Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima, yesterday announced
that the state government would be spending N150million for
the rehabilitation of the 53 chibok girls that escaped from
Boko Haram captivity as well as their parents whose source of
livelihood was affected by the abduction, Sahara Reporters
reports.
The Governor made this announcement when he received the
Presidential Fact Finding Committee on the missing girls in his
office yesterday. Gov Shettima decried the notion by some
people that the missing Chibok girls was a scam or that it was
a staged attempt by the state government to stop emergency
rule extension in the state. Continue...
He called out former Minister of Aviation, Kema Chikwe for
casting doubts on the authenticity of the abducted girls. He
said the missing Malaysian plane was a good example of what is
happening now, saying that with all the theories mounting up
of the possibility that the passengers are dead, rescue
efforts with massive investment is still going on in the search
of the missing plane.
"Now, while that is going on, here is Nigeria, there was a
report that over 200 human creatures, young Nigerian
girls about completing their secondary school education,
were attacked in their school at night and whisked away
like slaves in ancient years. And some Nigerians, one of
them a former Minister and one time member of the
Federal Executive Council which is the highest decision
making body of this country, worst of all, a woman and
a mother, came out to cast doubt over the abduction of
these girls. That woman completely disregarded the
sensitivity of that issue, the pains of the agonizing
parents and our pains as a Government, to whom, the
parents of these girls, cry out in desperation,
unimaginable confusion and anguish. Every other
unreasonable Nigerian that came to adopt that view,
only anchored the unfortunate position that was first
expressed by Mrs Kema Chikwe.” he said
The Governor also revealed that since the beginning of this
year, N1billion has been spent on the rehabilitation of people
and places that have experienced attacks from Boko Haram.
"In this year alone, we had spent close to one billion
naira on victims. In Gwoza, we spent two hundred million
naira for reconstruction of destroyed houses, markets,
places of worship and to provide cash to victims so they
could have something to rely on in the immediate term to
feed themselves and families or start small businesses in
the interim. In Bama, we spent three hundred million for
same purpose; in Konduga we spent two hundred million
naira" he said
Full text of his address to the Presidential Panel below
Schoolgirls Abduction: What Governor Shettima told
Presidential fact finding committee today (Tuesday) in
Maiduguri
Highlights:
*N150m (about one million dollars) earmarked by Borno State
Government for medical counseling etc of 53 freed girls and
material support to grieving parents who have been unable to
focus on sources of livelihood
* Explanations on the decision above
* A. Committee enlarged to work with all stakeholders and
international organizations on support to freed girls and
parents
“In the last three years, we have witnessed the most
turbulent of times as a people. I have seen very terrible
incidents as a Governor. I have come across innocent citizens
of Borno killed in thousands, some slaughtered by fellow
human beings who think they earn rewards from God by their
brutality. I have witnessed high scale of destructions inflicted
on us as a people in Borno by fellow human beings who again
think they earn reward from God by their intentional and
planned devastations. I have in the last 36 days, also come
across a situation where men abducted young, innocent
schoolgirls, separated them from their education, from their
parents, from their relations and friends and from their
environment and more disturbing also, attempted to separate
them from their own religion out of compulsion. To every other
Muslim, worldwide, these men that kill, destroy and abduct,
insult Islam by calling themselves Muslims. They have
contradicted every single tenet of the Islamic religion. They
have in some cases, tried to change the ordained translation
of verses in the Holy Quran. To every Muslim, a verse of the
Holy Quran has clearly said that there is no compulsion in
Religion. But to these men of violence, there is compulsion not
only in religion but even in Islamic ideology. To these men, any
human who doesn’t share their ideology deserves to be
brutally killed. A Muslim that is of not of the Boko Haram sect
is condemned to death and so is Christian. To them, the human
race should go into extinction for their doctrine to thrive.
Borno has seen evil times. Our people have suffered. At times,
when I lament this carnage in the midst of some associates,
they remind me that I didn’t create Boko Haram, that in
fact, I inherited it in 2011 when I was sworn-in amidst near
complete breakdown of security in Maiduguri, the largest and
most populated part of the State. But I normally say to them,
that a leader is elected or appointed to solve problems, it
doesn’t matter whether the leader created the problem or
not. A leader is elected to find solution, this is governance.
There is a whole difference between Politics and Governance.
In politics, you tell the general public and victims about a
problem, you tell them the gravity of the problem; and with
emphasis, you tell them who to blame for it. But in
Governance, you identify a problem and work hard to solve it.
Unfortunately for us in this interesting country, we all appear
to lay more emphasis on politics than on governance. The
Chibok incident, for me, has grossly exposed our weighty
weakness as leaders in terms of assuming our shared
responsibilities.
In the last two or three months, the entire western world
mobilized men and resources, contributed so much funds in the
search for a Malaysian airline which is believed to have
crashed into the ocean. Majority in the western world, suspect
that the crew and passengers of that Malaysian airline are
most probably dead. Despite that, massive investment was and
still being deployed in the search for whatever can be found
as remains of those in that plane and its wreckage.
