Keep up with the latest news and be part of our weekly giveaways and airtime sharing; follow our WhatsApp channel for more updates. Click to Follow us

Lai Mohammed, a former minister of culture and information, has described how he put an end to the Bring Back Our Girls, or BBOG, daily protest in Abuja, which was organized by former education minister Oby Ezekwesili.

Mohammed talked on some of his experiences as the government’s spokesperson under President Muhammadu Buhari’s leadership.

He gave a speech at the Spokespersons Summit in Abuja on Tuesday, which has as its theme “Integrity and the Evolving Roles of Spokespersons in Leadership Communication and Development.”

Mohammed pointed out that a spokesperson’s function in leadership communication has changed from being only a channel for information to a dynamic, strategic one requiring moral rectitude, flexibility, and integrity.

He added that knowledge based on empirical data, firsthand observation, and experience is becoming more and more valued in society than theoretical speculation.

One of the leading organizations that consistently called for the return of the Chibok girls who had been abducted and taken by Boko Haram militants was the BBOG movement, which was led by Oby Ezekwesili and Aisha Yesufu.

During President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, the Bring Back Our Girls movement spearheaded a vociferous campaign to seek the return of the 276 girls who were kidnapped by Boko Haram on the evening of April 14–15, 2014.

Wearing red and white, the activists gathered every day at strategic locations in Abuja, garnering attention from both domestic and foreign audiences.

People were led to believe by Oby Ezekwesili that the Federal Government was not doing enough to locate and save the girls.

Mohammed described how he put an end to that demonstration by saying, “We realized that only a drastic measure could convince the group of the government’s commitment and change the narrative they had presented to the world.

“We invited the group along with a representative of the Chibok community, Dr. Allen Manaseh, to join us on a trip to witness firsthand the military’s efforts.

“After considerable back and forth over the modalities of the trip, the BBOG Co-Convener, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, reluctantly agreed to participate. However, she insisted that I must be on the same flight with her from Abuja to Yola.

“Initially, a smaller aircraft had been provided to convey me to Yola, while the BBOG delegation and the media team were scheduled to travel separately.

“But the limited capacity of the smaller aircraft made it impossible to accommodate everyone. To address this, a larger military aircraft – the C-130 Hercules – was made available.

“Yet, due to Dr. Ezekwesili’s insistence on my presence aboard the same flight, I had to abandon the original smaller aircraft and join the entire team on the Hercules. It was a significant gesture, not just to accommodate her request, but to demonstrate our sincerity and openness in engaging with critics and stakeholders alike.

“On January 16–17, 2017, I once again led a team of local and international journalists, along with Dr. Ezekwesili and some members of the BBOG Team, on another trip, first to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Base in Yola.

“The Chief of Air Staff at the time, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, was personally on ground to receive us, along with his senior team. He demonstrated full cooperation and transparency by instructing some of the tactical commanders to provide detailed technical briefings to both the media and the BBOG delegation.

“From there, Dr. Ezekwesili, a select group of journalists, and I were embedded with the NAF reconnaissance teams conducting search sorties over the Sambisa Forest day and night

“Apparently impressed by the military’s efforts, BBOG – upon our return to Abuja – later issued a statement [to confirm government and military efforts to bring back the girls]”

Please don’t forget to “Allow the notification” so you will be the first to get our gist when we publish it. 
Drop your comment in the section below, and don’t forget to share the post.