SUNTV Global Channel | News Desk | May 27, 2026
Former Minister of Education and reform advocate, , has criticized Nigeria’s political leadership, including President , state governors, and lawmakers, over what she described as the continued failure to protect Nigerian children amid rising insecurity and school kidnappings.
In a statement released on Children’s Day, Ezekwesili said it was inappropriate for political leaders to issue celebratory messages while thousands of children remain victims of abductions, displacement, and trauma caused by ongoing insecurity across the country.
She argued that repeated attacks on schools have exposed a deep governance failure, insisting that leaders have “lost moral authority” to publicly celebrate Nigerian children while failing to ensure their safety.
Ezekwesili referenced several high-profile mass kidnappings across Nigeria in recent years, including incidents in Oyo, Kebbi, Niger, Kaduna, and other states, where students and teachers were abducted from schools and hostels.
She highlighted the ongoing pain of families affected by the Chibok abduction, noting that many victims remain missing more than a decade later. According to her, the persistence of such tragedies reflects what she described as a “normalized crisis of insecurity” affecting the education sector.
The former minister also cited cases such as the Kuriga abduction in Kaduna State, the Kankara and Dapchi incidents in the North, and other repeated school attacks that have disrupted education and forced temporary or prolonged school closures in several communities.
Ezekwesili accused the Nigerian political class of responding to the crisis with indifference and routine statements rather than decisive action, arguing that the safety of schoolchildren remains largely unguaranteed in many regions despite repeated promises.
She stressed that it is unacceptable for leaders to deliver ceremonial Children’s Day messages while families continue to grieve missing children and communities live under fear of attacks.
Nigeria has faced persistent insecurity in several regions, with armed groups frequently targeting schools for ransom and intimidation. The situation has raised widespread concern among parents, educators, and civil society organizations over the safety of learning environments.
Ezekwesili concluded that until meaningful protection is restored for children and schools across the country, public celebrations of Children’s Day remain, in her view, “empty symbolism.”
