Friends, remember that 3 days ago, I wrote to you on the need for the Nigerian government and Nigerians In General ( Nigerian individuals and organizations) to join hands to see that all rescued Chibok Girls are given the best possible education abroad.
As one of the reasons we gave, I wrote that we should ”Give The Girls The Key To Achieve Their Dreams.” That, ”These girls wanted to get an education and that is why they were studying in the first place when they were kidnapped. It is only fair that they are given the opportunity to fulfill their dreams in a convenient environment, given the peculiar circumstances of their situation.”
Well, today I am happy to announce that Kunike International School, located in Oshogbo in partnership with the Delta School District in Vancouver, Canada has followed our advice and offered full scholarships to the first two Chibok girls rescued from the captivity of the Boko Haram sect.
The Director of Kunike International school, Mr. Amos Adekunle, who publicly announced the offer in a statement said that the girls needed to be encouraged to fulfill their dreams of getting quality education which was temporarily stopped by the terrorists, who invaded their schools on April 14, 2014 and abducted over 200 girls.
Thank you Mr Adekunle, and may God butter your bread as you seek to help those that are less privileged. The change we want must not always begin with the government. Sometimes it should begin with us.
As John F Kennedy said years ago, we should ask not what our country can do for us, but rather, what we can do for our country. Well, not every time, but if you are in a position to help your country like Kunike International School and its Director, Mr Amos Adekunle, you should.
I also want to thank the Delta School District in Vancouver, Canada for being a great friend of Nigeria, as shown in this gesture.
Dear Reader, Mr Adekunle has contributed his own bit to national development. But more remains to be done. More Chibok Girls will be freed. You have to prepare help packages that are similar to that of the Kunike Package for the other Chibok Girls.
It doesn’t matter when they come out. Let us just remember to add something for them in our financial/material plans. And let us always pray for them. And let us not forget any children they may have gotten as a result of their captivity (what the mothers went through is not the children’s fault, they are innocent).
I leave you with excerpts of what I wrote in that post. Please share it, on your social media page, so that we can guarantee help for the Chibok Girls. Nigeria thanks you as you do so.
“… 6 good reasons why I say we should help them be educated abroad:
- The Girls Won’t Be Able To Concentrate In Chibok High School Were They Were Kidnapped: The rescued Chibok Girls should retake SSCE, but we and the Federal Government should remember that these girls were kidnapped while taking their final examinations at Chibok High School when they were kidnapped. The trauma of the kidnap would not allow them concentrate in that school, which might even be the only school in their locality.
If the girls go back and resume in the school where they were kidnapped, it would be a constant reminder of the horrors of that fateful day when they lost their freedom and possibly their innocence , and I fear that even while writing any examinations, they wouldn’t be concentrating fully, but would be scared, probably feeling jumpy at slightest loud noise they hear. How do they concentrate in such circumstances?
2. Anywhere They Are Educated In Nigeria, People May Not Allow Them To Relax: Curious crowds of emergency tourists would gather, watching their every move, and depriving them of much-needed publicity.
Imagine a Chibok girl coming out of a lecture hall in University X, somewhere in Nigeria, and instead of her fellow students going about their normal business, they are all looking at her silently, pointing surreptitiously and talking in hushed tones. As if that isn’t enough, the crowds would have been joined by people who’ve traveled far and wide to come glimpse a ‘live Chibok Girl’. That’ll be a little bit distracting, wouldn’t you say?
3. They Could Face Pressure From Bloggers And Journalists: Even bloggers and journalists would join the fray, visiting them with the hope of getting juicy scoops that would give them newspaper sales and blog traffic. Before you know it, an overzealous blogger may go and say what a Chibok Girl; didn’t tell him, causing her much anguish as she trends on social media when she should be keeping a low profile.
4. Pressure On The Children Born Out Of Their Captivity: We should not forget the children born to these girls, which is probably as a result of forced sexual unions with their captors. The lives of these children would be dogged by unnecessary publicity from the get go, as people they don’t even know would come to tell them about ‘how they were born’.
The innocent children don’t need the pain. They should be protected from any pain till they are more equipped to handle the realities of the situation. They should not primarily be defined with how they came into this world.
To see or share the full article, click here. In what other ways do you think Nigerians and the Government should help the rescued Chibok Girls? Let’s get your comment.
This article is written in conjunction with the Prince And Princess Charles Offokaja Foundation (CAC IT nu. 75980).
Nice
Thank God they listened to your advice