Today, 11th of October marks the International Day of the Girl Child; when the whole world emphasises on the girl child's rights and the inequalities we face based on our gender.
Today, 11th of October marks the 180th day since our Chibok sisters were abducted and forced into untold hardship and horror.
What better way to celebrate the girl child day than to bring to the fore front again the plight of the Chibok girls and their loved ones?
No one thought at the beginning of the #bringbackourgirls campaign that they wouldn't have been returned 180 days after.
Just a few days ago at a gathering, one of my readers jokingly said 'B8, our girls are still missing o!' and I could only nod and wonder if they'll ever return.
A vast majority of Nigerians have not forgotten these girls but we have moved on like we always do. I guess their immediate family members will be doing the same soon if they haven't already.
I have often wondered what we will have to do in order to get our Chibok sisters back.
A lot of people have argued that they aren't girls again, that they can't return the same way they were taken and I do not disagree with this school of thought, but no matter how changed they might have become, we want them back.
As we join the world to mark the International Day of the Girl Child, we should remind our leaders and ourselves that this kidnap is no faux and that the reality is- our girls are still missing.
Another fact is that if this happened before, it can happen again!
If 276 girls can be kidnapped from their dormitories in a state that was in a state of emergency, and more than 2/3 of those girls are still missing, then why can't it happen in any other region of the country where there isn't a state of emergency?
Since every event in Nigeria seems to be centred around 2015 elections, maybe we should make a demand and tell our politicians and leaders that if they can bring back our girls, they'll earn our votes; maybe they'll take us seriously then, and bring back our girls!
Today, 11th of October marks the 180th day since our Chibok sisters were abducted and forced into untold hardship and horror.
What better way to celebrate the girl child day than to bring to the fore front again the plight of the Chibok girls and their loved ones?
No one thought at the beginning of the #bringbackourgirls campaign that they wouldn't have been returned 180 days after.
A vast majority of Nigerians have not forgotten these girls but we have moved on like we always do. I guess their immediate family members will be doing the same soon if they haven't already.
I have often wondered what we will have to do in order to get our Chibok sisters back.
A lot of people have argued that they aren't girls again, that they can't return the same way they were taken and I do not disagree with this school of thought, but no matter how changed they might have become, we want them back.
As we join the world to mark the International Day of the Girl Child, we should remind our leaders and ourselves that this kidnap is no faux and that the reality is- our girls are still missing.
Another fact is that if this happened before, it can happen again!
If 276 girls can be kidnapped from their dormitories in a state that was in a state of emergency, and more than 2/3 of those girls are still missing, then why can't it happen in any other region of the country where there isn't a state of emergency?
Since every event in Nigeria seems to be centred around 2015 elections, maybe we should make a demand and tell our politicians and leaders that if they can bring back our girls, they'll earn our votes; maybe they'll take us seriously then, and bring back our girls!
Happy International Day of the Girl Child Nigeria!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for viewing my blog. Please share your views and opinions too