Now, while that is going on, here is Nigeria, there was a report
that over 200 human creatures, young Nigerian girls about
completing their secondary school education, where attacked
in their school at night and whisked away like slaves in ancient
years. And some Nigerians, one of them a former Minister and
one time member of the Federal Executive Council which is the
highest decision making body of this country, worst of all, a
woman and a mother, came out to cast doubt over the
abduction of these girls. That woman completely disregarded
the sensitivity of that issue, the pains of the agonizing
parents and our pains as a Government, to whom, the parents
of these girls, cry out in desperation, unimaginable confusion
and anguish. Every other unreasonable Nigerian that came to
adopt that view, only anchored the unfortunate position that
was first expressed by Mrs Kema Chikwe. Doubt over that
abduction pained me as much as the incident its self. Doubt
over that abduction pained me far more than the childish
theory, that as Government, we staged that abduction in
order to create basis to stop the extension of emergency rule
in Borno. By the way, that theory doesn’t make the slightest
sense. In relation to that theory, if a Government doesn’t
want extension of emergency and chooses to fake happenings,
the Government should rather deny that the abduction ever
took place, evil as that is, because the abduction is enough
basis for the emergency extension given the fact that the
incident puts a message across that there is new and big
threat to students in schools hence the need for extension of
emergency rule. Then, there was the issue of saying Chibok
was not safe and we went ahead to open the school. Majority
of these students are from Chibok axis, if the school was
considered unsafe, I don’t think any right thinking parent
would allow his or her child to study in an atmosphere of high
risk. But I will reserve some of my comments for a closed door
session with this respected committee.
It hurts me however, that there was no kind of politics that
was not introduced into that unfortunate Chibok incident.
Even religion was brought in, all for the purpose of blame
trade.
The politics didn’t help anybody at the end of the day. Soon
after that incident, we thought that our 53 daughters that
either witnessed that attack or escaped from abduction be
flown abroad for psychological counseling and some medical
examinations. But then, with politics of doubt over the
abduction, if the State Government had flown these 53 girls
abroad, the doubting thermoses would have gotten what to fly
about to claim that the 53 girls were none existent or they
would have probably said, we were taking the girls away from
the public, probably we had something to hide. While we do
much, providing crucial support to security agencies and
volunteers in order to prevent attacks, we have a policy in the
State, that where attacks occur, we provide immediate
material support as palliative to victims of insurgency. In this
year alone, we had spent close to one billion naira on victims.
In Gwoza, we spent two hundred million naira for
reconstruction of destroyed houses, markets, places of worship
and to provide cash to victims so they could have something to
rely on in the immediate term to feed themselves and families
or start small businesses in the interim. In Bama, we spent
three hundred million for same purpose; in Konduga we spent
two hundred million naira. Unfortunately, we had to hold what
we should have done for Chibok because of the politics brought
in. If we had released some material support earlier, some bad
elements would have said we tried to buy the people of Chibok.
Unlike other communities in which private houses and markets
were destroyed, public institutions like the school, council
secretariat, the residence of the council chairman and some
few shops were destroyed in Chibok. Communities didn’t
suffer material losses. But then, from our immediate thoughts
when the attack took place and also based on our recent
discoveries, most of the parents of these abducted girls have
nothing to eat, they are so traumatized that they have
abandoned their sources of livelihood. No true mother would
easily concentrate on any line of business when her daughter
is in the hands of violent abductors. The same it is for most
fathers. I have a girl-child; I know the psychological
connection between the girl-child and parents. One can hardly
even pay the required attention in prayers due to the
perpetual trauma of having one’s girl-child in dangerous
hands. So, are we going to continue to ignore these suffering
parents and the 53 girls just because we are afraid of
political accusations and false interpretations? The answer is
NO. Governance is beyond the fear of accusations,
Governance entails making a decision with sincerity of purpose
and for the good of the society.
The Borno State Government will set aside the sum of one
hundred and fifty million naira to fund a rehabilitation
programme for the 53 girls and to support parents in Chibok
whose sources of livelihood have been truncated by their
trauma, leaving them with little or nothing to feed while we
continue to work immeasurably for the release of the girls
being held. The State Government is already in touch with key
international organizations and a plan of action has already
been proposed by the Ministry of Health in the State on issues
relating to the health well being of the 53 girls as well as their
colleagues soon as they are freed insha Allah. We are very
optimistic that they will be freed. We have a quiet committee
headed by the State’s commissioner of health, she is a female
medical doctor with specialty in reproductive health, she has
experience in female advocacy with International contacts on
the issues before us. We may need to enlarge the quiet
committee to have all relevant stakeholders that include
Chibok elders, PTA of the school, Security agencies in the
State, the National Association of Nigerian Students, the
association of Borno Students, the female wing of Christian
Association of Nigeria, the Federation of Muslim Women of
Nigeria, the district head of Chibok, some civil societies and
specialists in psychological counseling etc, so that we move on
while we must all work very hard in collaboration with the
Federal Government to ensure the release of our daughters,
given them medical care, counsel them, reintegrate them and
ensure they are given the right to complete their exams.
Mr. Chairman, members of this important Committee, the
Borno State Government is committed to sincere and active
collaboration with the Federal Government and all other
support groups in our collective fight against insurgency.
In continued collaboration, however, we must trust each
other’s sincerity of purpose. I see misconception about those
behind Boko Haram as one major hindrance to fighting the
insurgency. So long we continue to look the wrong way on who is
or are behind Boko Haram, there would be lack of focus on the
part of most stakeholders and in which case, the victims would
remain the accused.
I wish this committee of respected men and women of
impeccable character, a successful endeavor and I am
confident that this committee has integrity, enough to guide
it towards finding the facts on the attack of April 14, 2014 at
Government Secondary School, Chibok.
I thank you for listening as I look forward to meeting you for
a closed door session.
May God free our daughters from captivity and May He grant
us eternal peace in Borno and the entire Nigeria”
No comments:
Post a Comment