Obasanjo will laugh hard to hear the accusation of politics – Oby Ezekwesili’s BBC Hardtalk interview in 7 quotes

by Hauwa Gambo

Oby-Ezekwesili

After the drama of the State Security Service detaining former minister and World Bank Vice President, Obiageli Ezekwesili, she today made her much-talked-about interview with the BBC’s Hard Talk this evening from 9.30pm.

Winning praise , via remarks tracked on social media, the former minister has been described as “restrained”, “graceful” and “effective” as she made the case for citizens demanding action from the Nigerian federal government through the #BringBackOurGirls campaign.

We take our pick of 6 her most striking quotes across the range:

 There have been other incidences, and everybody just moved on, strengthening the jihadists.

I actually refuse to imagine that our president used that language (calling protesters “psychological terrorists”), we have never been political about our #BringBackOurGirls campaign.

What brought us out is that sense of the bond of shared humanity. Women who said: We have kept quiet too long.

The people that come to the #BringBackOurGirls advocacy on a daily basis do not even have any conversation about politics.

I turned to my husband and said, what is this politics talk that comes to this issue of the innocence of kidnapped girls.

And as the interviewer, Stephen John Sackur pressed on the NIgerian government’s accusation that she is playing opposition politics, Ezekwesili smiled:

I have NEVER been in politics. Obasanjo must be laughing his head off anytime he hears that accusation.

And as a parting shot, she refused to take the bait from her interviewer in describing her country:

I won’t say Nigeria is a failed state. I would say it is a state with failing institutions, and this is due to bad governance. This is why the demand of citizens for #BringBackOurGirls is a matter of demanding good governance.

 

 

One comment

  1. My God will protect you. Keep doing the work of your Hands

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