Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has criticised President Bola Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, governors, and other political leaders over Children’s Day messages amid growing insecurity and repeated school abductions across Nigeria.
In a lengthy post shared on X on Wednesday, Ezekwesili accused the country’s political leadership of failing Nigerian children and lacking the moral right to celebrate Children’s Day while many children remain victims of kidnapping, violence, and poor living conditions.
Addressing the President, Vice President, governors, members of the National Assembly, and state lawmakers, the former minister said Nigerian leaders had “abandoned, betrayed and condemned” children to hardship and insecurity.
She referenced several incidents of school kidnappings in states including Oyo, Kebbi, Niger, Kaduna, and Sokoto, as well as the 2014 abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls, many of whom are still missing more than a decade later.
According to her, the repeated attacks on schools and mass abductions reflect leadership failure and the inability of government to guarantee the safety of children.
Ezekwesili further stated that thousands of students have been affected by school kidnappings in recent years, while insecurity has forced many schools to shut down.
She argued that political leaders should prioritise tackling insecurity and protecting children instead of issuing ceremonial Children’s Day goodwill messages.
“To the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Vice President, the Governors of the 36 States, the Federal Executive Council, the Members of the National Assembly, the State Houses of Assembly, and the entire political class that has captured and destroyed the Nigerian state:
“Do not dare.
“Do not dare open your mouths on May 27 to wish Nigerian children a ‘Happy Children’s Day.’
“You have no moral standing to wish anything to Nigerian children. None,” part of her statement read.
