Oby Ezekwesili Slams Benue State Government for Forcing Students to Welcome Tinubu in the Rain
Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili has publicly condemned the Benue State government for what she described as a grossly insensitive act making schoolchildren stand under the rain to welcome President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during his visit to the state.
President Tinubu arrived in Markudi the capital of Benue State, for a one-day condolence visit following a series of brutal attacks by suspected armed herders in Yelwata and other parts of Guma Local Government Area. The attacks have left many families in mourning.
To receive the president, schoolchildren were lined up by the roadside in the rain, holding banners and cheering, despite the somber mood in the state and the unfavourable weather. Ezekwesili, expressing her outrage on X (formerly Twitter), questioned the rationale and humanity behind subjecting children some of whom may have lost relatives in the herdsmen attacks to such political display.
In a scathing post, she wrote:
“The saddest part is that some of these children may be from among the hundreds of families mourning their loved ones and yet are compelled to stand in the rain and give misleaders that have shown ZERO care for them a ‘rousing welcome.’”
She went on to criticize the Nigerian political elite, accusing them of consistently failing the people through bad governance, with no real consequences. According to her, such actions reflect a deeper issue in which leaders view citizens as powerless and conquered.
Ezekwesili concluded her statement with a warning:
“They believe the Nigerian citizens are conquered souls. Will it always be so? No, because there is that one Factor that our politicians never add to their equation when they become carried away with and drunk on Public Power.”
Her comments have sparked discussions on social media, with many Nigerians echoing her sentiments and demanding greater accountability and empathy from public officials especially in times of national grief.
