While Nigerians continue to wait for the release of the abducted Chibok girls, many questions have continued to trail what appears like an endless wait as to whether the Chibok girls will ever return. Even as anxiety continues to build over the recent promise by President Goodluck Jonathan that before the end of the 6 weeks renewed onslaught against the Boko Haram insurgents, the over 200 girls kidnapped from Chibok community in Borno state over 300 days ago would be released, many are in doubt on whether the President spoke based on an intelligence report or was just speaking. Just like many frustrated Nigerians, one of the initiators and Spokesperson of the #BringBackOurGirls group, Aisha Yesufu has decried the endless wait and expectation for the possible release of the girls. In an interview with DAILY POST Editor, Adoyi Ali, Aisha said the situation of the Chibok girls was emblematic of the current situation in the country as the girls’ situation represents everything that is wrong with Nigeria.
Excerpts:
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
My name is Aisha Yesufu, a wife and a mother of two. I am a lazy entrepreneur and business woman. I love doing business in a lazy way, and I’m also an advocate of the people and a public speaker. Basically, that
What was your immediate feeling when you heard about the abduction of the Chibok girls?
My immediate feeling was outrage and disbelief as I could not believe that such a large number of children could be taken away in a single day. Few days later, news filtered in that they had been rescued and that eight of them were still being held back by the abductors. I was elated and believed that the others will be found in a few days and I moved on until the day of the protest when a friend told me there was going to be a protest for the Chibok girls. That was when it was downed on me that the whole girls were still being held. It was then I enquired about the colour code which I was told is red, I got a red Hijab and immediately joined the protest. Before then, when I turned forty I decided to do more as I realized that the first forty years of my life, I had devoted it to myself and now I needed to touch the lives of others. I started looking for an NGO to join and just then, the Chibok issues came up. So from the day I heard about the protest, I decided to join because I am a mother of two and I could not just imagine that somebody will come and take my child away without knowing where the child is and nothing is done about it. In May, when we went to visit the Chief of Defence Staff, I realized that I was not just doing this because I am a mother, but for the fact that I was in the hood twenty-three years ago; when it was tough growing up and getting an education; I started thinking that what if I was adopted then, what would have happened? In fact, I remember that twenty-three years ago, I was writing my SSCE too. I was from a poor home where in the morning, there was never any breakfast; when returning home, I was not expecting launch, and the environment where I grew up, nobody was interested in education. I was the only girl going to school. At eleven, I had no girlfriend because all of them were married off and at that point, I realized that I was not fighting because I am a mother, but for who I was twenty three years ago.
Have you at any point had doubt over the kidnap of the Chibok girls, like they were not kidnapped?
I have never at any point had doubt. In fact, I would rather have people look at me and say she is gullible than for me to say that I do not believe and not come out. How can someone come out and lie that their child is missing. I have had one of the parents of the girls come here and she said that each time she hears people say that it is a lie that the girls were taken, it pains her so much because it shows that people think that her child never existed. In fact, I cannot phantom such. It’s only evil people that will say it is a lie.
Who were the people you will say are so instrumental and supportive to this cause, apart from you?
The BBOG family has been amazing. Every one of us, people that have committed their time have all done very well. I did a tweet chat recently and one of the questions was about the kind of funding we get and I said the BBOG is self-funding. The biggest thing that we have is the commitment of our members and it is so expensive; it is priceless and people give it for free. Today marks three hundred and thirty days we have been coming here and people have been making sacrifices just for this cause. There has been more support from the international world than there is from within Nigeria. This is because of the narrative that the government put out there that the campaign was anti-government. When we visited former President, Obasanjo, he said people take their cue from the government. He said that the President himself did not believe that some people were taken until after nineteen days. When we came out, it was an opportunity for the President to unite with us. Then we would have shown Boko Haram that Nigerians are united and we are coming for you. As far as I am concerned, the greatest weapon that terrorist has against this nation is our disunity. Our refusal to take ownership of the problem is a big ‘minus’.
It has been three hundred and thirty days since the Chibok girls were kidnapped, yet they have not been released. How have you been able to sustain the hope of your fellow campaigners in this fight that seems endless?
