalists and
women organisations.
From the NUJ Press Centre, they marched to
the Government House, where they were received by Deputy Governor Peter
Kishira. The placard carrying women also presented a letter to the deputy
governor for transmission to President Jonathan.
From the Government House, they moved
to the Emir of Ilorin’s palace and the Christian Association of Nigeria
(CAN) secretariat.
Some of the placards read: “Every child
counts regardless of her background”, “We are here to know the fate of our
children”; “Do not allow those children to be used as instruments of baby
making”; “Oh Allah, save us from unjust leaders”; “Stop killing innocent souls
to settle scores”; and “Education is the bedrock of any society”.
Addressing the women on behalf of Governor
Abdulfatah Ahmed, Kishira said: “I have personally appeared before you to
receive you on this occasion, which is a demonstration of concern about what
has happened to our country. I believe I am speaking to women who are
experienced. Because you can imagine, at our age, definitely when we speak on
matters like this, we are talking from experience. I lost my first daughter in
1980. So I know what it takes to lose a child.
“Those parents who are here and who have that
experience know that it is an experience you never forget. I agree with you on
behalf of the governor, who is also a parent, that there is nobody who is a
Nigerian, who will not feel it, with respect to what has happened our
daughters.
“I want to assure you that your messages will
get to the right quarters. The President had already spoken. He is also
concerned and we believe with all our efforts and prayers, the girls will be
rescued. Because when you have this kind of experience you have nobody to
depend on, except God.”
Presenting the letter of protest, Coordinator
Bileqees Oladimeji said: “As a mother, I know the situation in which
parents of these girls are: talk of the trauma, the mental torture and the
sleepless nights. Mothers are bound to remember the pain of carrying the babies
for nine months in their wombs; the pain at labour and delivery. Talk of how
mothers will continually imagine the cries of their children shouting for help
but without hope. Imagine what these children will be thinking, that they have
been abandoned by their country, the family and their parents.
“Three weeks have passed, our government has
not been able to do anything concrete in providing a positive sense of hope for
the recovery of our own children. Many commentators accused us of being
insensitive to the feelings of these children and they might be right, until
something positive is obtained from our efforts, we would be seen as not doing
anything.”
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