10 June 2014
By A.S.M Jimoh
It is two months now since Boko
Haram members abducted over 200 innocent girls. Only
God knows the trauma the parents of those girls go
through daily since then. It has even been reported
that some parents of the girls have died from the
shock of the abduction. What has added to the pains on
parents and Nigerian in general, except the few in
government, is the lethargy of the government in doing
the needful to see the return of the girls to the
parents still alive. Whatever the current pretense of
doing something about it may be, the reality is that
the government does not care since none of those
little girls is a child to any of those in government.
We knew how the media arm of our
police force was re-energized when the mother of the
current minister of Finance, Mrs Okonjo Iweala, was
kidnapped. Also, all avenues of negotiation were
deployed when the foster father of President Jonathan
was abducted early this year. The prompt payment of
heavy ransoms saw to the release of them both, even
though they continue to deny that any ransom was paid.
Again, the release of the son of Edwin Clark,
President Jonathan godfather, could not have been so
smooth without the intervention of government. Agreed
to their denials that no ransom was paid, why would
government not use the same bargaining power in all
the afore mentioned cases to negotiate to #BringBackOurGirls.
The government's claim that it cannot negotiate with
terrorist is just an excuse to evade responsibility
because the kidnappers they have been negotiating with
are also terrorists as they, too, like Boko Haram, use
act of fear to achieve an aim.
The fact remains that the government
of the day still think that no girl was missing or the
abduction is an opposition staged-managed one. What a
country! This is evident from the speeches and body
languages of government officials and aides. The
initial pretense by the government after 3 weeks of
non-mention was due to the World Economic Forum hosted
in Abuja. The WEF is gone and the government has
relapsed back to its belief of a staged-managed
abduction. The question I will be asking both those
that matters and the inconsequential in this piece,
starting with Mr. President, is that will they be
living the way they live today if their children were
among the #ChibokGirls.
Dear President Jonathan, would you
be dancing about on political rallies if your child
were among the #ChibokGirls? Would you not have caused
heads to roll in various departments of government?
Would the presidency still be a beehive of activities?
If at all it is, it would be due to the visit of those
coming to share the grief of the abduction with you.
Would you not have negotiated much swiftly than you
did for the release of your foster father?
Dear invisible Vice President Namadi
Sambo, if your daughter were among the #Chibokgirls,
would the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting not
be postponed indefinitely until the #ChibokGirls are
found? Remember when your brother died, a whole a FEC
meeting where supposedly the nation problem is
discussed was cancelled.
Dear Anyim Pius, if your child were
among the #ChibokGirls, would you be able to sleep
during a security meeting even if you wanted to. Would
you still be that fat the day you intercepted #BringBackOurGirls
march to Aso Rock and labeled them an opposition
sponsored?
Madam First lady, would you have
caused the arrest of any woman if your child were
among the #ChibokGirls. There is God o. Those women
are mothers like you o. Would you not have been
shedding real tears on National TV daily, instead of
that crocodile one, if one of your two children is
among the #ChibokGirls?
Dear Grandma Sarah Jibril, would you
have dressed like under-18 and stopped #BringBackOurGirls
march to Aso Rock if your grandchild is one of the #ChibokGirl
let alone your own child. Would you not have tried to
make everyone recall the byword ‘the pain of
childbirth'?
Dear Senate President David Mark,
would you have led a delegation to party in Brazil if
your daughter is among the #ChibokGirls? Would your
famous red cap not have become oversize if your child
were among the #ChibokGirls?
Old Man Aliyu Gusau, as Minister of Defense, would
your ministry not have raised a unit called
operation-rescue-our-girls if your child were among
the #ChibokGirl? Would you not have told the president
that you are resigning if he would not overhaul the
Army?
Junior Defense Minister Musiliu
Obanikoro, would you still be drinking cold beer on
hot Sunday morning, as you announced on recently
twitter, if your child is among the ChibokGirls?
Dear Okonjo Iweala, would your gele
(headgear) still be so stylish if your child is among
the #ChibokGirls. Would you be tired of talking of the
girls as you said recently, because I know you did not
get tired of talking about your mother when she was
kidnapped?
Dear Ms. Deziani Madueke, would your
make-up still be so heavy if your child is among the #ChibokGirls?
Would you not have paid ransom out of our $20 billion
to have her release?
Dear NSA Sambo Dasuki, if your child
were among the #ChibokGirls, would you be so invisible
and mute? Would you not have advised the government to
go negotiate with Boko haram kia kia because your
child is among the #ChibokGirls.
Dear Gen. Alex Sabundu Badeh, would you be telling us
that you know where the #ChibokGirls are and then go
to sleep when the responsibility of the body you head
is to bring out our girls wherever they are kept.
Would your tummy still be of that size and have a
space for beer if your child has been in BokoHaram
enclave for two months?
The notorious Police Chief Joseph
Mbu, would you have banned the #BringBackOurGirls sit
out if your child were among the #ChibokGirls? Would
you not have provided police protection and encouraged
the number to increase?
Mr. Labaran Maku, the nonsense
talking minister of information, would the length of
your cap not have shortened if your child were among
the #ChibokGirls? Would you be telling the barefaced
lie you tell about that the government is on top of
the situation? Would you not have said the #BringBackOurGirls
family are 100% PDP members and that the woman leading
them, Madam Oby Ezekwesili was an Amazon, the
legendary female warriors in Greek mythology.
Dear General Chris Olukolade, if
your child were among the #ChibokGirls in the den of
BokoHaram for two solid months, would you still be
telling us that the Army is strategic in its approach
in spite of the glaring failure?
To attack dog Doyin Okupe, would you
need to go and see a doctor to shed fat if your child
is among the #ChibokGirls. Nay, the trauma of thinking
of what those evil people do with you girls would have
been the natural therapy to make you less obese. Would
you not have thought of piloting those non-existing
fighter jets you claimed are scanning the Sambisa
forest?
Mrs. Kema Chikwe, the PDP women
leader, even though people like you are said to have
questionable children, would you have asked for
pictures if your daughter or that of the First lady
were among the #ChibokGirls.
Dear religious Clerics, if your
children were among the #ChibokGirls, would you not
have declared, or even imposed, a-90 day of fasting,
prayer and vigil on the nation? Remember the #ChibokGirls
are children of your flocks.
Ci(e)vil Society people, would there
be any grammar left unspoken or any vocabulary left in
our dictionary, if each one of you has a child among
the #ChibokGirls. Would your opportunistic and
hypocritical stand not have withered?
It is sad that we have a society who
only cares for the high and mighty. However, we should
take cognizance that a society who cares not for its
poor, but rather oppresses them, is heading to an
abyss. Alternatively, as Late John F. Kennedy puts it,
if a free society cannot help the many who are poor,
it cannot save the few who are rich.
My hearts goes out to the #ChibokGirls
and their parents. May we see their release soonest.
A.S.M Jimoh (on twitter:
@anehi2008)
anehi2008@gmail.com
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EsinIslam.Com
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