condemned the Goodluck Jonathan administration's
attempt to damage the image of the #BringBackOurGirls
campaign through a foreign Public Relations firm, Levick.
Ms. Ezekwesili, the coordinator of the #BringBackOurGirls
campaign, made this statement on Thursday, 17 July,
2014, via her Twitter handle, @obyezeks, stating that it
was hateful for the presidency to hire a PR firm to help
government tag Nigerian citizens as terrorists.
"It's to SUCH HATE? That our Presidency deployed our public
resources to hire US firm @LEVICK to label INNOCENT
CITIZENS "terrorists"??" she tweeted.
* Mrs Oby Ezekwesili
The #BringBackOurGirls campaign came into existence after
over 200 schoolgirls were kidnapped by the Boko Haram
terrorists inside the Government Girls Secondary School in
Chibok, Borno State, northeastern Nigeria on 14 April,
2014.
The former minister revealed that she never believed that
the Nigerian government could hire a PR firm to spread lies
that the #BringBackOurGirls group was a franchise until the
spokesperson for the State Security Services, Marilyn Ogar,
confirmed it.
It would be recalled that the Nigerian federal government
reportedly paid the PR firm owned by Richard Levick $1.2
million (N195 million) to help manage what many consider
government's inept handling of the abduction of over 200
schoolgirls by the Boko Haram terrorist group.
According to The Hill, an American newspaper specialised in
covering the American congress, the contract was awarded
to help change "international and local media narrative"
surrounding government's efforts to rescue the girls.
* Scene of #BringBackOurGirls campaign
It was also gathered that the PR firm would be "assisting
the government's efforts to mobilise international support in
fighting Boko Haram as part of the greater war on terror".
The firm also promised to assist the government in
effecting "real change" in Nigeria.
Mr. Levick was expected to work with Jared Genser, a
human rights attorney, who has also worked for notable
personalities such as South African Nobel Peace Prize
winner, Desmond Tutu; and Burmese pro-democracy
advocate, Aung Suu Kyi.
The team would publicise the "President Goodluck Jonathan
Administration's past, present and future priority to foster
transparency, democracy and the rule of law throughout
Nigeria."
According to the contract, Levick would be paid $75,000
(about N11.6 million) per month for its effort plus extra cost
for advertisements, video production and website
development. This would be done through an unnamed
state-owned media agency.
The company would get an additional fee of $22,500
(N3.48million) if an associate of the company travelled to
Nigeria.
An associate of Mr. Genser's company, Perseus Strategies,
would get $25,000 (N3.87million) per month as retainer.
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN
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