The wife of President Goodluck Jonathan,
Patience, has expressed concern over the prolonged delay in the release
of the abducted Chibok girls by members of the Boko Haram sect.
Jonathan expressed the concern when she met with the Nigerian community on Wednesday in Windhoek, Namibia.
Mrs. Jonathan was in Namibia to attend
the 8th Stop Cervical, Breast and Prostate Cancer in Africa, an
initiative of the African First Ladies/ Spouses Forum.
She empathised with family members of the girls and the entire Chibok community, saying that soon
the girls would be released.
“As a mother, I am very worried over the
abduction of these girls; I share the pains of the mothers whose
children were abducted. As women of Nigeria, we have fasted and prayed
that wherever they are, they will be released safely and that God will
touch the minds of members of the sect,” she said.
She commended the security agencies for their efforts, adding that soon the girls will be back home.
Mrs. Jonathan also praised the Nigerian
armed forces for their patriotic seal in fighting terror and urban
violence, especially in the North-East.
Patience also appealed to Nigerians in
the Diaspora to support government and the military in putting an end to
the insurgency across the country especially in the North-East.
She also appealed to Nigerians to be
patient with the present government in the rescue efforts of the girls,
while assuring that they will be found soon.
“We have never seen such terrorism
before, we had civil war, but with this current situation. It is not a
situation, where you can come face to face with your enemy. Nigerians
are peace loving people, and it’s rather unfortunate today that
terrorism has been introduced into our country.
“We need to support our security forces,
because if our soldiers can go to Mali, Somalia, Liberia and fight and
conquer, then they will conquer Boko Haram soon. But we have to be
united in fighting it; terrorism is not a one man’s war; it is a
collective effort, because when other country are faced with similar
situation, they come together to fight it. We need to come together to
fight it, by the grace of
God. We will conquer Boko Haram,” Mrs.
Jonathan said.
Earlier, the Nigeria High Commissioner
to Namibia, Ambassador Nathaniel Olurunfemi, described the first lady as
very compassionate and caring mother.
He said that over 4,000 families had benefitted from empowerment programme sponsored by the Mrs. Jonathan.
“The foundation has also supported
children with heart conditions in securing medical treatment abroad. It
is to her credit that several women are now holding key national
positions, boosting the silent revolution of bringing women to impact on
great economy.
“It is to her credit as the current
President of African First Ladies Peace Mission that relief materials
were sent to refugees of conflicts, including Congo, Saharawi African
Republic, Mali and others.
It is also to her credit that the AFLPM’s office was established in Abuja,” Olorunfemi said.
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