Governor Kashim Shettima
By Saharareporters, New York
The Borno State government today announced that it will spend N150 million to fund a rehabilitation program for the 53 girls who escaped from Boko Haram captivity and to support parents in Chibok whose sources of livelihood have been impaired by the abductions.
Speaking to the presidential fact-finding committee in Maiduguri, Governor Shettima said a committee had been set up to work with all stakeholders and international organizations in support of the girls and their parents.
The governor expressed regret that in Nigeria, more emphasis is placed on politics than on governance, which is supposed to focus on solving problems.
He drew attention to the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, saying that despite the fact that most people suspect that the crew and the passengers of the flight are probably dead, a massive investment was and is still being deployed in the search for whatever can be found as remains of those in the plane and its wreckage.
“Now, while that is going on, here is Nigeria, there was a report that over 200 human creatures, young Nigerian girls about completing their secondary school education, were attacked in their school at night and whisked away like slaves in ancient years,” the governor said.
“And some Nigerians, one of them a former Minister and one time member of the Federal Executive Council which is the highest decision making body of this country, worst of all, a woman and a mother, came out to cast doubt over the abduction of these girls. That woman completely disregarded the sensitivity of that issue, the pains of the agonizing parents and our pains as a Government, to whom, the parents of these girls, cry out in desperation, unimaginable confusion and anguish. Every other unreasonable Nigerian that came to adopt that view, only anchored the unfortunate position that was first expressed by Mrs Kema Chikwe.”
He said that doubts over that abduction pained him as much as the childish theory that his government might have staged the abduction in order to create the basis for stopping the extension of emergency rule in Borno State.
Nonetheless, he expressed the commitment of the Borno State Government to sincere and active collaboration with the Federal Government and all other support groups in the collective fight against insurgency.
Calling for mutual trust, Governor Shettima drew attention to the misconception about those behind Boko Haram, saying it is one major hindrance to fighting the insurgency.
“So long we continue to look the wrong way on who is or are behind Boko Haram, there would be lack of focus on the part of most stakeholders and in which case, the victims would remain the accused,” he said.
Full text of the governor’s address:
Schoolgirls Abduction: What Governor Shettima told Presidential fact finding committee today (Tuesday) in Maiduguri
Highlights:
*N150m (about one million dollars) earmarked by Borno State Government for medical counseling etc of 53 freed girls and material support to grieving parents who have been unable to focus on sources of livelihood
* Explanations on the decision above
* A. Committee enlarged to work with all stakeholders and international organizations on support to freed girls and parents
“In the last three years, we have witnessed the most turbulent of times as a people. I have seen very terrible incidents as a Governor. I have come across innocent citizens of Borno killed in thousands, some slaughtered by fellow human beings who think they earn rewards from God by their brutality. I have witnessed high scale of destructions inflicted on us as a people in Borno by fellow human beings who again think they earn reward from God by their intentional and planned devastations. I have in the last 36 days, also come across a situation where men abducted young, innocent schoolgirls, separated them from their education, from their parents, from their relations and friends and from their environment and more disturbing also, attempted to separate them from their own religion out of compulsion. To every other Muslim, worldwide, these men that kill, destroy and abduct, insult Islam by calling themselves Muslims. They have contradicted every single tenet of the Islamic religion. They have in some cases, tried to change the ordained translation of verses in the Holy Quran. To every Muslim, a verse of the Holy Quran has clearly said that there is no compulsion in Religion. But to these men of violence, there is compulsion not only in religion but even in Islamic ideology. To these men, any human who doesn’t share their ideology deserves to be brutally killed. A Muslim that is of not of the Boko Haram sect is condemned to death and so is Christian. To them, the human race should go into extinction for their doctrine to thrive.
Borno has seen evil times. Our people have suffered. At times, when I lament this carnage in the midst of some associates, they remind me that I didn’t create Boko Haram, that in fact, I inherited it in 2011 when I was sworn-in amidst near complete breakdown of security in Maiduguri, the largest and most populated part of the State. But I normally say to them, that a leader is elected or appointed to solve problems, it doesn’t matter whether the leader created the problem or not. A leader is elected to find solution, this is governance. There is a whole difference between Politics and Governance. In politics, you tell the general public and victims about a problem, you tell them the gravity of the problem; and with emphasis, you tell them who to blame for it. But in Governance, you identify a problem and work hard to solve it. Unfortunately for us in this interesting country, we all appear to lay more emphasis on politics than on governance. The Chibok incident, for me, has grossly exposed our weighty weakness as leaders in terms of assuming our shared responsibilities.
In the last two or three months, the entire western world mobilized men and resources, contributed so much funds in the search for a Malaysian airline which is believed to have crashed into the ocean. Majority in the western world, suspect that the crew and passengers of that Malaysian airline are most probably dead. Despite that, massive investment was and still being deployed in the search for whatever can be found as remains of those in that plane and its wreckage.
