Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has condemned First Lady Oluremi Tinubu’s call for birthday well-wishers to contribute to the completion of the National Library in Abuja instead of buying her gifts.
In a post on X titled “We Are Finished”, Obi said it was “shocking and tragic” that Nigeria, despite billions spent on jets, yachts and foreign trips, must now rely on birthday donations to fund a national asset.
“What kind of country must beg for charity to build the very temple of knowledge?” Obi asked.
While wishing Mrs Tinubu a happy birthday, the former Anambra governor said her request underscored the government’s misplaced priorities. He noted that during his tenure, he encouraged supporters to divert advert funds into schools—but stressed such gestures only complemented, not replaced, government responsibility.
“Serious nations treat libraries as sacred. Here, we reduce them to afterthoughts, begging bowls, or birthday tokens,” he wrote.
Obi warned that Nigeria’s future depends not on luxury and vanity, but on investment in education:
“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.”
