The member representing Ikorodu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives and chairman, House Committee on Diaspora, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, yesterday berated the Federal Government over what she called a “very slow” response to the abduction of over 200 school girls in Chibok, Borno State, by Boko Haram insurgents on April 14, 2014.
Speaking during a BringBackOurGirls rally organized in New York by Nigerians in the Diaspora Organisation (NIDO), Abike-Dabiri said she wondered why the federal government did not respond quickly until three weeks after the girls had been abducted.
Her words: “It is a shame that three weeks after the girls were abducted, nothing was done. It is a shame that the Nigerian government did not take the right step. Nigeria must not relent in demanding that these girls must come back. It is a shame that Nigeria is now in the mode of Pakistan, Iran and others.
“There are challenges in Nigeria today and nobody will save Nigeria but Nigerians themselves.
“I want to commend you for your efforts, but let your voices be heard and ensure you demand the kind of leadership that you want in Nigeria. You may not be able to vote now, but encourage your people at home to make sure that their votes count.
“Ensure that this democracy survives, ensure that we demand the best of our leaders. We must join hands to fight terrorism. We must ensure that Boko Haram is defeated in Nigeria. We must work together to ensure that Nigeria changes for better”.
In his remarks, Nigeria’s consul-general in New York, Hon. Habib Baba Habu, said the federal government was working round the clock to rescue the abducted girls alive, adding that it was time for Nigerians to learn to appreciate the efforts of government and put a stop to unnecessary criticism.
Habu also stated that the federal government was doing everything possible to flush terrorists out of Nigeria.
