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.”
