Chibok girls: US congress woman flays lawmakers’ indifference

A United States of America congress woman,
Federica Wilson, has blasted Nigerian lawmakers for
not advocating the release of the missing 219 Chibok
Secondary School girls.
The American lawmaker said the lawmakers had
failed to identify with the struggle by the
#BringBackOurGirls coalition advocating the rescue
of the girls abducted by Boko Haram over a year
ago.
Wilson who addressed the BBOG sit-out at the Unity
Fountain, Abuja on Tuesday said it was part of the
responsibilities of the lawmakers to also come out
and canvass the release of the school girls.
She specifically called on lawmakers from the North-
East region to take up the Federal Government and
state governors on what efforts had been made to
rescue the girls.
Wilson said Nigerians should stand up for their rights
and ask their elected representatives questions,
noting that it is the duty of the elected officers in
different offices to take care of those who elected
them.
According to her, the election of President Buhari
and other political office-holders marked the
beginning of a new era for Nigeria as a country.
She said, “Believe me, you have the power to put
pressure on the people you elected to deliver to the
people of Nigeria and to stamp out boko Haram, and
find the Chibok girls.
“I have been supporting them from day one, I didn’t
even know that this was even taking place, it has
been so quiet, but one day somebody phoned me
and I heard that they kidnapped girls in Nigeria and it
has been going on for a longtime. So when I found
out, I went straight to the Congress and filed two bills
that were passed, which helped the President to
establish victims funds.”
“That helped to bring money to the victims and
helped those girls that escaped from Boko Haram.
United States has invested money into the Army in
making sure that they are ready for battle, and the
Victims Funds.”
The lawmaker who represents the state of Florida in
the Congress, challenged Nigerians to hold their
lawmakers and political officer-holders accountable,
stressing that it is the duty of the elected officials to
deliver on their promises to the people.