When the Red Chamber could not see the red ribbons

The Senate has eventually signed up its first social media account, leaving behind the lower chamber in the global race to embrace the reality of digital communication.  

Its Twitter page – @NGRSenate – was unveiled with a message, “This is the official Twitter handle of the eighth Nigerian Senate. Follow @NGRSenate to receive updates from the Red Chamber and its committees.”

From dozens of retweets and comments that followed, it was obvious that the Internet-savvy Nigerians had long expected the lawmakers to move in the direction it did.

 

The account has since begun to harvest followers from media organisations, civil society groups and student bodies.

Interestingly, the Senate handle was unveiled on the eve of the 500 day commemoration of the Chibok girls, an incident that has deepened the adoption of social media in the country. Internet users might have expected the Senate to dedicate their profile photograph, at least, to the missing girls.While there were red ribbons everywhere, the Nigeria's Red Chamber could not see them.

But there was a disconnection between the Senate’s new page and the tone of the digital space. The Chibok girls’ anniversary message, which many people around the world have adopted on their profiles, was clearly missing on the lawmaker’ Twitter page.

 

Social activists, from different parts of the world, shared their thoughts on the plight of the kidnapped girls, using different hashtags to communicate their frustrations.

But for the Senate’s Twitter page, which could have smartly announced its arrival on the platform with, perhaps, a trending artwork on #BringBackOurGirl, the issue appeared like a ‘no-go area’.

It was not only the Senate’s corporate Twitter page that did not sympathise with the grieved Chibok community and give individuals who have been campaigning for their rescue a sense of leadership. From the different platforms of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, to those operated there was no post on Chibok girls.

As far as the Wednesday commemoration was concerned, it was the efforts of the civil society, social media activists and voices from outside the country that kept #ChibokGirls, #NeverToBeForgotten, #BringBackOurGirls and similar hashtags alive.

The Global Week of Action Campaign, which had generated much publicity on digital media, could not also get many politicians outside the National Assembly to donate their platforms to the cause.

    

The campaigners had appealed to world leaders to show more concern towards rescue efforts. Their message drew the attention of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon, when he visited the country earlier in the week. 

 

Addressing State House correspondents in Abuja after a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, Ki-Moon called for an unconditional “release” of the girls. He said he would continue to support efforts to release the girls.

“This week will witness 500 days of the kidnap of the Chibok schoolgirls. I want to reiterate my support for the release of the girls and many other abducted girls and boys whose names and fate remain unknown.

“It is intolerable that their lives and education have been disrupted in this way. The whole world has been moved by their fate. I, once again, call on those responsible to unconditionally release these girls and many other abducted children,” he was quoted as saying.

As the Global Week of Actions ended on Thursday, more individuals re-echoed the frustration of the #BringBackOurGirls, with the hashtag trending globally. They charged the government and the global community to do more to rescue the girls.

For instance, A United States House of Representatives member, Brendan Boyle, posted a tweet, saying it was unbelievable that “219 girls had live with terrorists for 500 days.”