‘This is not leadership’, says Ezekwesili over Buhari’s silence on deaths of Nigerian migrants

Oby Ezekwesili, former minister of education, is unhappy over President Muhammadu Buhari’s “shocking” silence on the death of 26 Nigerians at the Mediterranean Sea.

The deceased, mostly teenagers, were reportedly sexually abused and murdered while trying to cross the sea.

Abike Dabiri–Erewa, senior special Assistant to the president on foreign affairs and diaspora, had condemned the tragic incident.

“There has to be sustained awareness campaigns on the dangers inherent in such journeys. Migration policies are getting tougher all over,’’ she had said.

But writing via her Twitter handle on Wednesday, Ezekwesili said a presidential aide is “not enough voice to hear when a country loses 26 of her citizens in such embarrassing tragedy in the Mediterranean Sea”.

She said Buhari’s silence on the deaths questions whether the life of every citizen matters.

“President Muhammadu Buhari, shocking that you personally have not acknowledged that 26 of the citizens that you are their president drowned in the Mediterranean Sea and the whole world is talking about it. This is not leadership, sir,” she wrote.

“It is callous for any leadership to never feel the pains that tragedies bring the way of a people. Can your federal government signal to the Nigerian Public that #NigerianCitizensLivesMatter? Can you?”

.@thecableng This heart wrenching news is sadly worsened by the SHODDY manner parents of the deceased would find out. God pls comfort them🙏🏾 https://t.co/LVNmeQCihi

— Oby Ezekwesili (@obyezeks) November 7, 2017

.@MBuhari Shocking that you personally have not acknowledged that 26 of the Citizens that you are their President drowned in the Mediterranean Sea and the whole world is talking about it. This is NOT LEADERSHIP, Sir. #EveryCitizensLifeMatters. https://t.co/jnGCjXauak

— Oby Ezekwesili (@obyezeks) November 8, 2017

.@MBuhari It is CALLOUS for any Leadership to NEVER feel the pains that tragedies bring the way of a people. Can your FG @AsoRock signal to the Nigerian Public that #NigerianCitizensLivesMatter?
Can YOU? https://t.co/6FR3qbKKIw

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— Oby Ezekwesili (@obyezeks) November 8, 2017

Ezekwesili also accused the president of repeating the mistake of the immediate past government in such development.

She wrote: “I recall our public outrage when during the previous administration, then president rather than acknowledge deaths in a bomb blast tragedy was busy at a campaign ground.

“This federal government of President Buhari now repeats same with our 26 girls that drowned in Mediterranean Sea. What Changed?”

I recall our public outrage when during the previous administration, then President rather than acknowledge deaths in a bomb blast tragedy was busy at a Campaign Ground.
This FG of Pres @MBuhari NOW REPEATS SAME with our 26 girls that drowned in Mediterranean Sea. What Changed??

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— Oby Ezekwesili (@obyezeks) November 8, 2017

A total of 375 migrants — including more Nigerians and other sub-Saharan Africans — were reportedly rescued from the Mediterranean Sea at the time the bodies were discovered.

In March this year, 128 migrants, comprising Nigerians and other West Africans, had died in the space of 20 days while crossing the sea, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said then.