2nd Nigerian Honoured by Her Majesty The Queen of England Cries Out Over Injustice by Nigeria
Wow! This is really sad to read. I had shared Femi Akinmuda's mail here. Read this second email from Yetunde Alice Brown who was also at the event with Femi.
Hello Laila,
My name is Yetunde Brown, one of the participants of the same debate one Femi Akinmuda wrote you about.
Am sure a lot of people would have thought he cooked up the story but thats actually what happened. We were all very young people who didnt have a full understanding of what was done to us as I was barely 14 when it happened.
First I must say that it was not a competition as it was painted hence there was no winner or looser. We were only representatives of our country in a parliamentary debate.
In as much as we have not let this hold us back from making the best out of our individual lives, it would still not change the fact that we were cheated because one of us, Henry Akhara knew someone that knew the Governor (BRF), recoined the story of what happened and took advantage of us.
The British Government did very well by inviting, sponsoring and recognising our efforts for the debate but our own very own country NIGERIA chose to sweep the collective effort under the carpet and praise one person.
Now don't get this wrong Nigerians... this is not about recognition neither is this about bringing someone down. I would be a mother soon and have my own children, I would want my children to know that their mum took part in the World slavery Youth debate; an initiative which brought about solid, long time intervention to racism in my time and also helped intervention of multinational organisations to children in Zimbabwe as at the time they were experiencing economic difficulties.
I would want my children to know not from me, but from their schools that at the tender age of 14, I and four other young minds like mine stood as ambassadors of Nigeria alongside 50 other participants from over 10 different countries from the sub-saharan Africa and UK to put an end to modern day forms of slavery and exploitation in the world...... AN INSPIRATION FOR TEENAGERS.
I wouldn't have come out if Femi had not.... and Pls Pls and Pls my fellow Nigerians, this is not hunger for fame or whatever a lot of people might take this as, rather it's we citizens of Nigeria making the government always do what is right. That's the drive that every youth need.....
If Nigeria supports and encourages success, then a lot more people would have the drive to do bigger things.
Thank you,
Brown Yetunde.