Kids give Jonathan’s wife letter for Shekau
The abduction of over 200 pupils of Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, kidnapped about six weeks ago, yesterday dampened the celebration of this year’s Children’s Day.
The occasion however provided another avenue for people to mount pressure on the Federal Government to expedite action towards their release. From Lagos to Abuja, Owerri to Port Harcourt and Ilorin to Lafia, the message was the same: Boko Haram should free the schoolgirls and end their long-drawn ordeal.
But while some states marked the occasion with rallies during which demands were made for the release of the abductees, others cancelled the celebration outright. Some children took the campaign beyond the parade ground with a letter to Boko Haram, delivered to the First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, to release the abductees. The Federal Government on its part reiterated its commitment to the protection of children from all forms of exploitation and abuse.
The Senate also seized the occasion to demand the release of the girls. Amid the growing demand for the release of the schoolgirls, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Zainab Maina, told reporters in Abuja that the Federal Government would not shirk its responsibility towards the children.
According to her, Children’s Day is meant to be a day of fun and merriment for children. She said the activities of terrorists had, however, taken away the joy of celebrating the day due to the recent kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno. The minister said the children represented an important segment of the society, both in their significant population and also as the reservoir of the future leaders of the country. “I wish to assure you again that the Federal Government is doing everything possible to ensure the safe release of our innocent school girls.
“We also want to put on record our appreciation of the efforts of the Nigerian Armed Forces as they battle the insurgents and strive to get our girls released,” a report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted her as saying. Some children seized the occasion to write Boko Haram through the first lady.
They presented two letters to Mrs. Jonathan at the presidential villa, Abuja for final delivery to the leader of the sect, Abubakar Shekau and President Goodluck Jonathan. Although the content of the letters was not disclosed, it is believed that they made a demand for the release of the Chibok girls.
Addressing the children, at an event she hosted to mark the occasion, Mrs. Jonathan said it was unfortunate that she could not deliver the letter to the sect directly since she did not know any of its members.
She explained that she would deliver the letter to the National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd) or the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh for onward delivery to the sect.
Mrs. Jonathan also called on Nigerians, especially those carrying out protest on the abduction of the schoolgirls to focus on terrorists other than government for the release of the students.
The Senate also mark the Children Day’s during plenary with a plea with the Boko Haram sect to release the schoolgirls. However, Senator Uche Chukwumerije, wondered why Badeh would say the military has discovered the location of the abducted girls, only to describe it as a military secret.
Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, who spoke at plenary in Abuja, urged the abductors to release the girls in the spirit of the Children’s Day celebration. Ndoma-Egba also drew the Senate’s attention to the challenges confronting the Nigerian child today. But unlike in some other parts of the country where rallies were held, pupils of various schools in Abuja shunned the annual celebration.
Instead, the schoolchildren stayed in their various homes for fear of a possible attack. The popular Eagle Square in Abuja, where major national events, including the Children’s Day celebration usually take place, was empty yesterday. At the old Parade Ground, situated in the Central Area of the nation’s capital, which is normally used for such events, it was devoid of activity.
At the Millennium Park, where kids usually go to catch fun during festive periods and public holidays, only a few children were sighted with their parents and guardians. Most schools, which normally take their pupils to various places of interest during the celebration, did not do any of such things this year.
But unlike Abuja, rallies were held in Lagos during which participants demand the release of the Chibok girls. The state Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), in his address, mad a passionate appeal to Boko Haram to release the abducted schoolgirls unconditionally, saying the abductees cannot provide the demands of the sect. Fashola said if the sect had any disagreement with anybody, it could only be with adults and not the innocent children.
According to him, the Chibok girls did not deserve the pains and suffering they are currently going through in the custody of the sect. He, however, commended the participating pupils for their empathy with the missing children and the concerns they had shown through the modest celebration. Fashola’s counterpart in Rivers State, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, in his address, blamed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the abduction of the girls.
Amaechi, at an interdenominational church service marking the Children’s Day celebration in Port Harcourt, accused Nigerians of complicity in the crime against the Chibok girls by voting the ruling party in power, saying ‘’ the change needed in the country, is to vote PDP out in 2015 general election.’’
In Ogun State, the Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun and hundreds of students drawn from the 20 local government areas of the state prayed for the release of the abducted schoolgirls.
Christian and Muslims clerics as well as primary and secondary school pupils at an inter-faith service to mark the Children’s Day, prayed God to touch the hearts of the terrorists and ensure freedom for the abducted pupils. Speaking at the prayer session, Amosun described the abduction of the pupils as an attack on every Nigerian.
While calling on all citizens to rise up to the challenge, the governor said the continued captivity of the girls was unacceptable. His wife, Olufunso, expressed regret that the fun and warmth that often characterise the Children’s Day had been blighted by the abduction of the Chibok girls. She, however, assured the children that mothers would continue to pray and give necessary support that will aid the quick release of their colleagues.
Schoolchildren also trooped out yesterday to participate in the Children’s Day celebration, held in Ilorin, Kwara State. Most of the children and their handlers arrived at the venue of the programme all dressed in their various school uniforms as early as 8am.
The programme was however scaled down in deference to the mood of the nation. The usual march past was cancelled as the children took time to pray for the release of the kidnapped Chibok girls.
Some of the pupils carried various placards and banners calling attention to the continued plight of the abductees and asking for their release. In his message, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed urged stakeholders to ensure that the Nigerian child, especially the girlchild, lives in a peaceful atmosphere that is conducive for growth and well-being rather than the present state of insecurity in the country.
Prayers were also said for the release of the abducted girls at the celebration of Children’s Day in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital. Speaking at the occasion, wife of the state governor, Mrs. Salamatu Al- Makura, urged children to respect their parents and be of good behaviour and should not allow themselves to be used by evil men to cause trouble in the society.
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