Presidency differs with Chibok community on N22.4m gift

The Presidency on Friday insisted that President Goodluck Jonathan did not direct anybody to share money to the parents of the schoolgirls abducted in Chibok, Borno State, and their colleagues who escaped after his meeting with them.

Jonathan had on July 22 met with parents of the girls abducted from the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, on April 14, by Boko Haram insurgents.

The meeting, which was held 99 days after the abduction, also had Chibok community leaders in attendance.

Some of the parents had in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation alleged that a gift of N100m was given to them through their leaders in Abuja, who decided to short-change them.

In his response, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, had dismissed the allegation as “completely untrue.”

Abati said the onus laid on those who made the allegation to prove it.

Less than 24 hours after, the Kibaku Area Development Association (Chibok community) made it clear that the Presidency shared N22.4m to those who attended the meeting.

The association in a press statement signed by its spokesman, Dauda Ilya, said 63 individuals, comprising 51 escaped girls were given N100,000 each, while 51 parents equally received N100,000 each, and another 61 parents got N200,000 each.

Ilya said the money was given to the beneficiaries in their hotel rooms by the Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties. He added that 10 parents out of the 122 that took part in the meeting with Jonathan did not receive any money.

But Abati, in an exclusive interview, insisted that the President was not aware of any decision to bribe anybody.

He said the allegation could be an attempt to frustrate efforts of the Federal Government aimed at rescuing the over 200 girls still in captivity and to alleviate their parents’ pains.

Rather, the presidential spokesman stated that the allegation would be thoroughly investigated.

He, however, did not disclose the agency of government that will carry out the investigation or when such will be done.

Abati said, “I have already made it clear that what they are saying is completely unknown to the President. He did not direct anybody to go and give bribe to anyone.

“The attempt to make a big issue out of this looks like an attempt to frustrate efforts of the administration at ensuring that everything within the powers of government is done to bring back the girls and to alleviate the frustrations and pain of the parents

“This kind of frustration to drag the name of the President into the matter, the allegation, if there is any iota of seriousness in it, will be fully investigated.”

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