By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Federal Government has disclosed that an American billionaire has offered to cater for education of the 21 Chibok girls recently released by Boko Haram.
Speaking during a chat with State House correspondents in Abuja, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, also said the same man has agreed to extend similar gesture to the remaining girls still in the terrorists’ den.
However, the presidential spokesman noted that the 21 Chibok girls were being treated as adoptees of the Federal Government.
“A black American billionaire, Mr Robert Smith, who is currently sponsoring the education of 24 girls from Chibok, among them the first set of escapees from Boko Haram at the American University of Nigeria, Yola has offered to pay for the education of the 21 released through negotiations and is offering to take responsibility for all the others who will hopefully be eventually set free,” he said.
He added that other people and bodies are also interested in the girls.
“The Murtala Mohammed Foundation in the country is equally interested, [in helping the girl],” he added.
Responding to complaints by some of the parents of the 21 Chibok girls that they did not have enough room for interaction with their daughters brought home for Christmas by the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr Garba admitted that there were some hitches arising from a lack of understanding of the objective of the trip on the part of some security operatives but that following the receipt of this complaint, a directive has been given from the headquarters for the access by the parents to be eased.
“If the situation persists, please let us know so that the higher authorities will make a further intercession,” he assured.
Addressing an issue of interest to a lot of the members of the governing party, the All Progressives Congress, APC concerning appointments into boards, Mr Garba assured that the process will be fully back on track at the beginning of the new year.
“You know that the reconstitution began methodically, from sector by sector. You should expect that to resume at the beginning of the new year. The President has given directions on what to do,” he said.
