Ex-Minister Ezekwesili Condemns FG Over #BringBackOurGirls Campaign
A former Minister of Education, Obiageli Ezekwesili, has condemned the Goodluck Jonathan administration’s attempt to damage the image of the #BringBackOurGirls campaign through a foreign Public Relations firm, Levick.
Ms. Ezekwesili, the coordinator of the #BringBackOurGirls campaign, made this statement on Thursday, 17 July, 2014, via her Twitter handle, @obyezeks, stating that it was hateful for the presidency to hire a PR firm to help government tag Nigerian citizens as terrorists.
“It’s to SUCH HATE? That our Presidency deployed our public resources to hire US firm @LEVICK to label INNOCENT CITIZENS “terrorists”??” she tweeted.
* Mrs Oby Ezekwesili
The #BringBackOurGirls campaign came into existence after over 200 schoolgirls were kidnapped by the Boko Haram terrorists inside the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State, Northeastern Nigeria on 14 April, 2014.
The former minister revealed that she had never believed that the Nigerian government could hire a PR firm to spread lies that the #BringBackOurGirls group was a franchise until the spokesperson for the State Security Services, Marilyn Ogar, confirmed it.
It would be recalled that the Federal Government has reportedly paid the PR firm, owned by Richard Levick, $1.2 million (about N195 million) to help manage what many consider government’s inept handling of the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls by the Boko Haram terrorist group.
According to The Hill, an American newspaper specialised in covering the American congress, the contract was awarded to help change “international and local media narrative” surrounding government’s efforts to rescue the girls.
* Scene of #BringBackOurGirls campaign
It was also gathered that the PR firm would be “assisting the government’s efforts to mobilise international support in fighting Boko Haram as part of the greater war on terror”.
The firm also promised to assist the government in effecting “real change” in Nigeria.
Mr. Levick was expected to work with Jared Genser, a human rights attorney, who has also worked for notable personalities such as South African Nobel Peace Prize winner, Desmond Tutu; and Burmese pro-democracy advocate, Aung Suu Kyi.
The team would publicise the “President Goodluck Jonathan Administration’s past, present and future priority to foster transparency, democracy and the rule of law throughout Nigeria.”
According to the contract, Levick would be paid $75,000 (about N11.6 million) per month for its effort plus extra cost for advertisements, video production and website development. This would be done through an unnamed state-owned media agency.
The company would get an additional fee of $22,500 (N3.48million) if an associate of the company travelled to Nigeria.
An associate of Mr. Genser’s company, Perseus Strategies, would get $25,000 (N3.87million) per month as retainer.
* President Jonathan
Ms. Ezekwesili, however, advised Mr. Jonathan to take actions that would rebuild citizen’s trust rather than engage in such frivolous spending.
“My FREE image laundering advice to our Presidency is to take actions that would rebuild citizens TRUST. ACT to #BringBackOurGirls CONCRETELY,” she tweeted.
Mrs Ezekwesili is a Nigerian chartered accountant. She was a co-founder of Transparency International, serving as one of the pioneer Directors of the global anti-corruption body based in Berlin, Germany.
She served as Federal Minister of Solid Minerals and then as Federal Minister of Education during the second term presidency of Olusegun Obasanjo. Since then, she has been the Vice President of the World Bank's Africa division.
Ezekwesili holds a Masters in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Lagos, as well as a Masters of Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University She trained with the firm of Deloitte and Touche and qualified as a Chartered Accountant.
Prior to working for the Government of Nigeria, Ezekwesiili was working with Professor Jeffrey Sachs at the Center for International Development at Harvard.
Source: Legit.ng
