Life After Chibok? What has changed? #BringBackOurGirls
Has the Nigerian changed after this horrible act? This kidnap that violates the right of the girls to their freedom, their freedom to be educated and to a safe environment to live and make the choices they want to make?
Terrorism is not new, Boko Haram is not something that popped up in the last 6 months it has been around for years in Nigeria carrying out their dastardly acts. Their actions initially were sporadic and seemed far away for some, in more recent times their actions have been bolder and were picking up momentum. Then they got even bolder if you can use that word and upped it with bombings in the heart of the capital of Nigeria, Abuja followed by this mass abduction.
People thought it was just a problem that was happening in just some parts of Nigeria. These killings were senseless yes, there was loss of lives and devastation yes…but somehow to most people it seemed far away. It was almost shrugged off as the “Governments” problem to solve. Some even labeled it a political problem that was part of a political strategy.
But all this passive, hands off, half-hearted sympathy ended on April 14th 2014 with the bomb blast at the Nyanya bus stop Abuja followed by the kidnap of over 200 girls from their school. You cannot be the same after this has happened.
We have all woken up to face that there is a crisis! Nigeria is not safe and let’s not fool ourselves that any part of the country is safe from these attacks.
If you didn’t cry before am sure you have shed tears for Nigeria now and for these innocent girls that have been abducted. They have committed no crime and have been forcibly taken by a band of people who do not believe in freedom, do not believe in choices or education for a better future, people who are bent on terror and on causing havoc. They dare to taunt in a video that they will sell the girls off to be married against their will. What do they think that females are not good enough for anything else other than to be married off? They think that girls should not be in school and get an education? They think they can play god and get away with it?
I knew things were different when my young child said “let us do our own protest at home” and she proceeded to make her own #BringBackOurGirls Banner, she also asked her brother to hold the same banner and asked me to take their pictures. She then proceeded to shout almost as if to the heavens that – Bring Back Our Girls or Else…..
In this moment I knew that the kidnap of Chibok girls has changed everything in Nigeria and has changed us Nigerians. No longer can we be content pointing fingers for someone else to solve this problem. We must realise that Everybody is and has a voice, Everybody must do something. It breaks my heart to have to say that the Chibok girls seem to have been a sacrifice for things to change – the sacrifice is not their lives, but the fact that they have had to go through this experience at all! Do you think that for one moment even the girls who escaped are the same again? They need love, time, counselling, prayers and the grace of God to be able to operate at their fullest capacity again and forget the terror and horror they have gone through. We have not yet even talked about the girls who are still out there that we are praying for their safe return.
Everyone must do something, if all you can do as my young child did is to shout to the heavens with the solidarity #BringBackOurGirls do so, are you able to march and protest? Are you in the Government? Can you set up counselling units ready to deal with the trauma the victims have faced? Are you a prayer warrior? can you fast? What combination of physical and spiritual actions can you take?
The one thing that is for sure is that you cannot afford to do Nothing!
Nigeria has changed following this – the kidnap represents violation, it represents darkness, it represents oppression and we cannot just sit back and watch!
Welcome to the new Nigeria may we make a positive change, a good and permanent change and be on the road to stamp out terror and a lack of caring in our land!
