Yesterday was a very useless day for me. Aside from the garnished fried rice with condiments I ate at SUB and the sweet victory of my darling Manchester United against Club Brugge in the UEFA Champions League, I saw nothing special about the day. I can vividly remember waking up at exactly 11.30 am (probably because I slept late at 5am), checked my phone to see missed calls from my brother and parents without a clear intention of returning their calls. Then, I reached for my laptop, inserted my modem and hooked unto the cyberspace with my email being the first port of call. After scribbling through my unread messages (all of them being failed business proposals), I immediately realized that my day would be a long nasty one. I walked down to SUB, rushed but admiringly ate the aforementioned meal and then hooked up with some dudes at MerryBet betting centre where I spent the rest of the day. On getting to my house at exactly 9pm (I had to forfeit the second half of the game in order not to incur the wrath of my landlord), I turned on my radio, placed it on auto search and the first thing I could remember hearing was “tomorrow marks 500 days since the Chibok girls’ capture”.


Just like a flash, I was sent into the state of bathos! Why have I forgotten about those people so soon? What has suddenly come over me? Why have I gone so cold about my little act of activism? Why have the society forgotten about the over 200 innocent girls kidnapped from their school while they were actively studying for their exams? What have come over me ever since Buhari emerged victorious at the polls? These and more questions transfixed yours sincerely as he was moved to tears.


I find it rather surprising to discover that some people still believe the Chibok issue never happened. These set of people christened the whole scenario – “the Chibok scam”. They may have points to prove their assertion especially the recent nomination of the school’s principal by Governor Shettima as Commissioner for Education. However, how can you explain the cries of parents (who claimed to be the parents of the kidnapped girls) that took it upon themselves to storm the dreaded Sambisa in search of their precious kids? Also, how can you explain the intelligence report by the US Marines affirming the capture of these kids with proof? Should I go on? (I think it’s unnecessary). I would rather assure you that the Chibok girls’ saga happened for real!


Gone are the days when public campaigns were held about this matter, gone are the days when Oby Ezekwensili would lead campaigns at short and regular intervals to remind the government of her incompetence in resolving the matter. Gone also are the days when I would pop up the Chibok girls’ saga whenever I engage myself in political arguments. The world has “crazingly” gone so cold about this issue. Maybe they have lost hope about recovering the girls. Maybe they believe Boko Haram is too tough to dismantle. No matter what their reason maybe, it doesn’t erase the shame caused by this menace on our societal, national and international coexistence.


I am undoubtedly a staunch fan and follower of President Buhari (he is infact one of my role models), but I must stress the need for increased government action on this issue. We may have witnessed improvements in power, energy and other sectors since his inauguration, President Buhari however needs to increase his pace and resolve this issue fast. It is true he failed on his campaign promise of delivering those girls three weeks after his inauguration, but any unbiased thinking mortal will attest that this matter isn’t one that could be resolved in three weeks considering the circumstances surrounding his new office. I however fault the strong show of activism by the founders of #BBOG as I believe they used the platform for selfish reasons in order to gain political, national and international recognition.

From an economic point of view, I believe it is economically irrational to camp over 200 girls and feed them for 500 consecutive days. Can Boko Haram afford that? I believe that those girls have been married out, raped, killed or even turned into suicide bombers against their will. It is sad to think so but one has to think realistically in order to make informed decisions. I don’t think it is possible to get back those girls hale and hearty again. 500 days is more than enough to be impregnated, nurture and conceive a child. Some of them may have turned into mothers and intimacy gadgets!


The Chibok girls’ saga should be a reference point for improved military and security operations in Nigeria. It should serve as a lesson to the Police and Armed Forces to be vigilant and battle ready at all times in order to save lives. It should also serve as a reference point for us - citizens to always be our brothers’ keepers and watch their backs. We should all take a cue from the revered Sir Alex Ferguson who always used dark moments as a springboard for success in his endeavors (I digress!). If we accept our failures and choose to improve on them, the Chibok girls’ saga may just turn out to be the turning point the nation needed to revive our security sector. The United States had their moment through the 9/11 debacle, Germany had their moment in the 1920s at their economic sector and Japan also had their moment in the energy sector during the Fukushima event. Need I continue?

My condolence goes to the parents of those kids. I wish to commend your act of bravery and patience, such is life indeed. I want those girls to be immortalized at the federal and international level. April 19th should be set aside as public holiday internationally to recognize our flaws in fighting terrorism. A foundation should also be established in their honor to cater for the less privileged girls that are unable to access primary and secondary education. I know wealth cannot buy life but it is imperative to place the parents of those kids under proper government care for life. Don’t tell me about the economic implications of this move because if Nigeria can pay 9 billion naira annually to 109 + 360 jobless individuals as wardrobe allowance, we can also cater for just above 200 aggrieved and possibly poor parents.

Maybe if we tow this path, we may have renewed hope for a brighter Nigeria. God bless you all!

Written by 20 year old Chidi Prince John and dedicated to the #BBOG campaign.

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