9th Chibok Abduction Anniversary: Please don't forget remaining girls, Salomi Pogu, rescued victim.

9th Chibok abduction anniversary: Please don’t forget remaining girls, Salomi Pogu rescued victim 14th April 2023

… Tallen, others in tears as they pray for God’s interventionFrom Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, AbujaTears flow freely at the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs Prayer Meeting to seek God’s face afresh, at the 9th Year Anniversary of the abduction of 276 girls of Federal Government Girls College, Chibok, Borno State.Salomi Pogu, the 15th in the list of the abducted girls, who was rescued in 2018, at the prayer meeting while appreciating the Federal Government and the Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen and other stakeholders for all their efforts to support the families of the victims and to rescue the remaining 96 girls, amidst tears said: “We appreciate what you all have done in our lives. I cannot say anything else except to say thank you. Please let’s do more, let’s not forget about this children”.Tallen, in her solemn message, said out of the 276 abducted on April 14, 2014, 57 had the opportunity to escape, while 219 of the girls taken away.She said 122 of the girls have so far been rescued with 108 of them under the current administration while 97 are still in captivity.She assured that efforts were still on to rescue those still in captivity, saying “All hope is not lost”.Tallen, who said she has risked visiting the parents of the girls in Chibok twice to support them with financial and material assistance, called on citizens with useful information.The Minister asked everyone to keep hope alive that the remaining girls will be released.Tallen further acquainted the prayer meeting that after a successful de-radicalization of some of the released girls, a Rehabilitation Committee headed by the Vice President, Yemi Oshinbajo was constituted while the Ministry designed rehabilitation and reintegration programmes funded by the Federal Government and international partners.According to her, this programme, lasted for nine months after which the girls were enrolled into American University, Yola.She added that President Muhammadu Buhari specifically directed that because of hardship they went through, American University of Nigeria (AUN) in Yola should create a special programme for them to take care of the lost session since they were at the point of writing their examination when they were abducted.The Minister said she has made repeated visits to the girls at the University to make sure that they are well taken care of. She explained that security is everybody’s business, saying that with the right information from the people in Chibok and other Nigerians to security agents, the security forces will be able to work diligently to secure the remaining girls and the country as well.In his address, Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Aliyu Shehu Shinkafi represented by Director, Economic Services, Mr. Idris Muhammed, assured that government was committed to bringing the remaining girls held captive by Boko Haram terrorists, safely to their families. He equally said rehabilitating the rescued girls and taking care of their needs are of utmost priority to the Federal Government and the Ministry.Country Director, Action Aid Nigeria, Ene Obi, described the nine years as years of agony for the mothers of the Chibok girls. While commending government for what they have done so far, she said, “but they have not done enough. They need to do more. Our children our in capacity and we are sleeping as of there is nothing more we can do. We do believe in the capacity of the security of this country if they want it to be used. The lives of our children should not be politicized, we need our children back. So many other children have gone into captivity ever since. So many of the girls that have been kidnapped, returned with children, we hear Leah Sharibu has children now. As a parent how do you live with that?“What we are saying is that the father of the nation should know his children are in captivity and we are calling on him to return our children…if our girls are not returned under this administration it will be a big indictment.”She regretted that the call for the release of the girls became cold over the years, adding the violence against women and girls is not relenting because women are not on the decision making table. She said despite being 50 percent or the population, women have only only five percent representation in the polity.“That was why when the bills came, they threw them away because we have a male parliament”, Obi said.President of National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Comrade Ladi Bala, on her part said: “Nine years down the line is not a joke. Nine years is not nine days, nine hours or nine minutes. For a mother to stay without her child knowing fully that your child is in captivity with people you cannot vouched for their character, it is a sad narration. When this sad event happened the whole world was at a standstill but as the time went on the tempo went down except for the ministry of women affairs that has tried to keep the memory of the event alive.”She noted that girls are not safe everywhere in Nigeria and asked who will guarantee that safe space for women and girls and generation unborn in the country.Bala warned that Nigeria cannot continue on this part and expect development.She regretted that there are not enough women in governance to change the story and called the incoming administration to institute change that will steer the country on the right path.“We call on the next administration to give women priority. Since they couldn’t make it at the political space during the last election, let there be 35 percent affirmative position for women in the country. This is the only way women can be compensated for her contribution to the growth of this country.“As an occasion for sober reflection, the event’s highpoint were prayers from both Muslims and Christian organizations which includeFederation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN), Ansar ‘l Islam, Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) and Zumutan Mata Katolika (Catholic Women Association of Nigeria), who took turns to pray to God for safe release of the remaining Chibok girls.Other associations at the occasion were Association of Grassroot Women, AWITA, Ansar ‘l Islam, FOMWAN, Catholic Women Association of Nigeria, CSOs, NGOs.

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.

No. 2, Coscharis Street, Kirikiri industrial Layout, Apapa, Lagos. +234 81-4236-2797 sunonlineeditor@gmail.comAbout UsThe TeamContact UsTerms of ServiceOnline Ad RatePaper Ad RateChange of NamePrivacy PolicySubscribe to Our Newsletter

SUBSCRIBE

© 2023 The Sun Nigeria – All Right Reserved.

Exit mobile version