Opinion: What does Oby Ezekwesili really want?

by Offor Honest Munachiso

Oby-Ezekwesili

She has been called a disgrace to Ndigbo for championing the cause of a tribe that masterminded the mass annihilation of her people and still continues to do so at any slightest provocation.

Many people have questioned Aunty Oby’s role in the #bringbackourgirls campaign. Some have gone ahead to accuse her of having an ulterior motive, even the government itself is upset with the leading  role she is playing in this advocacy. What does she really want? Is it fame, position, money, recognition or is she just out to discredit and embarrass the present administration? What does she stand to gain in this campaign? Who is sponsoring her and other women? How much has she collected, to make her so determined to go on despite several intimidation and attacks on her person?

She has been called a disgrace to Ndigbo for championing the cause of a tribe that masterminded the mass annihilation of her people and still continues to do so at any slightest provocation. She has been accused of being a pawn in the destructive chessboard of the opposition that wants power at all cost. She has been disparaged for fighting a cause in which she has nothing to gain from directly; none of her daughters or those of her relatives are being held ransom, so what does she really want, they ask.

I think those that are criticizing Aunty Oby and other gallant men and women who have lent their voices in demanding the release of our girls, are doing so out of ignorance. Her child may not be among the adopted children but it could have been one of hers. By choosing to stand by the grieving mothers, she is demonstrating that ‘an injury to one is an injury to all’. In fighting the cause of people whose language she does not understand, she has shown that though tribe  may divide us, we have a common humanity and a shared destiny. By bearing the cross of parents whose region killed her people, she is showing the forgiveness we have been preaching without practicing. Through this campaign she has shown us the love of a mother, the strength in community, and the role of citizens. Her voice has travelled through global boundaries and has awakened the conscience of people to the harsh realities facing victims of terror not just in Chibok but also in Kundugi and elsewhere. A government that once handled insurgency with kid gloves has now enlisted the effort of foreign powers in stamping out terrorism because one woman and her group decided to speak with one voice.

As a Vice President of World Bank for Africa, she cannot be said to be in lack. Having occupied two ministerial positions in the past, she has tasted power and her sterling performance earned her the respect and applause of many people. Her appellation ‘madam due process’, came about because of her insistence on transparency and accountability while in office, so those that accuse her of selling out certainly knows that their claims are wrong. The paper she presented at the APC congress where she lambasted political leaders and the leading political parties including the APC, proves that she doesn’t belong to their fold and at such cannot be used by them.

The #bringbackourGirls campaign is bigger than Oby Ezekwesili, it is not about her. It is about holding government to do its duty. It is about rallying the spirit of a divided nation. It is about reminding us of our common humanity and our duty as citizens. It is about showing those that wish to divide our nation that we can stand together. It is about fighting for the future of our daughters by ensuring that those who wish to deny them education, do not succeed. This is what I think Aunty Oby really wants.

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This article was published with permission from Omojuwa.com

 

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

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