We have different slogans that we use and one of them is ‘’when will we stop? And we responded that not until our girls are back and alive’’. If they were your daughters, would you have gone to sleep and say they are gone? No…you will not relax. You will keep vigil for their return. The other day, one of the parents of the girls told us that she has been fasting since the girls were kidnapped; that is to say she has fasted for at least 329 days. So when we think about things like that, we then keep our faith. Initially some people joined the #BringBackOurGirls group even from other countries. They all endorsed the campaign but later moved on, but the die-hard advocates of this campaign have not rested since then. We have being coming out here. We can only stop this when our girls are back and alive.
Considering the mischief, do you think the Chibok girls will ever come back?
Yes, for me, that is the reason I come out every day. They will come back; though they will not return unscarred, they will come back broken, but we are ready to put the pieces together, even if they were taken from their houses and kept in Transcorp Hilton and fed for three hundred and thirty days, it is hell, not to talk of the condition we envisage they are in. For me, I am very hopeful. We cannot just move away from the fight for those girls. It is a fight for Nigeria as the Chibok girls represent everything that is not right in the country.
What would you term the relationship between your group and the government?
It has been antagonistic; they see us as a threat. I remember when we first went to see the President. We were not allowed into the Villa. He sent in a delegate to address us, querying why we were protesting to the government. He said we should go to Boko Haram and demand for the release of the girls and we told them, we do not recognize Boko Haram. This is because we can only go to Boko Haram if the President is now claiming that he has given up the country. We can go to Boko Haram if he is saying Boko Haram’s operation is now legal. A few days later, a group came here under the umbrella, ‘’Release our Girls’’ and attacked us. The government has gone out to say different things about us the President himself called us ‘’Psychological Terrorist’’ The DSS said we are a franchise, a terrorist and that we have a bank account. We are not even an entity, so where are we getting our bank account from? There have been a lot of derogatory remarks from the government and its operatives. Recently, we did the remembrance of the Buni Yardi boys that were massacred and some of the parents were happy that we remembered their children, though the government never did. What matters to us is that the government must always act on whatever we say.
You have been accused by the government of belonging to the opposition are you in any way affiliated to the opposition.
We are not in any way affiliated to any opposition. The #BringBackOurGirls movement is a movement on its own and it is not affiliated to any opposition party. It started with Hadeeza Bala Usman and Obi Ezekwesili who came together on July30 to form the group. We have members of different political parties, but the body itself is non-partisan. This cause is about humanity and empathy where you are or what you are does not matter. The BBOG advocacy group on its own has nothing to do with the opposition. We have members of different parties but at the end of the day, what matters is that the girls should return.
What is your assessment of the renewed onslaught against the Boko Haram insurgents?
It’s three weeks now and it’s a welcome development. Although it’s disappointing that nothing has been said about the Chibok girls. It’s unfortunate that when the President was reacting to the promise that the girls would be released in 3 weeks, he said that if they were not alive, Boko Haram would have shown their corpses. That was so insensitive. It is so disheartening if the President is not feeling the pains of Nigerians, like he is in a world of his own. However, it is a good thing and we will forever be grateful to our ground troops because they are the once that have put their lives on the line. We want them to forget about propaganda and focus on getting result. Like Chris Olukolade once said, we are winning the war and it seems as if a lot of people are not happy and I said, he should realize that for a lot of people, there will be no winning the war. Thirteen Chibok parents have died and several others have lost loved ones. To those girls when they return, there will be no winning the war. For those who have lost everything in this war, there is no winning the war.
What do you think the government should do to protect lives in schools, especially in the North or any part of the country?
The government should be sensitive to what is happening in the country. They people should equally do the same. The government should empower the youths and provide quality education. Again, there is the need to work with the community. There is a need for community policing. The government should try and build that trust between them and the people. The arm of intelligence gathering should not be used to fight the opposition and BBOG. Imagine that after six years, the security operatives cannot infiltrate Boko Haram and get to Shekau. The DSS should sit up instead of being used against groups that are speaking up the mind of Nigerians. We need to build the needed social trust between the people and the government.
On a final note, what will be your message to Nigerian women, youths and young girls who have not realized that they need to come out and support this cause?
What I will tell them is that the fight for the Chibok girls is the fight for the soul of Nigeria. The Chibok girls’ situation represents all that is wrong in Nigeria. We need to come out and be united. In the BBOG, we have learnt to put aside our tribal and religious concern. If the government is not doing the right thing, it will affect all of us. We should focus on building the country. If we ignore and go to sleep, our lives will be entwined.
Comments