Child Rights Group Lambasts Jonathan For Declaring For second Term
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.
The groups noted that the pattern was
too often and too unbecoming.
“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.
They called on the United Nations to intervene in order to ensure the
protection of lives especially children and vulnerable people.
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