The #BringBackOurGirls Movement was Never Funded by USAID

#BringBackOurGirls Statement

Our attention was drawn to outrageous allegations on social media that the #BringBackOurGirls movement (BBOG) was one of the organizations around the world funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

We state categorically that these malicious allegations are outright lies, baseless and a serious violation of the principle of sacredness of facts. We urge anyone with a shred of evidence whatsoever to validate these claims against BBOG to immediately publish them.

BBOG has operated as a citizens advocacy over the last 11 years of existence with the highest standards of sacrifice, empathy, openness, integrity, transparency, probity, resilience and discipline driven by our shared humanity. The movement is, therefore, similarly interested in promoting any issues of public accountability.

To reemphasize, no form of relationship, including any related to funding, ever existed or exists between BBOG and USAID. We therefore urge reasonable people everywhere in the world to disregard, ignore and indeed denounce this form of unfounded attacks against our humanity-anchored citizens’ advocacy that champions the culture of citizens holding their governments and public leaders accountable.

As campaigners, BBOG had from the outset publicly declared and respected our Singularity of Purpose through our chant: “Bring Back Our Girls Now and Alive!!!”.

It was for this singular purpose that BBOG campaigners gathered daily for protests from April 30, 2014 at the Unity Fountain Abuja everyday for two thousand, one hundred and sixty three (2,163) days to advocate for the cause of our Chibok girls for a period that spanned the administrations of Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari.

It is instructive that the BBOG daily protests at the Unity Fountain held until 29 March 2020 when the Government announced a national lockdown that commenced on March 30, 2020. We campaigned as responsible citizens, holding the two respective administrations accountable for the rescue of Chibok girls and all other abducted citizens of Nigeria.

As a reminder, we wish to outline noteworthy facts about the BBOG campaign and the campaigners:

1. BBOG campaigners for the rescue of Chibok school girls from the terrorists, had from the outset resolved and strictly operated a self-funded policy.
2. BBOG therefore at no time ever sought nor accepted any form of donations outside of the movement for our activities in eleven years of existence.
3. BBOG’s decision to be self-funded was collectively made by our campaigners.
4. BBOG never acted for nor with USAID in our campaign for the rescue of ChibokGirls from terrorists.
5. BBOG never received any form of donation from USAID nor any other donors whatsoever because our campaigners had from the outset resolved against any form of raising funds outside of the campaigners who gathered daily at the Unity Fountain.
6. BBOG is a Citizens’ Advocacy open to anyone who walks into the Unity Fountain or signs up online to participate in the demand for rescue action by the Government of Nigeria for Chibok girls.
7. BBOG is therefore not a membership organization requiring any form of registration.
8. BBOG is not an NGO and was never registered as one.
9. BBOG therefore has no legal nor formal personality, no bank accounts, no personnel that work for it.
10. BBOG restricts its advocacy activities to minimal cost that members can easily and voluntarily contribute to cover collectively. Contributions were usually spent on water, BBOG red T-shirts required on days of marches and occasional media coverage of special advocacy events which required highly discounted payments.
11. In summary, the BBOG at the start, all the years of our daily protests and now is strictly self-funded through the voluntary contributions of campaigners who turn up for the daily “Sit-Outs” at the Unity Fountain. As a well-conducted Citizens’ movement, we await any contrary evidence that anyone can provide.

Thank you.

Jeff Okoroafor
#BringBackOurGirls Spokesperson