Ezekwesili Slams Benue Over Schoolchildren In Rain For Tinubu

Oby Ezekwesili has criticised the Benue Government for forcing schoolchildren to stand in the rain to welcome President Tinubu amid grief in the state.

Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has criticised the Benue State Government after schoolchildren were reportedly made to stand under the rain to welcome President Bola Tinubu during his recent visit to the state.

The president had visited Benue for the first time since assuming office in May 2023. His trip was to sympathise with victims of the brutal attacks carried out in Guma Local Government Area, where over 200 residents were killed by armed herders in communities such as Mbakyor, Mbasombo, and Mbagwen.

However, videos and images widely circulated online showed pupils, dressed in school uniforms, standing by the roadside in the rain as they awaited the president’s convoy in the state capital, Makurdi. The scene sparked public outrage.

Ezekwesili reacted on social media, calling the act “insensitive and shameful,” especially considering the trauma many families in the state are enduring.

“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 posted.

She went on to accuse both the federal and state governments of consistently neglecting the plight of the people in Benue. According to her, the words of comfort offered by officials during the visit meant little to a population that feels forgotten by its own government.

“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,” she said.

Ezekwesili also referenced her solo protest at the Presidential Villa in 2018 over similar killings, lamenting that the same pattern of violence has continued despite a change in leadership.

“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 wrote.

Ahead of the president’s visit, Governor Hyacinth Alia had declared a public holiday, describing Tinubu’s presence as a source of comfort to the grieving families.

Meanwhile, calls have intensified from human rights advocates and local leaders demanding justice for the victims and urgent action to address the persistent insecurity in the region.
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