The Rescued Girls And The Boundless Joy

The news of the return of another tranche of the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped over three years ago, on the 14th of April, is not only exhilarating but heartwarming and inspiring of hope. It is one whose long wait has made its view so energizing.

Many, worldwide, had looked forth to the coming back of the young sisters of Chibok, right from the very moment of that horrendous and demeaning abduction of that evil night. Their eerie seizure was one that jolted common sense and one necessitated a great hope.

And so when it happened and in such magnitude, it was an expectation whose manifestation had galvanized the high spiritedness which eventual outburst is the joy, unqualified joy, as seen in the many who had received it.

Indeed it is not a cheering message only  to the parents and the immediate families of those whose daughters were only coming back after so long period of captivity, of heavy lack of filial connectivity and love. It is more also a thing of joy to a waiting nation that has waited for so long amidst the flying tirades of dismissive and joggling ideologies that have kept the issue of the kidnap as one to be peered, of one not knowing whether to accept or not.

Following the news of the invasion, many theories were screwed around the pathetic, soul-deflating kidnap of the young and enthusiastic schoolgirls, whose morale and expectations were shattered-some, forever- by that act of brigandage. Many had soon as it happened found it a political issue to weave and spur propaganda and negativism.

It became and has even come to remain that some still view it for what they were fed-as cheap ploy by some elements to distract attention and take over power. It has remained to be so, though each unveiling reality has tried to deflate it.

The reality of the return of the 83 Chibok girls is another testimony of prove and a reward to the sense of commitment of advocacy groups, especially the Bring Back Our Girls, who consciously stood day in and day out to project and sound the reality of the calamity and to vehemently oppose the voice of dissent that sounded heavily to almost drown this national cataclysm.

The #BBOG have remained steadfast, and today, they have found enormous reason to join revivified parents and a happy nation to welcome back home children overtaken by terrorism and almost lost by insensitive and insensible propaganda.

It is once more a time to extol the leadership qualities of President Buhari especially in seeing to the process that saw to the girls' rescue. The present administration must be commended for brightening once fading hope, for resuscitating once dying spirit and for reigniting dying aspirations-of the parents and of these children. And this for the purpose of it doing more.

Even as the government is commended, it is hoped that the present effort does not stop here but shall help to engineer it further in seeing to the rescue also of the remaining girls. It would be a roundly applauded feat when the entire abducted girls and the other victims are returned and effective put under physical, emotional and health rehabilitation.

It is a thing of great joy that out of 217 school girls taken away forcefully as at three years ago, 108 are brought back alive and well three years later. It is exhilarating and inciting of the hope that the remaining 109, and as a matter of fact, all abductees, shall in no time be rescued and Boko Haram totally defeated. It is indeed our hope and prayer.