Former Minister Calls Out Tinubu, Senate, Others, Issues Strong Warning: “Do Not Dare"
- Oby Ezekwesili has issued a strongly worded statement warning political leaders against Children’s Day messages
- The former minister accused Nigerian leadership of failing children amid insecurity, abductions, and an education crisis
- She has urged Tinubu, lawmakers, and governors to remain silent unless accountability is provided on child welfare issues
Former Nigerian Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has on Wednesday, May 27, issued a strongly worded public statement where she accused Nigeria’s political leadership of failing children.
Source: UGC
The ex-minister called on them to refrain from marking Children’s Day with celebratory messages.
Legit.ng reports that Children’s Day is observed annually on May 27 in Nigeria to honour children and raise awareness about their rights, education, protection, and overall well-being.
However, in a post shared on X, she directed her message at President Bola Tinubu, the Vice President, governors, federal lawmakers, and state assemblies. She warned them against issuing “Happy Children’s Day” greetings, which she described as inappropriate given the country’s ongoing security and education crisis affecting children.
As she put it:
"Do not dare open your mouths on May 27 to wish Nigerian children a “Happy Children’s Day.” Do not dare release the recycled, ghost-written platitudes your media handlers have already drafted. Do not dare stand in front of cameras, surrounded by carefully arranged children in matching uniforms, to perform a tenderness you have never extended to the millions of Nigerian children you have abandoned, betrayed, and condemned to lives of suffering."
Ezekwesili faults leaders over schooling crisis
Ezekwesili argued that government officials have no moral basis to celebrate Nigerian children while many of them remain victims of insecurity, school attacks, and poor access to education. She referenced multiple past and recent school abductions across the country, including incidents in states such as Oyo, Kebbi, Niger, Kaduna, Sokoto, and others.
Source: Facebook
She mentioned cases involving mass kidnappings of students in recent years, as well as the unresolved Chibok girls’ abduction more than a decade ago.
"You are wishing “Happy Children’s Day” to the children buried under the rubble of Jos, Plateau, Benue, Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Borno, Yobe, and now Oyo - sl@ughtered in their sleep, in their schools, in their churches, in their mosques, in their farms - while your security architecture protects your convoys as you shamelessly drive around politicking in the land your selfishness has turned into a desolate territory," she added.
Ex-minister demands action
Government policies and spending priorities were also criticised, as she argued that public resources have not translated into safer schools, improved education, or better protection for children. She also mentioned issues such as child mortality, malnutrition, and street hawking among children as signs of deeper systemic failure.
In the statement, Ezekwesili said that if government officials must speak on Children’s Day, they should instead account for missing children, publish accurate data on education and child welfare, and outline urgent, measurable actions to address the crisis rather than issuing celebratory messages.
She described the current situation as a “national shame” and insisted that any celebration without accountability would be an insult to affected families.
Ezekwesili concluded by urging political leaders to remain silent if they could not acknowledge what she described as governance failures affecting Nigerian children.
"Again, to President Tinubu and the rest of his ilk in Nigeria’s political class- who have sworn to a covenant of watching unconcerned that our children are abducted and their teachers killed- be silent on this day."
"You have not earned the right to speak to our children today."
"Don’t you dare. Period."
Ezekwesili, Salihu push inclusive governance reform
Previously, Legit.ng reported that former minister Obiageli Ezekwesili and development expert Amina Salihu called for inclusive policies in Nigeria to address inequality and expand opportunities for marginalised groups during an Abuja event.
Ezekwesili warned that societies that fail to prioritise inclusion risk social and democratic breakdown,
Source: Legit.ng
