Just like his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, President Muhammadu Buhari has shown early signs of non-commitment to the release of the abducted 110 girls from Government Girls Secondary School Dapchi, Yobe. At the wake of the Chibok girls kidnap in 2014 the former administration spent a lot of time speculating on whether the abduction truly took place, leading to a loss of valuable time that could have been used to ensure the successful release of the Chibok girls.

At the moment, the same thing is happening under the Buhari Presidency. Apart from the fact that the Presidency was able to accept the abduction faster than the Jonathan administration they’ve not done anything different apart from sending two Ministers to the state and telling the parents to pray for the release of their daughters.

The President has not made any effort to travel down to the state and the community, rather he has occupied himself with meetings and consultations as it relates to the 2019 elections. A few weeks ago after the Florida shooting in the United States that claimed seventeen lives, President Trump addressed the nation and personally visited the hospitals where the victims were being treated.

Following the Dapchi abduction, President Buhari is yet to speak to the nation via a broadcast on the situation and to intimate the citizens on what is being done to secure their release. In saner climes, the President would have suspended all political activities until the girls are found.

This abduction should not be downplayed because it’s a national disgrace as it comes less than four years after the Chibok abduction. Nigeria is a country that does not learn from its past errors. Successive governments simply trawl repeat the mistakes of their predecessors and expect a different result. This institutional failure is a clear indication of the failings of the Nigerian state, especially the Presidency and the security agencies.

The President has not shown commitment to the release of these girls, the visit of the ministers of Information and Defence has not made any positive impact. The President as an experienced military man should step into this and bring the girls home. In his 2015 inaugural speech, he said the Boko-Haram war won’t be considered won until the Chibok girls are reunited with their parents. We should have held his promises with a pinch of salt.

tosin adesina