Child Rights Group Lambasts Jonathan For Declaring For second Term Despite Yobe School Massacre
Two child rights non-governmental organisations have criticized
President Goodluck Jonathan, for going ahead with his public declaration for a
second term in office a day after 47 students of Government Science Secondary
School, Potiskum, Yobe State were killed by a suspected Boko Haram suicide
bomber.
The United Kingdom-based Africans Unite Against Child Abuse,
AFRUCA, and the Nigerian-based Centre for Children’s Health Education,
Orientation and Protection, CEE-HOPE, faulted what they described as another
round of government’s insensitivity in the face of unprecedented and
preventable waste of Nigerian lives in recent times.
This was contained in a joint statement on Tuesday by the
Chief Executive of AFRUCA, Debbie Ariyo, and the Executive Director of
CEE-HOPE, Betty Abah.
“Last time the president went on to celebrate at a centenary
party after the murder of 59 male students at Government Secondary School, Buni
Yadi,” the statement said. “He then flew to Kano for another round of celebration
following the gruesome attack in Nyanya which claimed about 200 lives, and then
on to Ibadan for a birthday bash.
“Unfortunately, the president is also celebrating yet
another bash to announce his nomination to contest the Presidency for another
four years. We believe this is wholly insensitive, and is absolutely
unacceptable.”
They described the cold-blooded murder of students in their
school assembly as “one massacre too many of defenceless and hapless Nigerian
children.”
The groups further questioned the point of the state of
emergency imposed on states in the North East which instead have experienced
unabated attacks by terrorist groups.
