Group Slams Information Minister Over Comment On Kidnapped Chibok Girls

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines Thursday, May 29th, 2014

Kayode Adelowokan

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) has lambasted the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, over his allegation that the opposition party, All Progressive Congress (APC), sponsored the campaign for the release of the Chibok Girls, #BringBackOurGirls, to cast aspersions on the Presidency.

Labaran Maku

Maku alleged that about 90 per cent of protesters campaigning for the release of the over 200 schoolgirls abducted from a secondary school in Chibok, Borno State, are members of APC, claiming that a lot of the nation’s resources are being spent by the Federal Government on insecurity in states controlled by the opposition party.

Maku said this while answering questions from State the House correspondents after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Jonathan.

In its reaction, the Executive Chairman of CACOL, Comrade Debo Adeniran, cautioned the Information Minister against making insensitive submissions.

Adeniran said that it is pathetic that Nigerian politicians could play politics with anything. “That shows how far these rulers are detached from the people they claim they govern. The submission from Mr. Maku, is preposterous and uncalled for at a time of national tragedy like this”, he added.

To every responsible government, the human right activist said that protection of lives and property ought to be its major preoccupation.

He said, “When has it become an offence to set a lethargic government on its feet? It is over a month ago that the poor girls, whose only offence is that they went to school, were abducted from the hostels and no one seems to know their whereabouts. That is a shame on the government despite all the security arsenals in its possession.

“Maku, should realise that the campaign for the release of the Chibok Girls was stronger in other countries like the United States of America Europe and some African countries than Nigeria. Is he saying that these Americans including the US First Lady, Mitchelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, the Europeans, and the South Africans to mention a few, who carried placards to stir up Nigerian government are all APC members?

“The allegation is uncalled for at this time. All what Nigerians desire and hope for is the successful return of the girls. Maku should stop insulting the sensibilities of the Nigerians; he should just maintain his silence if he does not have any reasonable information to pass across to the parents and relatives of the girls and to the entire Nigerians.”

The anti-corruption crusader however called on federal government to be more concerned about the safe return of the girls instead of molesting the protesters who are merely exercising their constitutional right.

“It is worthy to note that everyone has got a role to play in this matter and if the members of the APC choose to be on the street for the release of our girls as claimed by the Information Minister, then it should be considered healthy; so the FG should step up its effort at getting the girls released from the Boko Haram’s den”, Adeniran concluded.