“We must refuse to normalize failure,” warns Peter Obi as school abductions lose national outrage

Former presidential candidate Petar Obi raised the alarm over what he described as Nigeria’s growing indifference to school kidnappings, warning that repeated tragedies were no longer sparking the national outrage seen in the past.

In a statement referring to the 2014 abduction of schoolgirls in Chibok, Obi recalled how one incident united Nigerians and attracted global attention through #BringbackOurGirls campaign, forcing accountability at the highest levels.

From Čibok to today

He pointed out that Nigeria under former President Muhammadu Buhari recorded ten school kidnappings in eight years, while the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration had already seen more than ten similar incidents in just three years.

According to Obi, the worrying difference is not just the frequency of attacks, but the silence that follows them, with neither sustained national protests nor international pressure comparable to Chibok’s response.

According to him, Nigerians must ask themselves whether insecurity has become so routine that it no longer shocks the conscience of the nation.

Call for youth leadership and action

Obi criticized what he described as a political class more focused on elections than on insecurity, poverty and hardship, warning that such failures have damaged Nigeria’s global standing, with some observers calling the country “Now a disgraced nation.”

He rejected denial and propaganda as solutions, insisting that only leadership that is competent, compassionate, and those responsible can reverse the trend.

Obi called on young Nigerians not to become complacent, stating, “Young Nigerians – take back your country!” and confirming that a “New Nigeria is possible”.

The statements have reignited online debates about insecurity, the responsibilities of leadership and whether Nigerians are slowly becoming desensitized to the tragedies that once united the nation.

Check out the post below…