Helen Paul: I’m Disappointed by Buhari’s Statement on Chibok Girls Rescue

Read her piece as published on The Trent below:

The comedian and mother of two Helen Paul, writes down her views and disappointment in President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari recent statement that he cannot guarantee the safe return of the kidnapped Chibok girls..

Hmmm… it’s one year and some days now since the Chibok girls have been missing. Yet, the days are still counting because we have no clue about their whereabouts.

This is a very sad development indeed. No doubt, it was a disappointment that the outgoing government failed to locate and rescue the girls from the hands of their Boko Haram abductors.

As a mother, who knows what the pains of child labour and child upbringing are all about, I heaved a sigh of relief when Muhammadu Buhari emerged winner of the presidential election. It was not because I like him more than Jonathan, but because I listened to one of his campaigns, where he promised to bring back the girls if elected into office.

Perhaps, Nigerians elected him on that premise.
I feel that, at least, it will be a great achievement for whoever locates and brings back the girls to their respective families. In fact, whoever achieves that will be celebrated as a hero all over the world. But then, I have seen another reason to believe that all politicians are the same.

Their modus operandi may only be different. A few days ago, exactly when it clocked one year that the girls had been missing, Buhari broke my heart, just like that of other Nigerians when he said his government could not promise to bring back the girls! I felt really devastated because that comment was a sharp contrast to the promises he made to all Nigerians and the world at large during his campaigns.

Honestly, I try not to be disappointed because you can always expect anything from Nigerians, politicians in particular. They can promise heaven on earth during campaigns, but the moment they get to power, they promptly renege on their promises. Such is life in this part of the world where we find ourselves.

I tried to put myself in the shoes of the parents, relatives and neighbours of the missing girls, who, perhaps, solicited votes for the retired General after hearing his campaign promise that he would bring back the girls. How will they feel now hearing him say something to the contrary?

There is an adage in Yoruba that says ‘ omo eni ku san ju omo eni sonu lo,’ meaning that it is better for someone’s child to die than to be missing. I can imagine the different thoughts and imaginations that would have saddled the minds of 

those girls’ parents. If the girls are dead (which I don’t pray for anyway), the parents will mourn for sometime and recover, but that they are missing is another experience entirely.