Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has slammed the Benue State Government over the treatment of schoolchildren during President Bola Tinubu’s visit to the state on Wednesday.
President Tinubu was in Makurdi for a condolence visit to victims of the recent deadly attacks in Guma Local Government Area, where over 200 people were reportedly killed by suspected armed herders in Mbakyor, Mbasombo, and Mbagwen communities.
However, videos and photos circulating online sparked outrage, showing schoolchildren standing in the rain along the streets to welcome the president’s convoy. Reacting via her X (formerly Twitter) account, Ezekwesili described the act as “insensitive and shameful.”
“These children, some may be from among the hundreds of families mourning their loved ones in Benue, and are compelled to stand in the rain and give misleaders that have shown ZERO care for them a ‘rousing welcome,’” she wrote.
The former presidential candidate further criticized both the federal and Benue State governments for failing to protect the lives of citizens, saying, “There has been a continuous state of genocide in Benue and no amount of sympathy words by @officialABAT or any government official today would be of effect to a people who feel completely abandoned by the Nigerian State.”
Ezekwesili also recalled her 2018 solo protest at the Presidential Villa over similar killings, lamenting that successive administrations have allowed the violence to persist.
“Both @MBuhari and @officialABAT were and are massively indifferent to what is happening to people in Benue and elsewhere. Same with the state governments. It is such a shame to use citizens as conquered souls,” she added.
Meanwhile, Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia declared a public holiday to mark the president’s visit, insisting it would bring comfort to grieving families. However, human rights groups and community leaders have renewed calls for justice and decisive security action to end the cycle of bloodshed.
