"The voices of the girls are more powerful than the guns of the extremists" - Malala

The Pakistani teen, who has become an international girl-child education activist, told the Chibok girls to remain strong in the face of the attacks of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, and
that in the end, the girls would triumph, arguing that the voices of the girls were more powerful than the guns of the extremists.

Miss Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani girl who was almost killed by the Taliban in her country’s Swat Valley District for her girl education campaigns, yesterday, in Abuja, tasked the Federal Government to expedite action towards the rescue of the abducted Chibok girls.She met the BringBackOurGirls campaigners and five of the girls who had earlier escaped from their captors in the Sambisa forest in Borno State. Malala also spoke with their parents.

The five Chibok girls, however, kept mum and refused to share their experiences.Journalists who swarmed the Unity Fountain, Abuja, yesterday, to hear their tales of woe were disappointed as the girls chose to keep mum. Of the five girls who were brought to Abuja, only one attempted to answer journalists’ question but she shut her mouth almost immediately as they appeared to have been warned by their parents and others not to speak to the media.Malala who marked her 17th birthday yesterday which coincided with the 90th day of the Chibok girls abduction told the government that the girls were the future of the nation and must not only be rescued but protected in their schools.

According to Malala, after a long drawn battle with the Taliban, who earlier banned girls from going to school, peace had been restored in the Swat Valley and that all the girls had returned to school.Her words: “My request to the government is that they should take you seriously. Yes this is the future generation of this country. If you don’t focus on the future generation it means you are destroying your country.

Think about these girls. Make sure that they are safe. Make sure that they are getting the quality education. Make sure that their parents are safe. Make sure they succeed.

Make sure that the other girls that are still in abduction of Boko Haram, get released soon and we still have this campaign, we still say BringBackOurGirls.“The situation at Chibok is the same with the situation in Swat where some extremists stopped more than 400 girls from going to school.“They killed many children. But people of Swat raised their voices, they spoke against this.

They spoke for education. And their voices were more powerful than gun or any other weapon.“And I believe your voices are more powerful than any other weapon. So believe in yourself and go and continue your journey.“Continue learning and you will succeed because we did succeed in our journey. There is peace in Swat. Every girl is going to school. The same way, we will be here one day we will see all of you going to school, getting your education.”The five girls she met with are Awa Alhlama, Hauwa Musa, Hauwa John, Kanna Bitrus and Rebecca Ishaku.Malala is expected to meet with President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa today.