‘Make America Safe Again:’ President Trump Receives Support From Nigerian Girls Kidnapped by Boko Haram

‘Make America Safe Again:’ President Trump Receives Support From Nigerian Girls Kidnapped by Boko Haram

 

Don’t let the critics bring you down.

That was the essence of the message two young Nigerians had for President Donald Trump at a recent meeting in the White House.

The two girls know a lot about turmoil and despair. Joy Bishara and Lydia Pogu were among 276 girls kidnapped from their school in Chibok, northeast Nigeria, by Boko Haram militants in April 2014.

The pair were among dozens who managed to escape in the immediate aftermath of the kidnapping, jumping from trucks after the Islamist militants rounded them up and tried to bring the girls to their forest hideout. But while more than 150 have escaped or been freed, 113 of the so-called Chibok girls remain in captivity.

Bishara and Pogu met with President Trump and his daughter Ivanka at the White House in late June; a visit timed to coincide with the State Department’s annual report on human trafficking around the world. The leader of Boko Haram—which means “Western education is forbidden”—claimed shortly after the 2014 kidnapping that the girls would be trafficked at market or married off to the group’s fighters.

Both Trumps were “deeply moved” by the visit of the girls, according to a White House press statement released Thursday. The Nigerian pair recently graduated from Canyonville Christian Academy, a boarding school in Oregon. They were originally brought to the U.S. in August 2014 by a Christian NGO in Virginia, the Jubilee Campaign, according to an interview the pair gave to People.

The pair are due to attend Southeastern University in Florida this fall and have a crowdfunding page to help fund a visit to their parents in Nigeria this summer, which has raised $7,000 so far.

During their visit, the two girls read a letter to President Trump, urging him to uphold America’s national security as an example for other nations in the world. The White House published an extract of the letter, which reads:

“Mr. President, we urge you to keep America safe and strong. We know that some people are trying to discourage you. Do not be discouraged. You are right to keep American [sic.] safe and strong. Not only for America. But for the world. If American [sic.] is not safe and strong, where can people like us look for hope, when there is danger? Finally, we urge you to keep making America prosperous.”

The visit was not publicized widely in advance, although a picture of the two girls alongside the president, Ivanka Trump and several other people appeared as the White House Photo of the Day on its Facebook page on June 28.

The president of Canyonville Christian Academy, Doug Wead, told NPR that Ivanka Trump had reached out to him to set up the visit. Wead is a prominent conservative commentator who has published several books, including one titled Game of Thorns: The Inside Story of Hillary Clinton’s Failed Campaign and Donald Trump’s Winning Strategy.

The kidnapping of the Chibok girls sparked a worldwide publicity campaign under the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls, publicized by, among others, then-first lady Michelle Obama. A New York-based organizer of the Bring Back Our Girls campaign group, R. Evon Idahosa, told NPR she was “not exactly sure what the intent of the meeting” between Trump and the girls was. She also called upon Trump to do more to publicize the plight of the Chibok girls remaining in captivity.

The U.S. president spoke to his Nigerian counterpart, Muhammadu Buhari, in February in a telephone call, during which he expressed support for the possible sale of attack aircraft to the West African country. The Obama administration had put the sale on ice due to human rights concerns and indiscipline by the Nigerian military, including the accidental bombing of a refugee camp in Rann, northeast Nigeria, that killed more than 100 people in January.

Boko Haram has been waging its insurgency against the Nigerian government since 2009, killing tens of thousands and displacing millions. While Buhari has claimed on several occasions that the group is finished as a fighting force, Boko Haram—which has ties to the Islamic State militant group (ISIS)—has carried out at least 50 attacks in 2017 alone.

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Industrialist Donates N50M To Victims Of Ife Crisis

Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has donated N50 million to victims of the communal crisis that hit Ile-Ife, Osun State, on March 8.

The Chairman, Dangote Group of Companies, made the donation on Monday, at the palace of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi.

The fracas, between the Yoruba and Hausa residents of the city, claimed many lives.

A panel of inquiry set up by the Osun State Government, which began sitting on April 19, received 406 memoranda. 

Most memoranda contained demands for compensations.

While many claimed that their shops were looted, others claimed that their houses were burnt, and appealed to government to assist them.

Dangote, who was represented by Mrs. Suera Yusuf, Managing Director of Dangote Foundation, said that the N50 million would be shared among 220 victims.

