(Let the Nigerian Government) #BringBackOurGirls

By now if you are not familiar with the kidnapping of the 179 208 234 276? (OK I really don't  know as the number keeps changing) girls in Nigeria, you probably either:

a. live under a rock  OR b. live in a rural part of the world without access to electricity and/or the financial means to afford a TV/computer/internet .

 Everyone and their mother has expressed their opinions about it, so I am going to join in. There is so much to touch on, so I will try my best not to get long-winded and repetitive and .... oops

Photo credit: Google images

Let me first start with giving some background information based on what I know and have learned

The kidnapping happened in a rural area in North-eastern Nigeria, in Chibok, Borno. That area has been under a state of emergency along with two other states in Nigeria, for some time. The reason, a terrorist group by the name  Boko Haram, which, loosely translated from the local Hausa dialect, means "Western Education is a Sin". This group has been terrorizing Nigeria (particularly the North) since 2009. They most notoriously bombed the UN building in 2011, but they have also claimed responsibility for bombing churches and Islamic places of worship, and have been known to bomb/burn down schools, markets, whole villages etc. They have even previously kidnapped girls before. In one school they murdered all the males and took all females. There have been stories of eventually finding the kidnapped girls who were by then pregnant. Simply horrifying

Boko Haram had kidnapped before so what changed?
I believe Boko Haram got cocky. 20, 30 girls here and there weren't enough to make people blink an eye (even though it should), but over 200... well that's a massive number. The kidnappings happened in a week when a suburb in the capital city of Abuja (Nyanya) was also bombed, and a ferry in South Korea (a country very near and dear to my heart) capsized, a macabre week all around.

Supposed State of Emergency
The school was already closed down because it was an area under siege.  However the students were called in to take their WAEC exams (for Americans, it's like the SAT equivalent). Several different reports I heard said they were roused from sleep, and they believed the people waking them were soldiers until they were loaded into trucks. Also, an unconfirmed number of girls managed to escape, but the terrorists drove off into the forest. When the news was first reported in Nigeria, they mentioned that they had recovered all the girls save 8, but then the school principal and some parents spoke out, saying that in fact the reverse was true.

But whatever the facts, the truth remains that the kidnappings weren't major news in Nigeria

I'm not really sure why the news was revived three weeks later by international news media (though an explanation is offered here). Several well known international celebrities even joined the movement (click here). And why I say that was because in Abuja, no one was talking about it. A day after the bombing the president was seen at a party having a good time. Not one politician spoke up about it.  In fact, my one co-worker who I will give credit for going around stating Nigeria needed a revolution, was shouted down and yelled at many times, which is how I first heard about it.

Photo credit: Google images

Fast forward 3 weeks later. Protests were being staged in Nigeria, and across many capital cities around the world. Presidents and other important persons in other countries were speaking out against the kidnapping, and yet the Nigerian president had still not yet been heard. Things got to a fever pitch, and he realized he could not be silent any more. Yet, when he finally addressed it, 3 weeks later and the weekend before the world economic forum on Africa was to take place here in Abuja, it was too little too late. In fact, he (and his wife, who later gave such an incoherent performance that my choice words are best summed up on it as - "No comment"), seemed to blame parents, school officials, state governors, anyone but themselves really, for their incompetence.

No one truly understands this video (below)till today, but it spurred some great sayings...

The first lady was even reported as having order the arrest of protesters (here)...

With the news that Nigeria had just been named the largest economy in Africa, and that the World Economic Forum scheduled to be held in Abuja was supposed to bring much more investment into the country, this was not the negative publicity he wanted. Then, as if to mock him, Shekau came out with a video claiming responsibility for the kidnappings, and promising to sell the girls. Additionally reports that the girls had been married off and/or converted to Islam were also revealed.


Everyone demanded that the international community show more concern, and that international forces (read: American) step in to intervene, which they did (here). I disagree.

Even Michelle Obama joined the cause (Photo credit: Google images)

 The Nigerian government can and should be held accountable for the safe return of these girls. There is more than enough money in Nigeria to adequately fund the military, and the fact that it is not being allocated due to corruption sickens and disgusts me. I mean, even if you need to steal money, can you not at least fund the essential things, that include saving the lives of several young women? After all, the Nigerian president has a daughter. No one in the government is outraged because everyone in their family is safe... or out of the country.

Also, was the sudden outrage because of the number of girls kidnapped? Even if just one girl was taken, there should have be outrage in Nigeria, before the global media heard of it. When do we determine the exact amount of damage that should cause us to react? (see addendum below).

Additionally, Nigerian people* should stand together in solidarity.  Polling people in Nigeria gave me the impression that as long as

a. it wasn't their child
b. near them

then not only should they not care, but that there wasn't really much the government could do anyway. I think it is sad when people have lost so much faith in their leaders that they cannot demand more.

If you ask me (and no one is, I know that) the solution is that Nigeria needs to be allowed to do this for herself (why are countries always female...note to self research this later) because she can, and if pushed to, I think she will. And she should not be pushed by the international community, but by her own citizens... I truly believe it can be done
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Addendum (January 2015):

• This article tracks the rise of the hashtag (here) including why it became a global trend. It's rather interesting, if you read just one of my links in this post, let it be that one. 

• I wrote this blog post all the way back in April 2014, but I never published it. I guess you could say I became nonchalant or possibly even indifferent to the lacklustre response by the people around me. I was also asked to avoid all discussion about politics and religion (two things I am very opinionated about) because my views don't really fit in with mainstream opinion, and freedom of speech may not be 100% acceptable. However, in light of more recent tragedies, I feel that I need to say what I've been feeling, and I thought that it wouldn't make much sense if you couldn't logically follow my train of dissension. And... it's been 282 days since the girls were kidnapped! Meanwhile, a German kidnapped in Nigeria was recently released by Cameroonian troops. Seriously, GON step up!