The United Nations Secretary General,
Ban Ki-Moon, on Wednesday joined the global community to restate his
calls for the rescue of the over 200 abducted Chibok schoolgirls held
captive by Boko Haram for over 100 days.
 |
| United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moonption |
The National Coordinator of the BBOG in
Abuja, Oby Ezekwesili, who read the statement to the coalition members,
appreciated the support of the UN scribe for the campaign to free the
Chibok girls.
The former Education minister expressed
happiness over the meeting President Goodluck Jonathan had with the
escaped girls and Chibok parents, saying the parley would reinforce the
search for the girls and also lend a strong voice to the campaign for
their freedom.
The UN Secretary General in his
statement said, “I stand in solidarity with all those taking part in
vigils today to demonstrate that the world has not forgotten the girls
who were so cruelly abducted from their school 100 days ago in Chibok,
Nigeria.
“I repeat my call for their immediate
release and for an end to discrimination, intimidation and violence
against girls whose only wish is to gain education. Only by shielding
them from harm and enabling them to realise their full potential can we
usher in a better future for all.”
Around the world, supporters are
expected to light candles and stand in solidarity in Africa, Asia,
Europe and the United States.
In New York, supporters would assemble outside the Nigeria Mission to the UN and walk to the UN.
Vigils are also scheduled to take place in Lahore, Lome, Togo, Dhaka, Jaipur, Bradford, Pedroucos and Illinois.
Groups including The Global March
Against Child Labour in Africa, Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi in Pakistan and
Bachpan Bachao Andolan in India are marking the 100 days by holding
vigils, according to Ki-Moon.
The UN scribe said that ‘Girls Not
Brides’ were also asking their supporters to stand in solidarity and ‘A
World at School’s Global Youth Ambassadors’ was spearheading the
campaign across the world.
The ‘BringBackOurGirls’ group is leading the charge in Abuja with its daily sit-outs.
Ki-Moon said that a new online petition
by ‘A World at School’ www.aworldatschool.org/100days
<http://www.aworldatschool.org/100days> would also call for the
safe return of the girls and all messages of support would be passed to
Chibok community leaders and families of the girls.
The petition, will also be sent by the
UN Special Envoy for Global Education, Gordon Brown, to President
Goodluck Jonathan and Ban Ki-moon.
The Chibok Girls’ families are also
expected to sign the petition and offer their full support for the Safe
Schools Initiative, a fund set up to pilot 500 safe schools in northern
Nigeria. The fund total currently stands at $23m.
The United Nations Special Envoy for
Global Education and former Prime Minister of Britain, Gordon Brown, has
said despite the fact that 100 days has passed since the abduction of
more than 200 schoolgirls in Chibok, the world will not forget them.
He also appealed to people around the world to show public support for the families and girls’ education.
No comments:
Post a Comment