“Each of the 220 victims will receive a cheque commensurate with the losses suffered,” Yusuf said.

She expressed the Foundation’s readiness to assist victims of violence so as to ameliorate their sufferings, but cautioned youths against being used to perpetrate such violence.

The Managing Director called for unity between the Yoruba ad Hausa residents of Ife, saying that peace and unity would attract development and posterity to the city.

Ogunwusi, in his remarks, thanked Dangote for the gesture which he described as “encouraging”.

He called for more cooperation between traditional rulers and the private sector, saying that such partnership would benefit the country.

The traditional ruler cautioned youths against resorting to violence over the slightest excuse, pointing out that development was impossible without peace.

He challenged wealthy Nigerians to give something back to the society by emulating Dangote’s humanitarian gestures.

Also speaking, the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido, hailed the Ooni for his leadership role during the crisis, saying that his neutrality helped to douse tension and fear.

“From the north, we were convinced not to issue any public statement after Ooni explained the steps he had taken; he indeed deserves our praise,” he said.

Lamido cautioned Nigerians against hate speech, suggesting that dialogue be used to resolve every disagreement.

Chairman of Ife Progressive Union, Prof. Muib Opeloye, commended the monarchs for facilitating the donation, and described the incident as “unfortunate”.

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God Saves This Woman From Death Not Once Or Twice, But Three Times!

Miracles don’t happen as often as we’d like, but that doesn’t stop us from believing in the Almighty and his powers. He has shown us, in many ways, of his kind, merciful nature that has led to many special stories throughout time. Many people have been blessed to have been graced by his love, just like Lorraine and her mother Emily. Here’s their story:

God Steps in not Once, but Three Times to Save this Woman from Death


In August 2006, Emily told her daughter that she’s experiencing severe pain. Lorraine remembers her mother saying, “It’s a 10. It’s a level 10 pain. It’s very strong.” Emily told her that she had never experienced this pain before and she believes it’s coming from her heart.

Lorraine rushed her mother to the emergency room where a cardiac catheterization test was performed by the hospital staff. During the test, Emily’s heart stopped beating. After 10 minutes of struggling, doctors were able to finally revive her. She had a pulse again and was eventually stabilized. Although Emily was alive again, the results of the test revealed grim news.

A doctor approached Lorraine to give her the bad news. He told her, “It’s very serious; your mom has a torn aorta. There is nothing we can do for her. As per policy, we are going to send her to Iowa City, University of Iowa Hospital. But we know from experience there is really nothing they can do either. It’s a death sentence.” The news shook Lorraine to her very core. This was not what she’d expected and she was very afraid that she may lose her mother.

Faith gives strength
After Lorraine heard the news of her mother’s condition, she called her family to the hospital where they could pray together for Emily’s recovery. She then spent some time with her mother, afraid that she may never get to be with her again. Lorraine said, “I felt like this was the last time I was going to see her alive so as much as I could I spoke to her, told her I loved her, was able to stroke her hair, to kiss her, and that was all I could do. The level of anxiety, the level of grief was very high. At this point, there was no hope, no hope I had been given.”



It is never easy for any child to witness the death of a parent. To lose the person who raised you, looked after you, and who loved you the most in the world is a sadness that cannot be measured. Lorraine was not prepared to let her mother go. Emily was taken to the University of Iowa hospital. When Lorraine pulled up a few minutes after, she noticed a car at the parking lot with the letters Y.H.W.H. on its license plate. YHWH is God’s intimate name, and after seeing the license plate, Lorraine says she felt a divine presence around her. She knew He was there and watching over Emily. She said, “The peace that passes all understanding that guarded my heart and mind kicked in and came over me, and from that moment on, my anxiety was gone. My hopes are eternal and my hopes are in Christ, and I knew where my mom was going no matter what. And I knew the Lord was with me no matter what.”

With faith on her side, Lorraine waited patiently as the doctors at the university hospital conducted new cauterization tests to confirm what the previous doctors had found. After extensive testing, they came to Lorraine with their findings. They said, “We’ve done all the tests that we could and there is no torn aorta.” Lorraine was shocked with the results. What was there a couple of hours ago seems to have completely vanished. She said, “Anything that came out, it was all God.”

However, Emily was not in the clear just yet. The fresh tests revealed that an artery close to her heart had a 90 percent blockage. Doctors quickly rushed Emily into surgery so they could place a stent at the site of the blockage, but when they were about to conduct the procedure, they were surprised to see that the blockage had also completely disappeared.


