Skip to main content

Guardian of Chibok girls in US Lambasts Nigeria for Taking over Girls by Fiat

Emmanuel Ogebe, a United States-based civil rights lawyer and social welfare campaigner who had been caring for 10 escaped Chibok girls in the US since 2014, has expressed shock over reports that President Muhammadu Buhari had ordered the Nigerian embassy in Washington to take possession of the girls from him.
Ogebe said the move was emblematic of Buhari’s “government of photography and press statements,” given that “no official communication” had been channeled to him to that effect.
The federal government had on Tuesday night announced a takeover of the girls, who were amongst the lucky ones that escaped after suspected Boko Haram operatives invaded Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, in April 2014.
In a statement issued by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, the government said the move was approved by the parents of the girls in Nigeria.
“Following a meeting held on May 25, between parents of the escaped Chibok girls studying in America and officials of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in charge of the Chibok Girls Desk specially set up by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Federal Government, including its representatives and agents, is now in charge of the girls,” the ministry said via a statement by Temitope Bamgboye, its director of social welfare. “The parents signed declaration forms authorising the ministry to take over guardianship of their daughters.”
“Any previous guardianship arrangement has thus been revoked.”
But in a message shortly after reports on the takeover of the girls, Ogebe said the announcement was tantamount to “a military takeover of the girls by decree,” adding that he had not been formally informed of the move.
Ogebe, according to Premium Times, however, said he would commence findings to establish the validity of the announcement by the federal government.
“I won’t know till I confirm the details whether this is govt finally waking up to its responsibility or a publicity stunt following the media mileage from the escape of Amina Ali.”
Ogebe took the escaped girls to the US to rehabilitate and help them continue with their education.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The story of how Nigeria’s census figures became weaponized - Feyi Fawehinmi

By Feyi Fawehinmi The story of Nigeria’s 1962 census never gets old. Southern politicians seeking to end the north’s dominance of Nigerian politics decided that the only way to do it was through the census. Population figures at the time determined not only parliamentary representation but also revenue allocation and employee distribution in the civil service. In May 1962, the first census under an independent Nigerian government began. There had been a frenzy of mobilization by politicians in the south of the country using pamphlets, radio, schools, churches and mosques. Although the final results were not made public, the preliminary results were quite clear as to what had happened: the north’s population had gone up from 16.5 million in the last census in 1952 to 22.5 million, an increase of 30%. But in some parts of the east, the population had increased by up to 200% and more than 70% in general. The west also reported an increase of 70%. What the preliminary results showed...
Post a Comment
Read more

FG borrows N3.38bn To Aid Potato Production in Plateau

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) wednesday approved N3.38 billion to boost the production of potatoes in Plateau State. The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, who made the disclosure said the money would be borrowed from Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) with one per cent interest rate and 25 years moratorium. The minister who said the loan was not fresh, explained that it had previously been cancelled by the federal government with the intention to make a fresh request for the loan on behalf of Plateau State which she said was responsible for 95 per cent of potato production in the country. According to her, following ADB’s comprehensive programme on potato production in Plateau State, 100,000 families and 17 local government areas of Plateau State would benefit from the loan while 60,000 jobs would be created by the initiative. “My approval was on behalf of Plateau State to support the potato value chain. There is a loan that we had previously cancelled from ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Buhari's Economic Blueprint Does Not Address Nigerians' Need - Bill Gates

Sahara Reporters The present economic templates being used by the Muhammadu Buhari government do not have the ability to address the unique needs of Nigerians at present, American business magnate, Bill Gates, has said. The philanthropist and founder of Microsoft corporation however said Nigeria has the ability to approach ‘upper middle-income status’ like Brazil, China and Mexico, but added that achieving this status depends on ”the choice Nigerian leaders make”. Mr. Gates, at the special and expanded National Economic Council, held in Abuja on Thursday tasked Nigerian leaders to sincerely invest in not just infrastructural development but also human investment. The theme of the meeting was “Role of human capital investment in supporting pro-poor and economic growth agenda”. The investor said though Nigeria is rapidly approaching upper- middle income status, the country has ”unmatched economic potential and what becomes of that potential depends on the choice Nigerian ...
Post a Comment
Read more