The Nigerian government says former CNN's top news anchor Aisha Sesay lied in her new book, Beneath the Tamarind Tree.
Mallam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity in a statement on Monday, said Sesay's book was laced with many untruths.
Shehu noted that in the introduction of the book, the author acknowledged the release from Boko Haram captivity of more than 50 percent of the girls under the Muhammadu Buhari administration but said “ very rightfully, that “we must not forget the 112 who are still missing.” The President’s spokesman, however, said it was wrong for Sesay to have said the government did not know who to negotiate with since Boko Haram had split into different factions. The statement read in part, “This is a misrepresentation of the position of the government. When the government spoke on the issue, it was clear that although this split had the effect of making negotiation and reaching an agreement a more difficult task, this country and our international partners are still engaging through third parties with the terrorists.” He said while it was true that the government had no information on where the captives were held, it was equally incorrect to say the government had given up on the Chibok girls “when the truth is that there was nothing on the ground to give that impression.”
The statement said further, “This book asserts that the government and people of Nigeria no longer cared about the girls because ‘they are poor…they don’t have famous names; people just don’t care.’ No. Nigerians care and that is why the #BringBackOurGirls movement was able to generate the groundswell of public opinion.”
Beneath the Tamarind Tree: A Story of Courage, Family, and the Lost Schoolgirls of Boko Haram: Library Edition: Isha Sesay Amazon.com: Beneath the Tamarind Tree: A Story of Courage, Family, and the Lost Schoolgirls of Boko Haram (Audible Audio Edition): Isha Sesay, HarperAudio: Audible Audiobooks.
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