by Kolapo Olapoju
The #BringBackOurGirls campaign group has reacted to the comments of Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Doyin Okupe, who criticised the group for giving the Federal Government a 6-week timeline to bring back the abducted Chibok girls.
According to the group, the launch of its 6 weeks countdown to the rescue of the girls is directly tied to the timeline issued by the National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, as well as to the comments of President Goodluck Jonathan during the presidential media chat of February 11, 2015.
During the media chat, President Jonathan had said: “I believe that the story of the Chibok girls will be better now that we are working with Niger, Cameroon and Chad. I am more hopeful than before that the girls will be rescued. Nigerians should just give us a few weeks. We are working with our neighbours and we will comb the whole of that area. Just give us some time.”
The group therefore stated that its decision to commence the countdown was to hold the government accountable to its words, while earnestly hoping that the Chibok girls would be rescued within the time frame.
A statement released by the media spokesperson of the group, Rotimi Ilawale, said: “As a movement, we consider the launch of the 6-weeks offensive against Boko Haram as the most significant and tangible action so far taken since the abduction of the Chibok girls.”
“We however remind the general public that it wasn’t the BBOG movement that erroneously announced the rescue of Chibok girls twice and also a ceasefire with a faceless group that didn’t last 24 hours.”
“We implore Government to understand and fully grasp that in the 21st century, the role of the citizens is to hold Government accountable to its words, promises and action and it’s the Government role to ensure it feeds its citizens with regular, up-to-date, genuine and true information on issues of national importance, especially where the lives of its citizens are at stake.”
“We continue to salute the courage of our men and women in uniform at the frontlines of the battle to bring an end to this insurgency and we remain positive and hopeful that the insurgency will come to an end within 6 weeks and our girls rescued.”
Amen, But tell Buhari to talk to his nous to release the girls.
The way all the Boko Haram boys suspended all the attacks and suicide bombings to welcome Buhari yesyerday
Let them use the same strength in rescuing the girls
After all Buhari said he will rescue the girls once elected
We must not elegy him before he rescues the girls. If truly he loved Nigeria as he proclaimed
GEJ didn’t said he will rescue the girls in 6weeks he said the issue will improve and hopefully the girls will be resued
I believe this is a positive statement from our president t and needs to be encouraged and not hunted
Na wah for this BBG campaigners
It like they are all APC members
Well Audu ogbe said so some time ago