ADA Faults Children’s Day Celebrations Amid Captive Nigerian Children
The All Democratic Alliance (ADA) has criticized the celebration of Children’s Day across Nigeria, describing the fanfare and festivities as insensitive while some Nigerian children remain in captivity.
In a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja, the party said it was deeply concerned that governments at different levels proceeded with elaborate celebrations despite the continued abduction of children by kidnappers and terrorists.
ADA argued that Children’s Day should symbolize safety, dignity, and hope for every child, noting that the occasion loses its meaning when some children are unable to celebrate because they are being held against their will.
“It is contradictory and callous to mark the day with parades, concerts, and pageantry when some children cannot celebrate because they are in captivity, while their parents continue to live in grief and uncertainty,” the statement read.
The party said the government should have observed the day with sobriety and national reflection rather than celebrations.
According to ADA, the continued captivity of even one Nigerian child diminishes the dignity and future of all children in the country.
“To ignore that reality and carry on with celebration as usual is to insult the pain of the affected families and to trivialize the duty of the state to protect its most vulnerable citizens,” the statement added.
The party called on authorities to suspend what it described as non-essential fanfare and instead channel resources and energy toward securing the release of abducted children and preventing further kidnappings.
ADA maintained that Nigerians expected concrete action and accountability from leaders on Children’s Day, rather than ceremonies that could worsen the sense of abandonment felt by affected families.
The party also expressed solidarity with children still in captivity and their parents, insisting that there could be no genuine reason for celebration until every abducted child is rescued and safe.
The statement was signed by the National Publicity Secretary of ADA, Hon. Leye Igbabo.
