On Children's Day 2026, prominent figures including former Minister of Education Obiageli Ezekwesili and United Nations Director for Women and Children, Professor Cynthia Amaka Obiorah, delivered sharp criticisms of Nigeria's political leadership over the deteriorating state of child welfare and security. Both women condemned the government's failure to protect children from hunger, abuse, displacement, and lack of education.
Obiorah Calls for Action Beyond Speeches
Professor Obiorah, who also leads the Hope Aglow Charity Foundation, urged Nigerian leaders and citizens to move beyond rhetoric and take concrete actions to safeguard children. In her Children's Day message, she highlighted the harsh realities faced by millions of young Nigerians, including girls forced out of school, children displaced by conflict, and minors struggling to survive on the streets. She emphasized that no Nigerian child should be denied basic rights to safety, healthcare, education, and dignity.
Despite the mounting social and economic challenges, Obiorah described Nigerian children as "brilliant, resilient and full of dreams." She stressed the urgent need for collaboration among government, parents, faith leaders, civil society organizations, and traditional institutions to secure a better future for the younger generation. She also called for increased investment in schools, child protection laws, healthcare, and nutrition, stating: "When we lift the child, we lift Nigeria."
Ezekwesili Condemns Hypocrisy of Leaders
In her statement commemorating Children's Day, Ezekwesili accused the Federal Government, state governors, lawmakers, and the broader political class of failing to protect children from insecurity, poor education, hunger, and preventable diseases. The former Minister of Education warned public office holders against issuing ceremonial Children's Day messages amid persistent kidnappings, poverty, and learning crises affecting millions of children across the country.
Ezekwesili claimed that political leaders lacked the moral authority to celebrate children while many remained victims of abduction, violence, and deprivation. She referenced several school abductions across Nigeria, including the recent kidnapping of students and teachers in Oriire district of Oyo State, as well as previous incidents in Kebbi, Niger, Kaduna, and Sokoto states. She also recalled the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls in 2014, lamenting that several of the girls were still unaccounted for more than a decade later.
Systemic Failures and a National Day of Shame
According to Ezekwesili, successive governments had failed to provide adequate security for schools and communities, while public officials continued to enjoy privileges funded by taxpayers. She further decried the growing number of out-of-school children in Nigeria, rising poverty levels, and what she described as a worsening learning crisis among school-age children. Ezekwesili described the current state of children in Nigeria as a "national day of shame" rather than a moment of celebration, urging political leaders to refrain from issuing what she termed hypocritical Children's Day messages.
