Victor Ezeja
Former Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, has berated the Benue State government for instructing students to line up by the roadside to welcome President Bola Tinubu to the state.
Prime Business Africa reports that President Tinubu visited on Wednesday, paid a condolence visit to the state following the attack on Yelwata Community in Guma Local Government Area of the state last Friday. The attack left over 200 people dead and several others injured.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelVideos circulating on social media show students queuing by the roadside in Makurdi, the state capital, to welcome the President despite the rain and poor weather.
Reacting to that, Dr Ezekwesili, in a post via her X handle, decried the protocol. She expressed the concern that some of the children, who were asked to line up by the roadside, might be from among the hundreds of families mourning their loved ones.
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Her post reads: “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.’
“Things like this are why the uncaring political class of Nigeria has nothing to disincentivize their Bad Behavior and the Poor Governance it produces.
“They believe the Nigerian citizens are conquered souls.
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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.”
Meanwhile, the Benue State government declared a public holiday for the president’s visit.
The incident generated reactions online, with some calling on the state governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, to place priority on the health of the students, not his own interests.
Some critics had earlier criticised the state government for organising what they described as a jamboree to welcome the president while various families are grieving the loss of their loved ones in the horrendous attacks
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
