The #BringBackOurGirls group has
distanced itself from the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
and Fund Raising Project of Hadiza Buhari-Bello, daughter of President
Muhammadu Buhari, who doubles as the President of Africa Support and
Empowerment Initiative (AFRISEI), in conjunction with the Peace Corps of
Nigeria (PCN) in Abuja.
The group said following repeated inquiries from the media, it
stumbled upon information on an event tagged “Official Inauguration and Signing
of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Chibok Girls Endowment Project”
organized by the “Peace Corps of Nigeria” and “Africa Support and Empowerment
Initiative” led by Hadiza Buhari-Bello.
The BBOG group declined lending its brand to such an
arrangement, saying in a statement: “We are shocked, perplexed and completely
dumbfounded to see the bold inscription of our hard-earned name,
#BringBackOurGirls, on the event’s backdrop. We state categorically that we are
not party to the said event and have absolutely no information about its
origin. We urge the general public to disregard attempts at linking our
movement to this highly suspicious event.
“After 902 days of painstaking advocacy, it is disheartening and
unfortunate to suddenly see attempts by external actors to use our name for
selfish purposes. We have carefully built our reputation as a well-organized
and disciplined global movement that is completely self-funded.“
The statement added: “The deliberate decision to remain funded
by sacrificial contributions of members for our very negligible needs is the
reason we are solely a Citizens’ Movement and not an NGO. It will be highly
injurious to allow our name to be dragged in the mud at this point. We,
therefore, demand an immediate retraction and unreserved apology from the
organizers.
“Together with our lawyers, Femi Falana & Co., we are
considering a response to this attempt to smear our movement. We call on the
general public and law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for
unscrupulous persons who may already be/are planning similar nefarious acts to
deceive the local and international community.
A Non-Government Organization named Africa Support and
Empowerment
Initiative (AFRISEI)
signed an agreement with Peace Corps of Nigeria and inaugurated an Endowment
Fund in support of 21 Chibok girls released by the Boko Haram terrorist group.
The event, which was held at the National Headquarters of the Peace Corps at
Gwarinpa, Abuja, was graced by Hadiza Buhari-Bello, who noted that AFRISEI is a
charitable organization that is committed to empowering the youths and the less
privileged in the area of job creations and skill acquisition.
According to her, “ it is necessary for the government to
be assisted in ensuring that fund is raised to champion the course of
rehabilitating the released Chibok girls to a concluding success. Our
organization, Africa Support, and Empowerment Initiative, therefore, register
our allegiance and tender our willingness to support the Federal Government in
rehabilitating these girls. With support from our stakeholders, Peace Corps of
Nigeria and Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN), to carry out
the free medical test for Hepatitis B&C, HIV, malaria, and sugar level on
the girls.“
The National Commandant of the Peace Corps, Dickson Akoh,
donated the sum of N3.5million as a token contribution by officers of the corps
nationwide to the welfare and rehabilitation of the girls who have suffered an
unprecedented trauma in the captivity.
Akoh stressed that the Federal Government needs more support now
than ever before following the recent release of twenty-one girls whose
rehabilitation and integration into the society is very essential. He noted
that such exercise should not be left for the government alone but supported by
all and sundry.
Saharareporters
No comments:
Post a Comment