By Abdullahi M. Gulloma
Abuja
First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, yesterday wept at a meeting in Abuja, and expressed outrage over the absence of the First Lady of Borno state, Hajiya Nana Kashim Shettima.
The meeting was attended by the wives of governors, female legislators at federal and state levels, female ministers and leaders of various women organisations, and is aimed at finding best ways to ensure the release of the abducted girls.
She said the absence of Mrs Shettima at the meeting was a deliberate attempt to frustrate efforts to rescue the abducted Chibok school girls.
Mrs Jonathan also expressed concern over the continuous shunning of meetings by Mrs Shettima despite repeated assurances to be part of the meetings via phone calls.
She said: “This (meeting) is a sacrifice we must make to make our country safe. We, women, are agents of peace, the children (abducted girls) are ours and we cannot fold our hands while our children are missing.
“We know they are missing, I was in church today (Sunday) I was happy, I cried all through. I was not happy because of what is happening in our country. How can you not be touched when our people are dying.
“We really need this killings to stop. After killing is now kidnapping. If we fold our hands we might be the next to be kidnapped if we keep quiet. We are sympathising with our sisters in the north. We are not happy please. We do not mean harm. I am not quarrelling with anybody, I’m just saying let us stop the killing, let’s stop the kidnapping.”