Ezekwesili attacks Jonathan on #Bringbackourgirls protest comment

A former Vice President of the World Bank, Oby Ezekwesili, has lambasted President Goodluck Jonathan over comments made on his behalf by one of his Ministers while addressing #BringBackOurGirls campaigners. Ezekwesili, who led the protesters, described the president’s response to the group as insensitive. Last Thursday’s march, which was originally planned to end at the presidential villa, was blocked midway as security operatives disallowed the campaigners from advancing. Although they wanted to hand a letter of protest to Mr. Jonathan, a delegation made up of senior members of the government received the memo. In a statement read on his behalf by the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Olajumoke Akinjide, the president told the campaigners to direct their protests to the Boko Haram sect. “Government believes that we all must come together to fight terrorism and that protests should be directed at the terrorists who have abducted our innocent daughters and deprived them of a place at the fountain of freedom in our country,” he said. “We must be careful not to politicize the campaign against terrorism. When a bomb goes off in Kabul, Afghanistan, the people of Afghanistan do not blame the government, they blame the terrorists. “When a bomb goes off in Baghdad, Iraq, the people of Iraq do not blame the government, they blame the terrorists. When a bomb goes off in Islamabad, Pakistan, the people of Pakistan do not blame the government, they blame the terrorists. When a bomb goes off in Nigeria, we must all unite to fight the terrorists. “This is the task of this generation. Our daughters must be freed to come home to their parents and loved ones.” Reacting to the comment Friday via Twitter, Mrs Ezekwesili said the president’s response portrays him as a man avoiding his responsibility as Nigeria’s leader. “Regrettably, the response of our president’s delegation, delivered by Oloye Akinjide- Minister of state for FCT was underwhelming and inadequate,” Mrs. Ezekwesili said. “Should those insensitive and responsibility avoiding words be the message of our president, then I am afraid, Nigeria/Nigerians are in trouble. “I choose to believe our president did not say those awful things that were read to us concerning citizens’ demand to #BringBackOurGirls. “Facts are that regardless of afterthoughts that we are now being served by federal government, the institutional response to their fate was indifference. “It was only after our social media campaign migrated to street marches- chibok women on 29thApril and #bringbackourgirls on 30th – that we saw motion “Our pressure on the federal government to act – high priority, coherent, sustained, swift and goal/result specific rescue operation – seems to irritate govt. “We are clear minded that the pressure we have mounted on the federal government to act is singularly in the interest of #chibokgirls, there’s no stopping.” She said.