Two Years of Struggle: Bring Back Our Girls
Jibrin Ibrahim, Deepening Democracy Column, Daily Trust, 18th April 2016
For two years, members of the #BringBackOurGirls Movement have been engaged in one of the most determined, principled and effective struggle to liberate the girls abducted and placed in bondage by Boko Haram. The problem started on 14th April 2014 when 276 schoolgirls of Government Secondary School, Chibok, were abducted as they prepared for their exams. The narrative has remained static since then with 57 of the girls escaping through their own brave personal devises en route to bondage while 219 remain in captivity. Over the period, 18 of the parents of the girls have died of stress and heart ache. Some members of the movement have also died. One year ago, members of the Bring Back Our Girls movement were characterised by many as a pro-Buhari APC front, today they are being labelled by others as an anti-Buhari political machine. Meanwhile, the movement has not changed the nature of its work as an advocacy organisation demanding that the Nigerian State searches for and rescues these Nigerians illegally and unjustly placed in bondage by terrorists.
Over the two years of struggle, the message has been simple and lucid. There is a failure of governance that has created the conditions for the abduction of Chibok Girls and thousands of other Nigerians. It is the same failure of governance that has impeded the search and rescue mission. How else can we explain that not even one of the 219 girls has been found after 24 months of their abduction? Of course there has been a glimmer of light since the coming into office of President Buhari. There has been clear evidence of a better-equipped and motivated Nigerian military, which has in the last one year recorded commendable feats in the war against terror. Our military has degraded their capability as an "occupying insurgent group", retrieved most of the territory lost to them and rescued thousands of our citizens and they must be commended.
The two-year anniversary was commemorated with the theme HOPE ENDURES in spite of the two years of failure. The hope received a boast following last week's release of a "proof of life" video of some of the abducted girls identified by some of their parents. That should provide a renewed commitment of the Federal Government and our armed forces to recover the girls alive using all means possible including negotiation. The Movement has met with President Buhari twice, on July 8, 2015 and January 14 with the same message, the buck is on your table - #BringBackOurGirls. Today, two years and five days after the abduction, we continue to make the same demand. Our government must lead a well co-ordinated, coherent, sustained and result-focused comprehensive multi-pronged strategy to free the girls from bondage.
There has been a massive upsurge of terrorism, abduction of citizens, especially children in many parts of the world over the past few years. As such atrocities grow, the abducted Chibok girls have become an international symbol of the total rejection of bondage in the 21st century. It was in this context that the whole world joined Nigeria in chanting #BringBackOurGirls and transformed the Chibok Girls into global citizens. Bringing back the Chibok Girls from bondage would provide a fillip to the whole world in the struggle to end bondage and slavery.
It is important for the Nigerian State to know that the struggle to keep the advocacy on this issue active for two years has not been easy. It has been sustained because a new breed of Nigerians with a clear sense of civic responsibilities has emerged and is determined to keep the State on its toes, whoever is in power. Nigeria has a democratic Constitution and those we vote for into positions of authority have a responsibility to offer us protection. Over the two years, the Movement has deepened its knowledge of the Nigerian State, the most important of which was that under President Jonathan; the leadership of the armed forces was focused on looting national resources rather than providing security for Nigerians. The outcome of this learning is that civic consciousness is about eternal vigilance to keep government on the narrow track of providing for the security and welfare of Nigerians. In this context, the Movement's crowd-sourced analysis – Citizens' Solution to End Terrorism should be essential reading for all those interested in reversing the loss of State capabilities and deepening democracy.
The State must learn to listen to and engage with citizens. Citizens must expand and augment their collective capacity to develop and use an accountability matrix in which those who hold positions of responsibility are held accountable for action or inaction that harms citizens. It is important for the world to know that #BringBackOurGirls is a single-issue movement focused on the girls. The focus has however opened a new vista, citizens only enjoy rights and get protection from the State when they are mobilised and make persistent demands. The power of the people is not just a slogan, it is a reality that can become effective through sustained struggle so the STRUGGLE CONTINIOUS.
#BringBackOurGirlsNowAndAlive
Jibrin Ibrahim PhD
16 A7 Street,
CITEC Mbora Estate,
Jabi/Airport Road By-pass,
P.O.Box14345, Wuse
Abuja, Nigeria
Tel - +234 8053913837
Twitter- @jibrinibrahim17
Facebook- jibrin.ibrahim
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