Former Minister of Education and co-founder of the #BringBackOurGirls movement, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, has issued a stern warning to President Bola Tinubu, state governors, the National Assembly, and Nigeria's political class, asserting that they have forfeited the moral right to celebrate Children's Day. In a lengthy post on X on Wednesday, May 27, which is Children's Day in Nigeria, Ezekwesili accused the political elite of abandoning, betraying, and condemning Nigerian children to lives of suffering.
Ezekwesili's Strong Words
Do not dare open your mouths on May 27 to wish Nigerian children a Happy Children's Day, she wrote. You have no moral standing to wish anything to Nigerian children. None. The former minister cited a series of abductions and governance failures as evidence of systemic neglect.
Background of Oby Ezekwesili
Ezekwesili is a prominent voice on governance and education in Nigeria. She served as Minister of Education from 2006 to 2007 and Minister of Solid Minerals from 2005 to 2006. She later became Vice President of the World Bank for the Africa Region from 2007 to 2012. A co-founder of Transparency International and the #BringBackOurGirls movement, she was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in 2015. She ran for president in 2019 and has remained a consistent critic of the political establishment.
Specific Incidents Cited
Ezekwesili catalogued a damning list of abductions, including the seizure of 39 students and seven teachers from schools in Oriire district of Oyo State on May 15, 2026; the abduction of 303 students and 12 teachers from St. Mary's Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State in November 2025; and the kidnapping of 287 students from Government Secondary School in Kuriga, Kaduna State in March 2024. She also referenced the Chibok girls, over 90 of whom remain missing more than 12 years after their abduction on April 14, 2014.
Hunger and Education Crisis
Beyond abductions, Ezekwesili highlighted the hunger crisis, citing a UN World Food Programme estimate that 35 million people could go hungry in Nigeria in 2026. She noted that millions of children suffer from stunted growth and diminished development due to governance failure. She also cited figures showing about 19 million Nigerian children (27 percent) do not attend school, and 70 percent of children aged 10 cannot read a simple sentence.
This is not a Happy Children's Day, she wrote. The reality is a National Day of Shame. Ezekwesili closed with a direct message to the president and political class: A government that cannot protect its children has forfeited the right to celebrate them. You have not earned the right to speak to our children today. Don't you dare. Period.