God works in benevolent ways

After hearing that there was indeed no blockage, Lorraine was overjoyed. She said, “Really, there was nothing the doctors could do. God was doing a healing, and so far, nothing the medical community had done for my mom, they hadn’t been able to touch her. They hadn’t been able to perform anything. Nothing man did was healing her, this was all God. He healed the torn aorta. He removed the blockage.”

Doctors, however, expressed their worries on another issue. Emily was gone for full ten minutes at the previous hospital. Doctors explained to Lorraine that they were unsure of Emily’s brain function. It was unclear if she would have complete brain function after she woke up from the surgery. Emily woke up the following morning and attempted to communicate with Lorraine through sign language. Lorraine said, “My mom was lying on her bed, fully intubated, trying to use sign language. We can’t understand her. Finally, she’s frustrated enough, so they get her a pad like a clipboard and marker, and she writes down, ‘No anterograde or retrograde amnesia. So, I said, ‘Ok, I think her brain function is there, I think she’s back.'”



It was a miracle that Emily showed no signs of any kind of brain damage. Mother and daughter say that they only have God to thank for being able to endure the harrowing experience. Speaking of her side of the story, Emily said, “I know I was touched by God, and I think when He touches you can’t even explain it. It would have been fine with me had I gone that night, but I didn’t and the Lord had something else in store, and I felt fabulous. It was an experience that I will never forget because of the way I felt when I woke up. I just felt like I wanted to stand up and dance and scream and sing and whatever. It just felt so good.”

Today, Emily continues living a healthy life after her triple miracle. Although there are some questions regarding what happened that night, but Lorraine knows that God was with them and helped them through the experience. Of the whole thing, Lorraine said, “The joy of having her back was wonderful, but greater was the peace of having Him with us.”

Only 'God's Hands' Can Explain 3-Y-O Boy's Miraculous Survival in 9th-Floor Fall

 
(Photo: Courtesy of Florencia Nunez)Nino Martin Chain.

A doctor in Argentina has suggested that only God can explain how a 3-year-old toddler miraculously survived after falling from the ninth floor of his apartment block last month, and took only 20 days to recover.

Hospital director Cristina García de Alabarse at the Children's Hospital in San Miguel, Argentina, said that despite being a "woman of science," occurrences such as this leave her looking to the heavens for answers.

Garcia said she has never heard "of a similar case, it is, at the least, unusual that a person could fall from such a height and have so few after effects."

"There are times that for us professionals, there's nothing left but to put ourselves in God's hands. I'm Catholic and I believe that miracles exist. Something happened there," she said, the Catholic News Agency reported on Sunday.

The incident concerning Martin Chain occurred on June 7, Clarin.com reported last month, when the 3-year-old boy fell from the ninth floor while playing on the balcony of his apartment.
Though the boy was rushed to the hospital on the verge of death, he not only survived, but took only 20 days to recover, showing no sign of long-term complications.

The boy's father, identified as Maximo, was apparently preparing food when the boy walked out onto the balcony and climbed over the railing.

Martin fell almost 100 feet down to the ground, and there was nothing to break his impact, the parents said.
"As he peered out, Maxi saw Piti (Martin) face down, lying on a patch of wet ground amid debris. And he saw him move," the mother, Florencia Núñez, said.

The doctors at the hospital were reportedly "stunned" when they saw the crying child was still conscious and hadn't suffered any broken bones.

Martin, however, was placed into a medically induced coma because he had sustained trauma to his abdomen and skull, and suffered a pulmonary contusion which made breathing difficult.

The parents said they "didn't stop praying" for their son's recovery, and their prayers were granted.
"He just has a few problems walking, but it's nothing permanent. With physical therapy he can make a 100 percent recovery," García de Alabarse said.

"He will have to continue with a psychologist, and physical checkups for a while, but we don't expect he'll have major problems long term. It's incredible," she added.

A mother in Ireland also reported experiencing a miracle in August 2016 after her 2-year-old son fell from the sixth-floor balcony to a concrete area on the first-floor of a hotel in Limerick.

"I believe it was a miracle. I believe I got a dig-out, I really do," Martina Shanahan said at the time, according to the Irish Independent.

The boy, Neil, spent five weeks in the Intensive Care Unit at a local hospital but received no physical scars from the event.

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