Chibok girls as Buhari’s presidential inheritance
“Mr. President, you are a failure!” The words could not have been any clearer. Mrs. Aisha Yesufu (one of the leaders of the Bring Back Our Girls Movement) seemed to have bluntly spelt out her mind in one of the most strongly worded quotes I have come across. And as time goes on, the frustration seems to be building more and more momentum; presently at sky level, the interested parties seem to be throwing caution to the wind and are no longer worried about how reckless they spill out their words, so long as it is heard. If the bitterness and anger culminated thus far could magically become silver bullets, I tell you, it would head straight for the forehead of ‘Sai Baba’. No national issue has gotten so much international emotional draw as the ‘Chibok Girls’ issue.
I would like us to go down memory lane. It was between the night of April 14th to April 15th 2014, that the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State was brought to life as young girls were dragged off their beds into the waiting vans of the Boko Haram sect. The terrorist group that for years called for abrogation of western education finally struck a deadly blow. Initial reports claimed 85 students were abducted; the Police claimed 276; and then the parent said it was actually 234 girls. The issue soon grew like wild fire. Everywhere you went, you would hear either “Chibok or Bring Back Our Girls”; even in the 2014 World Cup, foreigners, who might not be able to locate Borno State on the map, held placards bearing “Bring Back Our Girls!”even comedians caught up with the media frenzy!
A twist to the story started gaining ground, and then there came all manner of conspiracy theories. Are the ‘Chibok Girls’ actually real? Isn’t this a ploy by the All Progressive Congress (APC) to give the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) a bad name? Governor Ayo Fayose seemed to toe that line of reasoning as he said: “You can’t get was is not missing. The cries of missing girls were just a political strategy.The question for Fayose and other propaganda theorists is: If truly the missing girls was a propaganda by APC to get Jonathan out of the way. Why hasn’t the Chibok issue disappeared? Why are videos of the girls in captivity still being shown regularly? It is therefore clear to a logical mind, that this is no propaganda stunt.
Until recently, the ‘Chibok’ issue seemed to have cooled off. Now, the Bring Back Our Girls Movement seem to have found their voice again. More and more quotes from its leadership don the front pages of national dailies. One of such quotes, by its leader, Mrs. Obiageli Ezekwesili went thus: “For 846 days, our Chibok girls have been captured and you say you don’t have credible intelligence as President of Nigeria. Nigerians voted you in to ensure their purpose. Mr. President, we are disappointed”. From these quote and all others like it, it is evident that someone is being sought as the ‘scape-goat’! Who other than Buhari? The northerner has been a subject of criticism for the obvious economic decline in the country. This Chibok issue is one of such that was automatically inherited by Mr. President.
I know fully well the backlash I might receive from the millions of Nigerians, who for no reason, except that they not like that ‘aboki man’. The truth is that Mr. President, giving the circumstances, has done well in the handling of the Boko Haram insurgency. Let us not forget that, in May 2015, the Nigerian military had launched a counter offensive, reclaiming areas previously controlled by the Islamic sect (including camps in the Sambisa Forest). On social media, pictures of formerly displaced residents, snapping with soldiers became rampant. Today, the once dreaded Sambisa forest is not the fortress it used to be, following air strikes by the Air Force. This resulted in an in-flux of Boko Haram members to neighbouring countries. On June 3, 2016, the Multinational Joint Task Force recorded a significant stride in their pursuit of Boko Haram members. In a statement by Colonel Dole, Chief Military Public Information Officer, Operation GAMA AIKI: “The firepower of OP LAFIYA DOLE has caused massive movement of Boko Haram terrorists, from Sambisa Forest”.
The big suggestion now to Buhari is to trade the Boko Haram prisoners for the missing girls. If I were one of the parents, I would make the same demand. Truth is that things like this are not simple. Recently, in an interview with the French channel, AFP, Buhari said: “The few (prisoners) we are holding, we are trying to see whether we can negotiate with them for the release of the Chibok girls. “If the Boko Haram leadership eventually agrees to turn over the Chibok girls to us –– then we may decide to give them (the prisoners) amnesty.” This shows an open mind on the part of the government to bring to an end this unfortunate incident. Negotiating with terrorists could be a very dicey issue. Even countries like the U.S and others have found that, talking to crazy fanatics can be quite a tedious task. You do not just cave into the demands of terrorists, as that makes you seem weak. Soon, you will then have youths of all kinds, willing to wield a gun, knowing that the government will only end up ‘negotiating’ with them! The fact still remains that Boko Haram sect have chosen to remain “faceless”, which makes it all the more difficult to know who they are. Buhari recently said that the government is prepared to talk to bona fide leaders of Boko Haram. “If they do not want to talk to us directly, let them pick an internationally recognised Non-Governmental Organisation, convince them that they are holding the girls and that they want Nigeria to release a number of Boko Haram leaders in detention, which they are supposed to know”.
It is very convenient to blame Buhari, but he has done a lot regarding terrorism in the country. However, it is obvious that Nigerians thought they were voting a miracle worker who would waive a magic wand and make the Chibok girls to suddenly appear! That is not looking likely, rather we are stuck with a band of Islamic fanatics, who rather than embrace the government’s proposal of amnesty, are intent on holding these ‘girls’ for as long as possible (most likely as their get-away-card). Like Belgium and America have realised, the only language terrorists speak, is ‘force’, and the Buhari government will rain on them till they are wiped out totally.
