TheCable

The federal government has offered the released Chibok schoolgirls a promise of free education and employment.

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo disclosed this when he visited the 21 girls at a medical facility of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Abuja.

The girls were released on Thursday morning after negotiations – brokered by the Swiss government – with Boko Haram, with government saying Boko Haram prisoners were not swapped for the girls.

A statement by Laolu Akande quoted the vice-president as saying the government would take care of the welfare of the girls.

“You can’t immediately be taken out of here because we need to be sure that you are in very good health,” he said.

“We are also going to see to it that everything that you require going forward, perhaps your education, those who need to go back to school, those who need to find employment; we are going to make sure that we make all the provisions for you.

“The federal government is very committed. The president, in particular, has asked me to tell you how excited he is. When you were away, he kept saying that if it were his daughter, he wouldn’t even know what to do.”