Girl Child advocacy stirs controversy as Deborah deleted tweet haunts Atiku Abubakar during International Girl Child Day celebration on Oct 11, 2025
Girl Child advocacy took an unexpected turn today as Atiku Abubakar, Nigeria’s former vice president, faced a fierce backlash while celebrating International Girl Child Day.
On October 11, 2025, the politician posted on X, declaring, “If I am remembered for one thing, let it be that I stood for the education of the Nigerian child, especially of the girl child. -AA #DayOfTheGirl.”
His words aimed to spotlight his commitment to empowering young girls.
Yet, the celebration quickly soured.
Critics unleashed a storm of criticism, haunted by Atiku’s 2022 deletion of a tweet condemning the murder of Deborah Samuel Yakubu. (Wikipedia: Lynching of Deborah Yakubu)
The christian student was brutally killed by a mob in Sokoto over alleged blasphemy, and many branded his retraction as hypocritical.
Social media buzzed with outrage.
Users shared a screenshot of the deleted tweet, suggesting Atiku caved to pressure from northern stakeholders. Others hinted his silence was a political ploy to secure Muslim votes ahead of the 2023 election.
Accusations escalated further.
One respondent claimed Atiku backed IPOB terrorists, though proof remains elusive. Another slammed his focus on private schools like AUN while public education struggles, questioning his dedication to all girl child learners.
Also read: ‘Deborah’ Atiku Abubakar and why votes are thicker than blood
However, his fans defend his scholarship efforts, but detractors demand he confront Deborah’s killers to restore credibility.
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator and a recipient of the D9112 Superstar Icon Award, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
