Connect with us

Economic Issues

The President That Never Came: My Report!

Published

on

abujafamily2

abujafamily2

They came out in their reds, re-organized and re-strategized their pattern of march, and reminded themselves that they are not troubling groups but civilized Nigerians who seek an audience with their Commander-in-Chief, regarding the abducted PRINCESSES of Chibok Community. At exactly 3:15pm, the #AbujaFamily of #BringBackOurGirls movement marched, guided by men of the Nigerian police and volunteered professional security guards, singing the SOLIDARITY song and ‘bring back our girls’ campaign chant (#BringBackOurGirls, Now and Alive).

Their hope was that the president, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, the supreme magnanimous lordship of Nigeria, will be waiting to receive them as he was given a prior notice to their arrival. But instead, they were greeted first by heavy armed guards (48 of them, according to my count) who lined themselves up in the pathway, holding hands to bridge the distance. Countless Police and Police patrol vehicles as well as guns were staring this group of Nigerians in the face with their commander, Mbu J. Mbu, standing right there waiting for the daring act of the #AbujaFamily.

The maturity exhibited by this group that was led by Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, was nothing short of REMARKABLE. They defeated the violently prying eyes wishing to descend on them at the slightest sign of forcefulness.

Advertisement

The Minister of FCT, minister of state for FCT, minister of women affairs, senior special adviser on Job Creation, senior special adviser on public affairs, the Secretary General of the federation, the minister of information, were the ones who came to receive and address the group, perhaps onbehalf of Mr President. I said perhaps because when they were asked who the representative of Mr President was, they couldn’t tell until Pius Ayim Pius said it should be seen as “a delegate of ministers and senior special advisers’. Imagine the child’s play!

abujafamily

policeblockage

The group reeled out 10 most important questions to the delegates, questions they prepared for the Commander in Chief, questions generated by ordinary Nigerians. Five members of the group also gave an account of their 23 days involvement since the abduction of this girls. In response, these delegates who represented the president, read out an already prepared response that doesn’t in any way match the questions asked. Something that made me to now believe that the question the government is answering, no one is asking and the one people are asking, they are not answering. The crux of the matter is that the group, despite the treatment they received, vowed to carry on until the girls are return alive to their parents.

If there’s anyone out there who still think that organized groups in Nigeria get’s the right attention as compared to rioting, mayhem striking group, the outcome of yesterday’s #AbujaFamily of #BringBackOurGirls movement to the Villa, was your answer.

Advertisement

Jeff Okoroafor is a leading member of a new generation of civic advocates for government accountability and democratic change in Nigeria. The Citizen Affairs Initiative is a citizen-driven governance initiative that enhances public awareness on critical issues of service quality in Nigeria. It encourages citizens to proactively seek higher standards from governments and service providers and further establishes new discussions in communities about the standards that citizens should expect and deserve from those they have given their mandates. Jeff is the Managing Director of SetFron Limited, a multimedia development company that is focused on creative and results-driven web, mobile app, and ERP software solutions. He is the co-founder of the African Youths Advancement and Support Initiative (AfriYasi), a non-governmental not-for-profit organisation that provides tertiary education scholarship for young people from low-income homes in Nigeria. He is a Fellow of the Young African Leaders Initiative and the United Nations World Summit Awards. A Strategic Team member of the Bring Back Our Girls movement, and a member of the National Technical Committee on the Establishment and Management of Missing Persons Database in Nigeria. Jeff holds a Bachelor and Postgraduate diploma degrees in Computer Science, and a Certificate in Public Administration from Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, GIMPA.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Facebook

Trending Articles