By LAIDE AKINBOADE – ORIERE
ABUJA – The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, His Eminence John Cardinal Onaiyekan, Thursday decries the slow response of Federal  Government after the abduction of the Government Secondary School,  Chibok, Borno State last year by the Boko Haram sect was slow.

Onaiyekan stated this in Abuja, while delivering a public lecture theme,’Chibok Girls: Crying to Be Rescued’ in commemoration of the one year of #BringBackOurGirls, BBOG, daily advocacy for the rescue and safe return of the missing girls.

He said the abduction of the girls’ was a great tragedy and  the politicization by the political parties on the abduction, also made the rescue difficult.

According to him, “After the abduction, the response by the authority was slow. Too much time was wasted in grappling with the reality which made us to still be where we are today.

“Another problem in the Chibok girls abduction is the politicization of the whole issue. There was a blame game going on between the two dominant political parties. The abduction goes above political, especially when the soul of the nation is at stake. All should be involve.

“No one can guess what they are passing through. What trauma they have been going through. We can’t imagine what the family have been going through. The pain becomes even more because there are no information available from the government about the girls. We stand by them and keep hoping for the best”.

The archbishop urged the government to put the rescue of the girls in the priority list, and  religious leaders should also come out and not only denounce the act of the Boko Haram but take action towards making them understand that they are taking the wrong path.

“We have seen how other countries treat their citizens. If the girls are not rescued, what it means is that the citizens do not count for much for the Nigerian government. Now that the election is over, it is time that the government put the rescue of the girls in the priority list.

“Islamic leaders have continually come out to condemn the killings and abductions of people in the North East. It should go beyond condemning, they should take action to their erring brothers and tell them it is not the right way. Religion will play a role on how we will get out of this situation. This abduction is a concern for everybody, irrespective of race and religion,” he said.

While speaking at the event, the leader of the BBOG, Oby Ezekwesili called on the federal government to set up feedback system through which the rescue operation of the military would be assessed; establish an inquisition into everything concerning the abduction and the where about of the Chibok girls and finally, the establishment of a global system of identification for accountability of the citizens.

She further, demanded that based on the promised made by the National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd) that the girls will be rescued before May, 29; the BBOG is demanding and holding on to that to insist that these girls are brought home before May 29.