Did GEJ give Chibok parents N100million? There's new controversy
A new controversy is brewing in Chibok village, with parents of the abducted girls alleging that they have been
shortchanged by Chibok community leaders who received N100million
cash gift from the Presidency, on their behalf.
Channels TV reports
Although a presidential aide denied any such gift to Chibok parents,
through their leaders, one parent, Mr Abdu Halidu, told the BBC that he
got only N200, 000 from the money.
Now the parents of the missing girls are saying that the amount shared
to them is unacceptable. According to Mr Halidu “I got only N200, 000
out of the said N100
million. Some of us got N300,000 and some less than that. Our leaders in
Abuja are using the girls to enrich themselves and this is
unacceptable.” Continue...
Over 200 schoolgirls were abducted by gunmen who stormed the
Government Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State, North-East Nigeria
in the dead of the night of April 15, ordering all the girls out of
their hostels into four lorries.
On July 22, a special presidential meeting
was held with the parents of the Chibok girls in the Presidential Villa
which afforded the Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan, the
opportunity to empathize with the girls and their parents.
The President, after assuring the Chibok community of his
Government’s determination to ensure that the abducted schoolgirls that
are still in captivity are brought out alive, reassured them that
everything would be done to make things easier for them especially the
ones that have already escaped and the ones yet to be rescued.
President Jonathan also assured them that their education would not
be allowed to suffer. The statement released by the Special Adviser to
the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, after the meeting
made no mention of a cash gift to the parents.
Community Leaders Deny
Meanwhile, the leadership of Kibaku community an umbrella body for
the Chibok community has denied claims that money exchanged hands after
the community’s meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan.
National Publicity Secretary of the community, Mr Allen Manase,
said that they also heard from the media that monies were given to the
families of the abducted girls and such a story cannot be confirmed
because they do not have any knowledge of the said exchange.
He went on to say that even if monies were to exchange hands it
should have been given to the leadership of the community to ensure that
it gets to all affected persons.
He urged the Federal Government to instead concentrate on rescuing
the girls and returning them to their families and then it can decide to
help in rehabilitating them
