For want of something better to keep herself busy, the sacked managing director of the Nigeria Ports Authority, Hadiza Bala-Usman, has returned to activism. During the commemoration of the eight years anniversary of the abduction of more than 200 pupils of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State, Hadiza lamented the worsening insecurity in the country.
“It is eight years today since 276 girls were abducted in a secondary school in Chibok. About 109 girls still remain in captivity. Many more girls, boys and indeed, citizens of all ages have been abducted from schools, communities and during the course of journeys,” she wrote via her twitter handle.
While there is nothing wrong with showing concern in the hope that children abducted by terrorists will regain freedom from their captors, it however smacks of hypocrisy when Hadiza suddenly remembers after five years that some Chibok schoolgirls are yet to regain freedom, seven years after their abduction.
Before her appointment as the managing director of Nigeria Ports Authority, Hadiza was a co-coordinator of the #BringBackOurGirls movement alongside Oby Ezekwesili, a former minister of education. Their movement became quite active, gained prominence and even received international recognition. But she ended her activities with the movement immediately she was appointed managing director of the NPA, leaving Oby Ezekwesili to do it alone.
Ezekwesili on her part hasn’t quite been active with the movement which has since gone dormant. On assumption of office, Hadiza became deaf, blind and dumb to crucial matters affecting the country, particularly issues concerning the abducted Chibok girls. Why would she? After all, she was reaping the dividends of her ‘hardwork’ and it would be out of place to criticise the government who ‘rewarded’ her.
Unfortunately, her romance with the government was short-lived as she was booted out of office after falling out with Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi. Her other sins included failure to remit the N165 billion operating surplus to the coffers of the Federal Government, an allegation she was cleared off and unilaterally granting a waiver to Dangote Cement Plc on applicable tariff for the export of cement/clinkers, an action said to be discriminatory in nature as it did not apply to other players in the industry.
With her subtle return to activism, it remains to be seen how far reaching her cries on insecurity will reach.
