Former Anambra State Governor and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has criticised the birthday appeal made by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, describing it as an indictment of Nigeria’s leadership priorities.
Mrs Tinubu, who marked her 65th birthday on Sunday, had urged well-wishers to channel any intended gifts or newspaper adverts towards the completion of the long-abandoned National Library in Abuja.
In a statement shared via his X handle on Monday, Obi congratulated the First Lady but faulted her appeal, insisting that the responsibility of completing the project lies with the government, not private donations.
“I join millions of Nigerians in wishing Her Excellency, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu, a happy birthday. May God Almighty grant her many more healthy, fruitful, and happy years,” Obi wrote.
“However, 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 recalled making similar appeals during his time as governor, when he asked supporters to redirect advert funds toward projects such as school computers and classroom blocks. He stressed, however, that such gestures were meant to complement—not replace—the government’s duty.
He lamented that despite the country’s ability to fund luxury expenditures like private jets, yachts, unused mansions, and frequent trips abroad, the National Library remains incomplete.
“What kind of country must beg for charity to build the very temple of knowledge?” Obi asked. “What kind of leaders waste trillions on luxury and vanity, while the National Library – our intellectual furnace – remains abandoned in the capital? Serious nations treat libraries as sacred; but here we reduce them to afterthoughts, begging bowls, or birthday tokens.”
The former governor emphasised that true national progress rests on education and intellectual development, not extravagant spending.
“Nigeria cannot rise 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,” he concluded.
