Chibok girls: Makoko children join in commemoration

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On Tuesday, April 14, the world united in sad commemoration of the one year anniversary of the abduction of the Chibok school girls by the Boko Haram sect. 

The Centre for Children’s Health Education, Orientation and Protection (CEE-HOPE), a child’s right and welfare NGO joined in the global activities by holding a seminar and rally for our teenagers and children in Makoko, Lagos' biggest slum.  

The one-day event attracted more than 100 children mainly from across the various Makoko sub-communities where CEE-HOPE works with vulnerable girls and children. It also had in attendants girls from the Sagbokoji community in nearby Eti-Osa Local Government Area where CEE-HOPE also started a new ‘Triple G’ Girl Empowerment club.

At hand to inspire the children were youth leaders, community leaders, CEE-HOPE mentors and others. There was also music performance on the theme of the Chibok girls and the need to inspire hope for the African child. 

Among the community and youth leader who addressed the children (sensitizing them about the Chibok girls’ saga, inspiring them to stick with their education ambitions inspite of threats or odds against them) include Ewajane Osowo, a Makoko youth leader and coordinator of the Makoko Youth Movement, Noah Shemede, principal of the famous Makoko floating school, Matthew Kusika, Job Osazuwa, a journalist, Titigbe Onyekachi, CEE-HOPE’s Project Assistant and Betty Abah, founder of CEE-HOPE, among several others. 

There was also a musical performance by Olumide Adebayo (aka ‘J-Star’). He sang a song song ‘Hope for African Children’ which was on the need to bring back the Chibok girls and African children. 

‘Today, with the rest of the world we are showing solidarity with the abducted Chibok girls,’ said Abah. ‘We are using this forum to tell government that we have not forgotten, and to tell our girls and our children here and elsewhere that they should not be deterred,’ she added.’ 

Titilope Ajimuda, a student of Herbert Macaulay Senior High School and one of the attendants, expressed sadness at the delay in bringing back the girls. ‘I hope that the President-elect will do something fast to bring back these girls. I urge everyone not to stop in the fight in ensuring the release of the Chibok Girls’, she said.