FG Invites #BringBackOurGirls Group To A Guided Tour Of North East

…….#BringBackOurGirls Group requests for a pre-tour meeting

Nigerian government has invited members of the #BringBackOurGirls group on a guided trip to the North-eastern region on Monday.

In a letter dated 11th of January to the convener of the group, Oby Ezekwesili, Nigeria’s minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, requested that Oby come along with three members of the group “to witness and better understand the efforts being made by Nigerian military to secure freedom for the abducted girls and all other victims of the Boko Haram terrorists.”

The minister said the group is being recognized for its efforts and commitment to the rescue and freedom of girls still in Boko Haram’s captivity.

The letter also stated that the trip which is being planned by the military “will see the Ministers of Defence and Information as well as the Chief of Air Staff and Chief of Army Staff joining the invited BBOG members and a select group of journalists, first to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Command Centre in Yola to witness first-hand the efforts being made by the NAF to search for the girls and then join the day and night sorties by NAF to the Sambisa Forest. Please note that due to the limited seats on the planes, only two of the invited BBOG members will join the NAF sorties.”

He thanked the group for its continuing interest in the fate of the Chibok school girls, including those who have regained freedom and those who remain in captivity.
In response to the letter, Bring Back Our Girls Group (BBOG) has called for a pre-tour meeting to discuss issues that may inform its decision to proceed with the visit.

Convener of the Group, Oby Ezekwesili, in a response letter to Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, which she posted on her twitter page, said the meeting will help provide firsthand knowledge as well as answers to questions the group wishes to raise ahead of the tour.

The group also proposed that participants at the meeting be the “National Security Adviser to the president, including minister of Defence, Chief of Army staff and Chief of Air forces”.

The group further expressed surprise that less than 48hours ago, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that #BBOG was attacked for engaging in “social advocacy terrorism”  in a meeting by a group which visited the Chief of Army Staff.

“Only two days ago, the Federal Government owned News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) widely reported through the mass media that during a visit to the Army Headquarters by a certain group which was received by the Chief of Army staff, our movement was attacked for engaging in “social advocacy terrorism”. It is puzzling the reported said visit happened less than 48hours before our movement asking us to travel in the company of the same Chief of Army Staff to sambisa Forest. We demand that ahead of the pre-tour meeting we have proposed herein that the Chief of Army Staff retracts and apologizes for endorsing such slanderous attacks against our movement” she said.

Oby who noted that for nearly 1000 days the group has singularly advocated for the rescue of the Chibok girls added that the movement has demonstrated “utmost decorum and civility by ensuring that advocacy follows due process and upholds the core values that we developed early in our campaign.  We assure you that we shall remain on our path of core values of Hope, Unity, Motivation, Affability, Nationalism, Integrity, Transparency, Empathy, Equity, Discipline and Sacrifice”.