ABUJA, Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Doyin Okupe, on Saturday, said that the April 14, 2014 kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls from their school hostel in Chibok, Borno State, was designed to present President Goodluck Jonathan and his administration as incompetent.
The female pupils were kidnapped by the Boko Haram insurgents.
On Tuesday, world leaders while marking the one-year anniversary of the girls’ abduction renewed calls for their immediate rescue.
One of the people who called for support to ensure that the girls are released was the 17-year-old Nobel Peace laureate, Malala Yousafzai.
Malala criticised Jonathan and Nigeria’s security operatives for not doing enough to free the Chibok girls.
But Okupe said the kidnap of the girls was carried out for political reasons.
Posting on his Facebook, he said, “One of the reasons the Chibok girls were kidnapped was to present Jonathan’s administration as incompetent and hold it to ransom against 2015 elections. One of the reasons the BBOG (BringBackOurGirls) was formed was to sustain and internationalise the embarrassment.
“One of the reasons President Jonathan lost the election was a national and international conspiracy predicated on this carefully choreographed and assiduously sustained perception. One of the issues that will be in the hand over notes will be the missing girls.
“What is reasonable and expedient for well-meaning men and women of good conscience is to dialogue with the incoming administration on what best new approach to employ to find and rescue the Chibok girls. Not much can be achieved, except mischief, by continuing to flog this administration on this matter.”
Credit: Punch (Nigeria)
