A former Federal Commissioner for Information and South-South leader, Chief Edwin Clark, has taken a swipe at the Nigerian Government on its silence on the release of the remaining abducted Chibok girls, who have been held captive since 2014 by members of the Boko Haram.
Speaking on Friday at his Asokoro residence, Abuja, when parents of the Chibok girls visited him to appreciate the elder-statesman for his continued demand for their rescue, Clark, who described the ugly incident as sad and unfortunate, said that any government that fails to carry out its constitutional responsibility of providing welfare for the people as well as protect the lives of the people had failed.
Also present at the residence of Clark was the former Federal Commissioner for Information and Culture during General Yakubu Gowon’s Administration, General Ibrahim Malgwi Haruna (retd), who corroborated what the South-South leader said, describing the continued silence on the girls as saddening and most unfortunate.
General Haruna, who was Clark’s immediate successor in that administration, said that the government had failed in its responsibility against the backdrop that insecurity rather than abating was increasing.
Speaking further, Clark, who is the leader of Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum, regretted that Bring Back Our Girls campaign for the girls’ rescue during the President Goodluck Jonathan administration had since gone cold under the current administration.
Clark also regretted the inability of the army to sweep the Sambisa Forest and rescue the girls then, maintaining that it was an act designed to embarrass the Jonathan administration.
He said, “The question I asked was where did they take them to, even if it’s Sambisa Forest. Why couldn’t the army go into the forest; every part of it, who were they afraid of? Let’s pray to God that one day God will answer our prayers. What bothers me is the way or manner nobody is talking. The Bring Back Our Girls was loud during Jonathan time. The kidnappers knew that taking the girls away would embarrass the Jonathan government. How they managed to get more vehicles to take them away, how many hours, these are things the government should investigate to find out, because we are talking about over a hundred school girls.
“When an American man was kidnapped here in Nigeria, the Americans came all the way from America and released this man from where he was kept. One hundred girls were missing and we are not able to rescue one. We don’t know where they are?
“When I heard soldiers chased them and they ran inside Sambisa Forest, why couldn’t you follow them? So I don’t know who is deceiving who in this country. Jonathan at the time said there were Boko Haram people in his government.”
Speaking further, Gen Haruna said that the issue “must be kept on the front burner”.
Haruna, who commended the parents for doing their best and urged them to continue to hope, pray and work towards the children’s return, said, “We shall continue to ensure that the issue does not disappear from the consciousness of the people.”
Speaking earlier, Dr Alan Manasseh, Director of Media and Communications of Kibaku (Chibok) Area Development Association, who led the delegation, said 24 parents of the abducted Chibok girls have died because of the trauma.
