The local Nigerian community in Moncton, Canada has launched a campaign for the release of the Chibok girls at the ongoing FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
Cliff Nzombato, a Nigerian living in Moncton, doled out tickets for the Nigeria and Mexico match to raise awareness about Chibok girls.
“We feel that since the world is now watching and now that we can have their attention, we used the opportunity to bring back a sense of understanding that kidnapping women is violence against women and it shouldn’t be done,” said Nigerian community organizer, Nzombato.
“We should stand against it,” he said.
More than 200 Nigerian girls were kidnapped by militant group, Boko Haram, from a school in the northeastern village of Chibok on April 15, 2014.
Most of the girls are still missing.
“We want the world to come together and understand that these soccer players could have been part of those women that were kidnapped,” said Nzombato.
“For us to just sit down and say, ‘This is happening and nobody’s doing anything,’ and it’s over 100 days right now, it’s wrong.”
To help spread the message, Nzombato is offering 15 free tickets to the Nigerian game at the University of Moncton Stadium to anyone who posted the message: “Bring Back Our Girls” on any public Facebook page in the Moncton community.
Nigeria’s Under-20 Women’s World Cup Assistant Coach, Omi Olanreimaju Wemimo, commended the effort by the Nigerian community in Moncton to refocus attention on the school girls who were kidnapped in April.
“The reaction about the kidnapping, well, people are not happy about it. It wasn’t a good thing,” Wemimo said. “The Nigerian people are trying to make it possible for the girls to come back safely.”
The girls’ abduction drew unprecedented international attention to the war in Nigeria’s northeast and the growing security risk that Boko Haram poses to Nigeria, Africa’s leading energy producer.
A #BringBackOurGirls Twitter campaign supported by Michelle Obama and Angelina Jolie heaped pressure on authorities to act and President Goodluck Jonathan pledged to save the girls, drawing promises of Western help to do so.
Nzombato would like the Canadian government to add pressure to help find the kidnapped girls.
Meanwhile, he has also been organizing some welcoming activities for the Nigerian players.
Follow The Eagle Online Channel on WhatsApp
