‘Don’t build schools, bring back our girls’, parents tell FG

Parents of the abducted Chibok girls have criticized attempts made by the Federal Government to rebuild schools in the community saying that their only true desire was to have their daughters back home.

Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on Thursday, March 5, paid a visit to the community and laid a block on the foundation of a school building.

However, some of the missing girls’ parents have urged the government to fulfill its promise to rescue their daughters instead of focusing on the rebuilding.

The sentiments of the Chibok parents were expressed on Monday, March 9, by the Caretaker Chairman of Chibok Council Area, Ba’ana Lawan during a meeting with journalists.

“It is disheartening to inform you that since the abduction of these girls, the Federal Government did not bother to send delegations to Chibok to sympathize with the parents, instead, the parents were invited to Abuja and conveyed in cargo military plane with no comfort whatsoever,” Lawan said.

“We still observed that recently, President Goodluck Jonathan visited Mubi and Baga, but failed to visit Chibok to sympathize with our people. We also observed that the President and Chief of Defence Staff, Air Vice Marshal Alex Badeh had severally promised that these girls will soon be released, but it is now more than 300 days, and nothing has happened,” he added.

“It is most unfortunate that Chibok Local Government Area has witnessed six different attacks by insurgents and about 300 people lost their lives with property worth millions of naira destroyed, hundreds of houses razed down as well as food and cash crops looted. The most recent attacks being that of Gatamwarwa, Kautikari and other surrounding villages where several lives were equally lost. Yet there was no response from the Federal Government,” Lawan continued.

“We therefore condemn the move by the Federal Government to embark on the reconstruction of the school (GGSS Chibok)instead of bringing back our girls as severally promised,” he said.

Lawan however expressed gratitude at the continuous efforts of the #BringBackOurGirls group in Abuja towards pressuring the government to rescue the missing girls.

The over 200 Chibok girls were abducted from their school on April 14, 2014 and most of them remain in captivity.