Now, while that is going on, here is Nigeria, there was a report that over 200 human creatures, young Nigerian girls about completing their secondary school education, where attacked in their school at night and whisked away like slaves in ancient years. And some Nigerians, one of them a former Minister and one time member of the Federal Executive Council which is the highest decision making body of this country, worst of all, a woman and a mother, came out to cast doubt over the abduction of these girls. That woman completely disregarded the sensitivity of that issue, the pains of the agonizing parents and our pains as a Government, to whom, the parents of these girls, cry out in desperation, unimaginable confusion and anguish. Every other unreasonable Nigerian that came to adopt that view, only anchored the unfortunate position that was first expressed by Mrs Kema Chikwe. Doubt over that abduction pained me as much as the incident its self. Doubt over that abduction pained me far more than the childish theory, that as Government, we staged that abduction in order to create basis to stop the extension of emergency rule in Borno. By the way, that theory doesn’t make the slightest sense. In relation to that theory, if a Government doesn’t want extension of emergency and chooses to fake happenings, the Government should rather deny that the abduction ever took place, evil as that is, because the abduction is enough basis for the emergency extension given the fact that the incident puts a message across that there is new and big threat to students in schools hence the need for extension of emergency rule. Then, there was the issue of saying Chibok was not safe and we went ahead to open the school. Majority of these students are from Chibok axis, if the school was considered unsafe, I don’t think any right thinking parent would allow his or her child to study in an atmosphere of high risk. But I will reserve some of my comments for a closed door session with this respected committee.
It hurts me however, that there was no kind of politics that was not introduced into that unfortunate Chibok incident. Even religion was brought in, all for the purpose of blame trade.
It hurts me however, that there was no kind of politics that was not introduced into that unfortunate Chibok incident. Even religion was brought in, all for the purpose of blame trade.
The politics didn’t help anybody at the end of the day. Soon after that incident, we thought that our 53 daughters that either witnessed that attack or escaped from abduction be flown abroad for psychological counseling and some medical examinations. But then, with politics of doubt over the abduction, if the State Government had flown these 53 girls abroad, the doubting thermoses would have gotten what to fly about to claim that the 53 girls were none existent or they would have probably said, we were taking the girls away from the public, probably we had something to hide. While we do much, providing crucial support to security agencies and volunteers in order to prevent attacks, we have a policy in the State, that where attacks occur, we provide immediate material support as palliative to victims of insurgency. In this year alone, we had spent close to one billion naira on victims. In Gwoza, we spent two hundred million naira for reconstruction of destroyed houses, markets, places of worship and to provide cash to victims so they could have something to rely on in the immediate term to feed themselves and families or start small businesses in the interim. In Bama, we spent three hundred million for same purpose; in Konduga we spent two hundred million naira. Unfortunately, we had to hold what we should have done for Chibok because of the politics brought in. If we had released some material support earlier, some bad elements would have said we tried to buy the people of Chibok. Unlike other communities in which private houses and markets were destroyed, public institutions like the school, council secretariat, the residence of the council chairman and some few shops were destroyed in Chibok. Communities didn’t suffer material losses. But then, from our immediate thoughts when the attack took place and also based on our recent discoveries, most of the parents of these abducted girls have nothing to eat, they are so traumatized that they have abandoned their sources of livelihood. No true mother would easily concentrate on any line of business when her daughter is in the hands of violent abductors. The same it is for most fathers. I have a girl-child; I know the psychological connection between the girl-child and parents. One can hardly even pay the required attention in prayers due to the perpetual trauma of having one’s girl-child in dangerous hands. So, are we going to continue to ignore these suffering parents and the 53 girls just because we are afraid of political accusations and false interpretations? The answer is NO. Governance is beyond the fear of accusations, Governance entails making a decision with sincerity of purpose and for the good of the society.
The Borno State Government will set aside the sum of one hundred and fifty million naira to fund a rehabilitation programme for the 53 girls and to support parents in Chibok whose sources of livelihood have been truncated by their trauma, leaving them with little or nothing to feed while we continue to work immeasurably for the release of the girls being held. The State Government is already in touch with key international organizations and a plan of action has already been proposed by the Ministry of Health in the State on issues relating to the health well being of the 53 girls as well as their colleagues soon as they are freed insha Allah. We are very optimistic that they will be freed. We have a quiet committee headed by the State’s commissioner of health, she is a female medical doctor with specialty in reproductive health, she has experience in female advocacy with International contacts on the issues before us. We may need to enlarge the quiet committee to have all relevant stakeholders that include Chibok elders, PTA of the school, Security agencies in the State, the National Association of Nigerian Students, the association of Borno Students, the female wing of Christian Association of Nigeria, the Federation of Muslim Women of Nigeria, the district head of Chibok, some civil societies and specialists in psychological counseling etc, so that we move on while we must all work very hard in collaboration with the Federal Government to ensure the release of our daughters, given them medical care, counsel them, reintegrate them and ensure they are given the right to complete their exams.
Mr. Chairman, members of this important Committee, the Borno State Government is committed to sincere and active collaboration with the Federal Government and all other support groups in our collective fight against insurgency.
In continued collaboration, however, we must trust each other’s sincerity of purpose. I see misconception about those behind Boko Haram as one major hindrance to fighting the insurgency. So long we continue to look the wrong way on who is or are behind Boko Haram, there would be lack of focus on the part of most stakeholders and in which case, the victims would remain the accused.
I wish this committee of respected men and women of impeccable character, a successful endeavor and I am confident that this committee has integrity, enough to guide it towards finding the facts on the attack of April 14, 2014 at Government Secondary School, Chibok.
I thank you for listening as I look forward to meeting you for a closed door session.
May God free our daughters from captivity and May He grant us eternal peace in Borno and the entire Nigeria”.
May God free our daughters from captivity and May He grant us eternal peace in Borno and the entire Nigeria”.
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