Chibok: Borno Students Seek Global Classroom Boycott Wednesday
SAN FRANCISCO, May 05, (THEWILL) â€' Borno State students, Monday, called for a global classroom boycott on Wednesday to protest the continued incarceration of the Chibok school girls by Boko Haram,
They made the call at a press conference addressed by Fatima Zanna Maliki in Maiduguri, the state capital, as they displayed various placards with inscriptions such as 'Please Note all Borno youth are not insurgents', 'Rescue our education system', 'They are our sisters, they are our daughters', 'Bring back our girls', 'Borno remains the home of peace', '21 days still missing , we need action not.', 'FGN create employment for our youth in Nigeria', among others.
Speaking at the conference, Maliki said it was imperative for students across the globe to join in the protest so as to force world leaders to pressurise President Goodluck Jonathan to initiate actions to free the girls.
SAN FRANCISCO, May 05, (THEWILL) â€' 'We appreciate the concern and efforts of all the civic society organisations, women groups, leaders and the international communities towards our plight and we are urging them not to relent until our girls are brought back home safely in particular and peace returns back to our country in general.
'We the youth and students in Borno State have endured unimaginable hardship for the past four years and we took it upon ourselves to call upon stakeholders and the president in particular to act urgently.
'While declaring Wednesday 7th May, 2014 as lecture free and sympathy day worldwide to commiserate with the families of the abducted schoolgirls, we are urging the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, our mother, Dr. Dame Patience Jonathan to play motherly role in the present challenges facing our dear country rather than apportioning blames,'Maliki said.
She also called on President Jonathan to stop the buck passing blame game, imploring him to move fast in rescuing the abducted girls.
'The abducted students of GGSS Chibok are our sisters and colleagues, after 21 days of their abduction we don't know their condition, we don't know how they are faring, we don't know if they have eaten this morning, we don't know their health condition, we don't know there whereabouts, we don't know! We don't know!! We don't know!!!But Almighty God knows where they are, and he has given someone the privilege, the ability, the will, the force and the wherewithal to determine where they are and bring them back safely. That person is the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan,'Maliki said as she wept intermittently while delivering her speech.
'Mr. President the youth and students of Borno State are urging you because it is your responsibility, because they are Nigerians studying in a Nigerian school, located in a Nigerian state that is in a state of emergency.
'The youths and students warned that should the students not be freed before their 40th day in captivity they will bring all students across the country to protest in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, until the students are reunited with their families.
'Students will be brought across the nation if no success is recorded before the 40th day of the abduction, to sit tight on Ramat Square to protest until the schoolgirls are freed,' the students warned.