27/05/2026
"Unhappy" Children's Day: Apostle Johnson Suleman Children's Day message to the Nigerian Government
The primary responsibility of the government is to protect lives and properties.
The moment a government can't protect lives and properties, especially those of vulnerable children, then that government has lost the trust of the people.
On a day like this, when we should be celebrating our children, one's heart is heavy when you remember that almost fifty (50) were recently abducted in Oyo State
Some of these children in question are as young as two (2) years, with the oldest being barely seventeen years.
One's heart is truly pained and burdened because despite this mishap and several of all such abductions that have taken place in recent times the present government continues to trivialize all such dastard acts while they prefer instead bask in the euphoria of some phantom primary election.
Even as an age long Arsenal fan who has waited for arsenal to win trophies, I am still unable to celebrate the recent Arsenal victories because of these children who continue to wallow in captivity away from the warmth and protection of their homes and parents.
My cry and lamentation isn't partisan as I have always advocated for good governance irrespective of who or which party is power, and sometimes I have done this at the expense of my own personal comfort
This is a Clarion call once more and again for the Government to wake up to its responsibility because these abducted children didn't choose to be born Nigerians nor do they deserve the insensitivity of the government towards their plight
Please note that if our children are not safe, our mothers and women can't be settled and if mothers and women are not settled then fathers and men can't focus and there is no quicker way to bring a nation to its knees quicker than destabilizing men and fathers who are the natural protectors and defenders of the homes which is the basic unit of social existence.
To the Government of the Day, therefore, I say "Unhappy Children's Day" and shame on all of us for not being able to protect our children.
May God deliver us in this country from unreasonable and wicked men who masquerade themselves as leaders and defenders of our nation State but who are actually pretenders concerned only about power that gives them access to our common patrimony.
Rev Olu Martins
(Media)
