No
matter the very strong views many Nigerians hold about the Minister of Finance
and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. (Mrs.) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, it is
difficult not to sympathize with her and her family on the recent kidnapping of
her mother, Mrs. Kamene Okonjo, by heartless
criminals. Mrs. Okonjo, 82, a retired sociology
professor, is the wife of the Obi of Ogwashi-Uku in Aniocha LGA of Delta State.
Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Her
Mother, Mrs. Kamene Okonjo
The five days Mrs. Okonjo spent with her captors must have been one long
traumatic period for the members of the family. Now that she has been freed and
is back home, I must join several other Nigerians to congratulate the finance minister
and her family on the happy end to this horrible nightmare.
It has been quite difficult to determine how exactly Mrs. Okonjo’s freedom
was secured. The public has merely been
treated to a cocktail of speculations even by those who ought to have the facts.
Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan thinks
that the kidnappers may have been panicked by the sudden, heavy presence of
security agents in the area and so decided to release the woman.
