As Nigeria marked Children’s Day on Wednesday, grief and outrage overshadowed celebrations across social media, with many Nigerians condemning the continued wave of child abductions and insecurity affecting schools nationwide.
The outrage followed the recent kidnapping of dozens of pupils and teachers from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on May 15, barely 12 days before the annual Children’s Day celebration.
Rather than celebrate, many Nigerians used the occasion to demand urgent government action and call for the safe return of abducted children still held captive by kidnappers and bandits.
Former Minister of Education and co-founder of Transparency International, Obiageli Ezekwesili, led the criticism with a strongly worded open letter addressed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, state governors, and members of the National Assembly.
In a post shared on X, Ezekwesili warned political leaders against issuing what she described as “ghost-written platitudes” while failing to protect Nigerian children.
“Do not dare open your mouths on May 27 to wish Nigerian children a ‘Happy Children’s Day’,” she wrote.
“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.”
The former minister also highlighted the growing number of school abductions across the country,
referencing victims from several mass kidnappings since the infamous Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping.According to her, at least 1,799 students have been abducted in major school attacks over the years, while more than 670 children have reportedly been affected by school kidnappings within the last two years alone.
Ezekwesili further lamented that nearly 19 million Nigerian children remain out of school due to insecurity, poverty, and cultural barriers, describing the situation as one of the worst education crises globally.
She also criticised the political class for what she termed “hypocritical” Children’s Day messages despite worsening poverty, malnutrition, illiteracy, and poor healthcare affecting millions of children.
Her comments quickly gained traction online, with several Nigerians echoing similar frustrations.
Popular social media personality Enioluwa Adeoluwa dedicated the day to abducted children across the country.
“Today, Children’s Day is dedicated to the Ogbomoso children. To the children in the forests. To the children without safety, without protection,” he wrote.
“Children deserve safety. They deserve care. They deserve love from the country they call home. This can never become our new normal.”
Another X user, identified as Nnaemeka and tweeting under the handle #Nwamininnaemeka, wrote, “You don’t get to celebrate children while abandoning them. Today is Children’s Day, and somewhere in Nigeria, a mother is staring at an empty bed that used to hold her child.
”Similarly, medical commentator #OurFavOnlineDoc urged Nigerians to keep speaking
