by Alexander O. Onukwue

This time in 2014, it had been nearly a 100 days after the abduction of over 200 girls from Government Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State.

The apparent silence of the Goodluck Jonathan administration towards the matter of the kidnap led to a massive outcry against the President. He was perceived as indifferent towards initiating any action for their rescue, even doubting that there had been abduction in the first place.

The abduction happened barely eleven months before the Presidential elections of March 2015. Hence, the Jonathan reluctance towards seeking out the Chibok girls was a formidable weapon in the armoury of the APC, who would pledge on returning the girls and keeping the nation safe.

Two years into the Buhari-Osinbajo Government, 103 girls have returned from the captivity of Boko Haram, with negotiations for the release of the others expected to continue.

With the Igbonla school boys who have been missing for eight weeks, the Buhari-Osinbajo Government has had its own case of reluctance at abduction.

The kidnap of the boys occurred two and a half weeks after President Buhari left the country for his second medical vacation of the year. Without totally excusing him, it could be assumed that Buhari, while he undergoes treatments in London, may not be attuned to the situation with regards to the news about the abducted school boys.

Prof Yemi Osinbajo, in charge as Acting President since the 8th of May, has reasonably had a full tray of assignments, as well as national tensions like those between with IPOB and Arewa Youth. Economic and legal rumbles with the Legislature have kept him busy and distracted.

But for a Government that rode on the principle of belonging to everybody, the silence about the abducted school boys is definitely unjustifiable. It may have been anticipated that, as much as he should not want to be seen as especially interested in Lagos, Osinbajo – a former Attorney General of Lagos State – would have made his distress on the matter of the missing boys known to all.

Not much has been said, and with two months gone and the parents still without their boys, not enough has been done.

Prof Osinbajo may have considerable positive ratings from people who feel he has had a steady hand in governing the country in Buhari’s absence, but the matter of silence over the kidnap of six abducted school children cannot be too small to stand against any good legacy he has.