Authors Oby Ezekwesili
As a Believer, one of the greatest tests of my life is granting real forgiveness to all those who because of Politics twisted my deep agony and agitation for rescue of ChibokGirls into all forms of wicked accusations I have had to bear since 2014. And yet I must.
In this 2018 tweet, I was recounting how the @BBCAfrica handle broke the news of the abduction of ChibokGirls on the 15th and my immediate reaction was to ask them if the news was “verified”.
I mean, it was hard to imagine hundreds of schoolchildren being abducted. It was hard.
This was what on that April15 2014 I tweeted @ the .@BBCAfrica handle the first time I ever heard of the #ChibokGirlsAbduction:
— Oby Ezekwesili (@obyezeks) February 1, 2018
Verified? @BBCAfrica: Over 200 girls have been abducted in an attack on a school in north-east #Nigeria, parents say https://t.co/NKMOruZCI2\u2026\u201d
My follow-on tweet after asking @BBCAfrica if their breaking news on the abduction was verified is captured below. It sank in my mind that it was BBC News and that by the quality control standards, it was near impossible to break unverified news. Ah. My eyes rolled down tears.
I followed on that 1st tweet with:
— Oby Ezekwesili (@obyezeks) February 1, 2018
I hope this is NOT TRUE. The @BBCAfrica reports that some 200 school girls were abducted LAST NIGHT in Borno State? Any Tweeps in Borno?
As I waited for some minutes to learn more, tears rolled involuntarily because my mind said \u201cit\u2019s BBC o\u201d
As I waited handle out in Borno replied my tweet affirming the @BBCAfrica report .
My family remembers up until today how I wailed reading that.
It pierced straight to my heart that hundreds of poor innocent children of my fellow human beings were in the grips of terrorists.
As I waited with sinking feeling on that April 15, 2014 a fellow responded to my tweet and here was my reaction:
— Oby Ezekwesili (@obyezeks) February 1, 2018
\u201cOh dear! Praying our Security Team ACTS swiftly&brings GOOD NEWS @othmanyakubu: @obyezeks abductions confirmed and the number is above 100.\u201d
I started wailing.
Those who by 2014 followed me here would remember that EVERYDAY from that April 15 afternoon, all I started tweeting about was a shout to the then FG and Military to ACT SWIFTLY and RESCUE the abducted ChibokGirls.
Sadly, the Presidency and FG pretended nothing had happened.
Those who already followed me here on Twitter in 2014 would likely remember that EVERYDAY from that April 15 afternoon, ALL I BEGAN TO TWEET ON was a shout out to the then FG and Military to ACT SWIFTLY and RESCUE the abducted ChibokGirls.
— Oby Ezekwesili (@obyezeks) February 1, 2018
Sadly, THE FG PRETENDED NOT TO HEAR ME.