Civil Society Organization, Africa Arise for Change Network has expressed optimism that the militay will rescue more of the Chibok Girls from their Boko Haram captors in the days ahead.
The group also demanded an apology from former President Goodluck Jonathan and Ekiti state governor, Ayo Fayose for leading a propaganda to make Nigerians think that the Chibok girls saga was a hoax.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, National Coordinator of the group, Nkechi Odoma commended the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and the military for the sustained onslaught against the insurgents and the rescue of two chibok girls.
She blamed the long captivity of the girls on the failure of the former administration to take immediate action after the girls were abducted from their school.
She said, “In 2014, when over 200 girls were abducted from their school in Chibok, Borno State, the wife of the then President, Dame Patience Jonathan released that blockbuster of “Na only you waka come? Diaris Guuuud o”. We recall this unfortunate episode, because, funny as it was then, it typified the mind-set of the Goodluck Jonathan government and all its officials, and as we saw including spouses.”
According to Odomo, the Jonathan government did everything to create doubts that any girl, let alone over 200 hundred girls, was abducted even after grieving parents and guardians visited the presidential villa .
She said, “So widespread and effective was the propaganda that many Nigerians were misled into believing that the whole kidnap story was hoax or a plot by the opposition to make trouble for the ruling party. It was this criminal denial that led to sincere efforts being made to liberate the girls when efforts should have been made.
“We are therefore elated that one of the Chibok girls, Amina Ali-Nkeki has been rescued and reunited with her family. It is equally uplifting that that reports were filtering in that a second girl was rescued within 24 hours after Ali-Nkeki regained freedom.”
She however expressed sadness by reports that six of the girls had died in captivity, saying it was unfortunate that they paid the supreme price for the incompetence and pettiness of those who should have led their countries better.
Odoma commeded officers of the military which have given their life and their youth to fight terrorism, urging them to scale up their onslaught to speed up the liberation of the remaining girls.
She said further, “We salute President Muhammadu Buhari for the unique leadership he is providing which has made the same Army that was earlier being humiliated into the effective liberating force that we see today.
“On his part, we expect former President Goodluck Jonathan to take a break from his visits to fancy restaurants and shopping malls around the globe to tender an unreserved apology to Nigerians for lying that the Chibok girls were not abducted and attempting to pass off agitations for their rescue as paid for.
“We similarly call on Ekiti state governor, Ayodele Fayose to do something he is allergic to, apologise. We would have asked him to hang his head in shame now that he has been proven to be a monger of all that is vile, but even that is beyond his reach as he has no capacity for shame.”
She lambasted some countries that bragged about how they knew where the girls were without lifting a finger to help.
“The entire saga might have bruised us but we are beginning to find our girls. We are optimistic that there will be a massive libration", she said
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