Fighting To The End

In May, 82 more Chibok girls were released in exchange for Boko Haram prisoners. Oby Ezekwesili, a strong advocate in the campaign to bring them back, has vowed to never stop fighting. 

- Peace Hyde

In February 2014, gunmen shot or burned to death 59 students in the Federal Government College, a secondary school in Buni Yadi in Yobe state, northeast Nigeria. The victims of this heinous crime were ‘guilty’ of attending a Western education institution against the orders of Islamist militant group Boko Haram. A couple of days later, the government decided to proceed with the centenary celebrations of the country. Oby Ezekwesili, former Nigerian minister and one of the pioneer directors of global anti-corruption body Transparency International, was appalled.

“They were burnt and their charred remains were put on the internet and it was a school I had known because I had been minister of education. At that time, I went after our government and said this episode should mark a turning point in the war against Boko Haram. You have to do something extraordinary because if we don’t, this is going to send the wrong signal to these people that we do not care about our children,” says Ezekwesili.