Ezekwesili Critiques Leaders on Children's Day Amid Insecurity

Oby Ezekwesili, a former Education Minister, criticized Nigerian political leaders, including President Bola Tinubu and Senate President Godswill Akpabio, for their Children's Day messages amid increasing insecurity in Nigeria. In a lengthy post shared on Wednesday, Ezekwesili accused the country's political leadership of failing Nigerian children, who are victims of kidnappings and violence.

She stated that the leaders lack the moral right to celebrate Children's Day while children suffer from poor living conditions and insecurity. Ezekwesili referenced several incidents of school kidnappings across various states, including Oyo, Kebbi, Kaduna, and Sokoto, and highlighted the 2014 abduction of Chibok schoolgirls, which remains unresolved a decade later.

She emphasized that thousands of students have been affected by school kidnappings in recent years, leading to school closures. Ezekwesili argued that political leaders should prioritize tackling insecurity and protecting children rather than issuing ceremonial goodwill messages on Children's Day.