Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has faulted Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for asking Nigerians to channel birthday gifts and newspaper adverts toward the completion of the National Library in Abuja.
In a post shared on X titled “We Are Finished”, Obi said the move reflects poorly on the government, stressing that a nation should not have to rely on birthday donations to complete such a critical project.
While wishing Mrs. Tinubu a happy birthday and praying for her long life, the former Anambra State governor described her request as “both shocking and tragic,” given Nigeria’s spending priorities.
“I was struck by irony reading her request: that instead of cakes or newspaper adverts, well-wishers should donate toward completing the National Library in Abuja. On the surface, it is noble and selfless. But beneath it lies an indictment of our nation,” Obi wrote.
He noted that as governor, he once urged supporters to channel advert money into schools, but that did not excuse the government from its core responsibilities. According to him, the situation becomes an indictment when leaders splurge on jets, yachts, and luxury trips while vital institutions like the National Library are neglected.
“What kind of country must beg for charity to build the very temple of knowledge? Serious nations treat libraries as sacred; but here we reduce them to afterthoughts, begging bowls, or birthday tokens,” Obi added.
He stressed that education, not vanity, should be the nation’s priority: “If Nigeria will rise, it will not be on the wings of jets or the splendour of mansions, but on the strength of minds formed in classrooms and nourished in libraries. Until then, the lament remains true—we are finished.”