Justice for the Nigerian Kidnapped Girls
By Chido Egbuna.
Freelance writer in the USA you may contact him at
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A great American military general, Norman Schwarzkopf once said, “ Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without strategy.” To say that the majority of Nigerian leaders today lack character and integrity is the understatement of great proportion. Most of the politicians that are running this debased country of ours as looters of state resources who care little or nothing about the common man. They are self appointed kings and queens who steal the countries resources with impunity just as their predecessors, the military did. These men and women are enemies of our nation and are coequals with Boko Haram in the quest to destroy Nigeria. This perpetual evil of corruption and its various dynamics has metamorphosed into both the Boko Haram and the Chibok incident where more than 200 hundred girls were kidnapped and forced into servitude, sexual exploitation, and forced conversion to Islam. This can only happen in a country where character and leadership is not the ideal twins. While the politicians are looting, the Boko Haram is burning down buildings, killing, and maiming the innocent. We demand justice for our girls and every Nigerian.
While America and other well meaning countries are busy organizing help and resources to help rescue these innocent girls, our own finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told an American ABC reporter when asked about the Chibok incident, “I'm tired of the same stories.” I bring this up because the minister should have known better. This woman has a western education and should have known that what she is saying to the American public who would be watching this statement is that she does not care about the plight of the girls. Imagine that? Granted Iweala is the minister of finance not defense, however, if this lady had any brain, she would have used that opportunity to empathize with the missing girls families or at the least, show some empathy for the suffering girls especially being a woman herself. How about thanking the countries that are helping her corrupt nation. Instead the incompetent minister offered her sincere gaffe stating that she is tired of talking about the missing girls. This incident exemplifies the type of leaders that we have in Nigerian and their mind set. Mrs. Iweala clearly in a moment of truth revealed what the rest of them practice which is not justice for our girls or anyone for that matter.
When a country is corrupt, evil, injustice, poor amenities, bad roads, poor schools, dangerous hospitals, and calumny reigns, nothing else works properly. The value of human life is depreciated as the quest to loot the state treasury takes precedence over all else including maintaining, improving amenities for all. How can our military have a sense of pride and honor to fight for their country when the people at the top are seen for what they are corrupt and incompetent? We learn from this Chibok fiasco that the Nigerian military is unprepared and indeed cannot defend the country they have pledged to protect. The military is underpaid and not well equipped. We read reports that the military could not go into the forest to rescue the girls because the Nigerian military does not have an anti mine vehicle that can thread the treacherous Sambasi forest where the terrorist are keeping the girls. I am sure the money allocated for all these military hardware is sitting in someone's personal bank account or substituted for an inferior one. Justice for our girls.
We observed as the girls are taken and turned into sex slaves in a Nigerian forest and the government sits idle for weeks. Even the presidents wife denied at first that indeed there was any kidnapping. To make matters worst, the president's wife even had the representatives of the families who came to protest the government's inaction arrested. Imagine such gross abuse of power. The first lady of Nigeria does not have such constitutional powers to do that. Where is the investigation into this abuse of power. The opposition party and all decent Nigerians should have been requesting justice and a check on this excessive use and abuse of power. However, in a corrupt environment this is permissible. After all, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely as the maxim goes. Justice for our girls.
Corruption is the cancer that is going to destroy Nigeria if unchecked. The culture of corruption is bleeding the country to death and all her institutions are slowly dying a slow death. The education sector, the health sector just to name a few are decaying and dying a slow death. The Washington Post reported on May 11, 2014 issue how one of the parents of the kidnapped girls Rev. Enoch Mark lamented, “ For 11 days, our daughters were sitting in one place, they camped them near Chibok not more than 30 kilometers, and no help in hand.” The government has some serious explaining to do here. Why would the government whose first duty it is to protect the citizens of Nigeria sit docile while more than two hundred girls are held captive against their will. The government went into a total denial mood while these girls were traumatized and abused. Imagine that, only in our beloved corrupt country can such gross negligence take place. Justice for the girls.
After these girls are rescued, the government must address these wrongs. First, the families must be organized into a common front to demand that the government not only compensate the families for their pain and suffering, they must provided lifetime psychological help to assist these girls to get the help for the trauma they went through. All the families must be given a huge sum of money in a trust for these girls future education. Nigerian government you must right this wrong. You were grossly negligent in performing your duty and indeed your first responsibility to protect the citizens who voted you into office. You are not in office to serve yourself but you are there to protect and serve the citizens. You are not queens and kings but rather servant of the people. Justice for our girls.
In an environment rip with corruption culture, nobody is safe. The military can be compromised; the police are the prey of the terrorists. They can be bribed by these fanatics. The criminal Boko Haram has better weapons and equipments than our organized law enforcement groups. Why? Money becomes the idol that is worshipped and morality, decency, ethics, doing the right thing are all relegated to the far background. Nigeria's enemy, Boko Haram and corruption are ruthless, vicious, demonic, unpatriotic and bent on destroying the country. Many peace loving and decent patriots must now rise up and demand justice for the girls. This justice must not only encompass freeing them, but also compensating them for their government's ineptitude. A scholarship fund must be established for these girls up to the university level so that from this tragedy some good may come. Let us show the Boko Haram that we are for training our girls into productive citizens who would build our nation of the future. Justice for our girls.