The world has not forgotten the 219 schoolgirls abducted by Islamist Boko Haram militants in April last year, Nelson Mandela’s widow Graca Machel has said.
Mrs Machel spoke when she met some of the parents of the girls in Lagos on Friday and urged them to remain strong.
Seventeen of the girls’ parents have died since their abduction.
The kidnap of the girls from their school in Chibok sparked global outrage with the campaign #BringBackOurGirls.
Mrs Machel, a prominent child rights campaigner, says she speaks about the girls wherever she goes.
“I shook hands with all of you and feel what is in your blood… I share the pain with you of not knowing when the girls will come back.”
She added that the parents have asked her to urge Nigerians and the international community to do more to free the missing girls.
The meeting was organised by Murtala Muhammed Foundation to support the parents as they deal with the trauma caused by the abductions.
The Nigerian army has rescued hundreds of hostages from Boko Haram, but none of the kidnapped schoolgirls have been found.
President Muhammadu Buhari, who took office in May, has given the military a December deadline to defeat the militants.
With the support of neighbouring countries, Nigeria has recaptured most of the towns previously under Boko Haram control but the group still carries out frequent attacks, especially in Borno State, which includes Chibok.
The Chibok schoolgirls have not been seen since last May when Boko Haram released a video of around 130 of them gathered together, reciting the Koran.
Some of those who were kidnapped have since been forced to join the militant group.
The Founder, Graca Machel Trust and Inaugural Chancellor, African Leadership University, also met with Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, at the Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja.
Ambode seized the occasion to restate the commitment of his administration to enhancing the educational sector, just as he assured that he would do everything possible to ensure the commencement of operation of the African Leadership University in Lagos in 2016.
The governor said he was delighted to welcome Machel to Lagos, adding that he would immediately engage with the leadership of the foundation to take the partnership to greater heights.
Stating that the key agenda of the foundation which is to offer help and share experiences in education, financial inclusion and enterprise development for women, was in tandem with the cardinal objectives of his administration, Ambode disclosed that he had already set up an Employment Trust Fund, which will basically address such issues.
“This is more about financial inclusion, especially for women who have been left behind and have never had that voice that we have always wanted them to have.
“We also believe strongly that what the out-of school-children initiative is talking about is something that is very important to us and that is why I have also created an Employment Trust Fund here that will actually fit into everything you have offered.
“I’m committed to creating that enabling environment to allow this partnership blossom and to let you know that this is for real, we would engage immediately with your foundation to take this up to the next level immediately from next year and I give you that commitment also that we will create that enabling environment for the African Leadership University to commence operation in Lagos next year,” Governor Ambode said.
Machel had earlier explained that the main purpose of the visit was to offer experiences, which the foundation had acquired over the years in education, financial inclusion and enterprise development for women, and to identify and mobilise civil society organisations (CSOs) in helping with the initiative to massively reduce the number of children that are out of school.
She said the foundation specifically chose to partner with Lagos because the State had proven to be the driver of change.
Machel was accompanied on the visit by former Chairman of Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law, Gbenga Oyebode; Founder of African Leadership Group, Fred Swaniker; Chief Executive Officer of Graca Machel Foundation, Nomsa Daniels, and Chief Executive Officer of Murtala Mohammed Foundation, Aisha Oyebode.
