Former Minister of Education, Obiageli ‘Oby’ Ezekwesili, has written he memo to fellow citizens on the “gruesome genocide” happening in Benue State.
She said, “mere words are no longer enough”, adding, she is not offering “another wave of condolences for acts of genocide against our compatriots in Benue”, and that, “words of sympathy now ring hollow”.
Ezekwesili narrated, in 2018, she “refused to stay silent” and “called out President Buhari relentlessly and embarked on a solo protest march to the Villa when the most horrific massacres were unleashed against the people of Benue.”
And now, in 2025, “under a different administration—@officialABAT—Nigerians are once again in mourning, reeling from another massacre of more than 200 innocent people in Benue.”
Ezekwesili said, she is ready to “stand and fight against a political class that has always valued barrels of oil over human lives.”
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As written by Ezekwesili on her official X account:
A Memo to My Fellow Citizens on the Gruesome Genocide in Benue
Yet another wave of condolences for acts of genocide against our compatriots in Benue? No, my fellow citizens—words of sympathy now ring hollow.
Mere words are no longer enough—not from our leaders, and not even from us as citizens.
Look at the image below.
In 2018, when the most horrific massacres were unleashed against the people of Benue following a series of attacks across the country, it was clear that the then-@NGRPresident and @NigeriaGov did not care. The world watched as our country grew indifferent to the daily slaughter of its own citizens.
I refused to stay silent. I called out President Buhari relentlessly and embarked on a solo protest march to the Villa, demanding immediate and decisive action to end the bloodshed and bring the killers to justice.
Security operatives were ordered to stop me, but I stood my ground—defending my right to protest, determined to send my message directly to @NigeriaGov.
What many citizens—those who looked away, mocked, or dismissed the protest—failed to realize was that if we did not collectively demand action from the @NGRPresident, who holds the constitutional power and duty as Commander-in-Chief to protect Nigerian lives, these killings would become normalized.
And now, here we are—seven years later.
In 2025, under a different administration—@officialABAT—Nigerians are once again in mourning, reeling from another massacre of more than 200 innocent people in Benue.
Nothing has changed. Government after government continues to show utter disregard for the lives of its citizens.
Nigeria, as it stands—led by selfish politicians of the same breed—is simply not working for its people.
Over the weekend, our fellow citizens were slaughtered in cold blood, hundreds lost with gross impunity. And yet again, @officialABAT—the man who now bears the title of Commander-in-Chief of @HQNigerianArmy—has shown zero duty of care toward the deceased, their families, and the millions of Nigerians left in anguish.
How much longer will we, as citizens, tolerate a system led by this wicked band of misleaders—those who lack the empathy and effectiveness needed to end the horror of normalized genocide in our land?
How much longer will we allow Presidents—past and present—to coddle the killers of our people, as President Tinubu did in his feeble and infuriating response to the tragedy in Benue?
When will we, the citizens, finally rise—collectively and unwaveringly—to demand that the President, Senate President, Speaker, Governors, and all those in power put an end to these massacres?
When will we stand as one and fight against a political class that has always valued barrels of oil over human lives?
When will we demand a Nigeria with leadership that serves its people?
When will we say Enough- and truly mean it?
When??
It must be now.
The only condolences that hold meaning for our murdered compatriots in Benue are those backed by actions by standing together against the indifferent, heartless governments that allow this bloodshed to persist.
I am ready.
Photo: Obiageli ‘Oby’ Ezekwesili. Afolabi Sotunde/Reuters via cfr
