Opinion
Why Blame GEJ?
A month ago, Nigerians
woke up with the news of over 200 girls abducted in a secondary school in Chibok, Borno State by Boko Haram Islamic sect.
Many Nigerians saw the incident as one too many in the activities of the insurgents as the faith of the girls now lies in their hands.
Subsequently, this has raised sympathy from all and sundry with different groups carrying out rallies and protests calling for the release of the girls and placards with the hash tag “Bring back our girls” an order of the day all over the world.
Sadly, all efforts made by the country’s military, meeting of the President and Security Chiefs as well as advise by elder statesmen to bring back the girls have proved abortive. Even the external help promised by the United States, France and other countries seem not to be changing anything so far.
Likewise, the calls by some section of the society for the resignation of President Goodluck Jonathan on basis of incompetence seems not to be the solution to the problem.
It is therefore necessary for Nigerians to shift attention to some revelations that emanated from the meeting of the first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan and the key players of the Chibok Saga, especially the Principal of the school, Hajiya Kwamdura who gave two contradictory accounts of the Chibok kidnap, along with all the Government Girls Secondary School Chibok teachers and the Borno State Commissioner for Education.
The Principal should be made to tell Nigerians and indeed the whole world why she gave two different reports about the sheddy incident. She should also explain the whereabouts of the boys who according to West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) registered to write exams in the same Chibok and why her daughter and all the staff residing in the school were left out the abduction as well as so many other questions left unanswered.
Appropriate authorities should make Hayiya Kwamdura the first suspect because according to her interview with the Punch Newspapers on April 27, 2014, “When it happened, I was not in the school premises. I went to Maiduguri for a medical check up. I was called by my daughter around 11.30 in the night. She told me that some insurgents were in the school and were trying to escape. That was how I heard. My daughter resides in my house, which is located inside the school. We were together in the house and I left her.”
She also told AP News as reported on April 17 2014 that the students were kidnapped because of a terrible mistake. She said the insurgents arrived after midnight at the school wearing military fatigues and posing as soldiers – a common tactic used by the insurgents. She said she believed them when they told her that they needed to move the girls for their own safety. So she allowed the extremists posing as soldiers to load the students on to the back of a truck. It was only as the armed men were leaving, and started shooting that she realized her mistake. The militants killed a soldier and a police officer guarding the school, she said.
The Borno State government on the other hand, was allegedly written a letter by the Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, not to conduct WAEC exams in the school in question for some security reasons. But the State government claimed ignorant of the letter and the warning and sent innocent children to the death zone to be consumed. For over a month now, these children are being made to pay for what they know nothing about, while their parents, relations and friends groan in pains.
Yet, in the midst of all these lies and denials some people blame the President for the unfortunate incident. I think it is high time Nigerians stood up to their responsibilities and learn to own up to their mistakes instead of apportioning blames where it is not necessary.
The President is only one man and cannot be everywhere at the same time. So the blame should not be entirely for him but for those who are directly responsible for the children for charity they said, begins at home.
It is high time all and sundry particularly the community heads, elders, youths, politicians became involved in the security of lives and properties in our various communities if we must win this war against terrorism. Allowing the President, the military and other security agencies to fight the war alone will only continue to cause us more pain and agony.
Ijeoma Tubosia