Musbau Babatunde
Stakeholders have advocated the need for accountability from the government on the funds allocated for the families of the abducted Chiboks Girls
They implored the media to keep tab onissues surrounding the abduction and incarceration of Chibok Girls as constant reminders to the authorities concern.
They expressed these during the screening of the documentary “Nine Years: Life after the Chibok Abduction”, produced by Women Radio.
It featured an abductee, parents and siblings of some of the abducted girls who lamented the inconsistency of the government in reaching out to them. The documentary showed that about 37 parents have died on account of trauma caused by the abduction of their children.
Speaking,Bukky Shonibare, Executive Director of Invictus Africa urged the media to leverage their visibility around the nine-point agenda of Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) movement in demanding accountability from the government. She urged the media to beam the light on the funds allocated for the families and how they should be expended and the need for continuity on the Safe School Initiative”
Hamzat Lawal, CEO Connected Development [CODE] implored the media not to abandon but continue to give regular reportage of the abducted girls
He said: “As a society, the media sets the tone for governance and continuity of engagement. I believe this is an opportunity with the ongoing transition and important that we use this to set an agenda for the incoming government on security”.
In her submission,Dr Gloria Puldu, Executive Director of Leah Sharibu Foundation faulted the communication gap between the government and the parents of Leah Sharibu as they have been left without any words from the government since 2020.
Murtala Abdullahi, a journalist spoke on the need for the media to probe the Chibok Budget Allocation of over 1 billion naira between 2017 & 2022 for accountability and transparency.
They urged the incoming Tinubu/Shettima administration to ensure that more efforts are geared towards the release of the remaining girls
“We should keep the issue of the girls in incarceration on the front burner as constant reminders to the government to work harder in recovering our girls who are now women because their parents and Nigerians need closure ”
Ene Ede, a gender activist said psychosocial support and rehabilitation for the girls and their relatives are key.
Friya Bulus, Director of Gender Affairs, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs noted that the ministry had been liaising with different stakeholders in the rehabilitation and education of the rescued girls.
Esther Alaribe, head of programmes Women Radio who moderated the conversation, charged media platforms to commit to a weekly reportage of the status of the Chibok Girls and their families and to also work with security agencies to intensify efforts in facilitating the safe release of all the remaining girls still in captivity.
The co-founder Women Radio 91.7 Toun Okewale Sonaiya and executive producer of the documentary, pointed out the need for the media to intentionally report these cases and keep the conversation going.
Okewale Sonaiya said “We should not wait till commemorative dates before referencing the remaining Chibok Girls and the only Dapchi girl still in captivity Leah Sharibu. We should keep the issue of the girls in incarceration on the front burner as constant reminders to the government to work harder in recovering our girls who are now women because their parents and Nigerians need closure”.
The panelists said they are committed to following the status of the approved funds, tracking data on the girls for proper documentation and promised to follow updates on the girls. They also called on the President-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his vice Kashim Shettima to intensify efforts in the rescue of the Chibok girls.
Alamson, one of the siblings who was flown in from Borno State was inconsolable with tears and narrated their ordeal.
She said:”They are being kept in the camp doing nothing, they are not being engaged in any vocational training or formal education and we keep appealing to the government to give us an update on what is to be done for the girls”.
