Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has condemned the escalating insecurity under President Bola Tinubu, warning that Nigeria is teetering on the brink of institutional collapse.
Speaking on social media on Monday, Ezekwesili linked the recent spate of violent attacks and mass abductions, including the Kwara worshippers’ attack and the Kebbi schoolgirl kidnappings, to “systemic corruption” that has eroded the country’s key institutions, including the military and judiciary.
“Failing to protect Nigerian children is the highest acceptance of governing without legitimacy, Mr President. Cancerous systemic corruption has metastasised into our political culture and is now imploding Nigeria,” she said.
Ezekwesili, a co-convener of the Bring Back Our Girls campaign, argued that the recurring kidnappings are not isolated incidents but “proof of state failure in its most basic duty — protecting our greatest human asset.”
She cited UNICEF and Save the Children data, noting that more than 1,680 students were abducted in 70 attacks between 2014 and 2022, with an additional 816 students kidnapped in 22 school attacks from 2023 to November 2025.
“The latest abducted children are not just hostages of terrorists; they are hostages of the unforgivable failure of governments and a political class that refuses to act.
After ten years since Chibok, the government can no longer claim ignorance. What we have is deliberate negligence — and deliberate negligence is a crime,” Ezekwesili added.
Her remarks come amid growing international scrutiny. U.S. President Donald Trump recently designated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern,” citing “mass slaughter” of Christians and warning that U.S. aid and military support could be reconsidered if the situation worsens.
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