Nigeria’s former presidential candidate Peter Obi has sharply criticised First Lady Oluremi Tinubu after she asked well-wishers to donate towards the completion of the National Library in Abuja as part of her birthday celebration.
Mrs Tinubu, who turned a year older recently, urged friends and associates to avoid lavish gifts or newspaper adverts and instead channel their goodwill into finishing the long-abandoned project.
But Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential flagbearer, described the request as “an indictment of the nation,” accusing the government of neglecting its fundamental duty to invest in education while spending extravagantly on luxury.
In a strongly worded statement titled “We Are Finished” on X (formerly Twitter), the former Anambra governor congratulated Mrs Tinubu but said it was “both shocking and tragic” that Nigeria must rely on birthday donations to fund a national institution.
“What kind of country must beg for charity to build the very temple of knowledge?” Obi asked. “While billions are easily found for jets, yachts, unused mansions, and endless trips abroad, the National Library remains abandoned in the capital.”
Obi recalled that during his time as governor he encouraged supporters to channel money for adverts into classroom projects, but insisted such gestures were never a replacement for government’s obligations.
He praised Mrs Tinubu for recognising education as the most enduring legacy but accused the ruling elite of prioritising vanity over knowledge.
“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,” he declared.
The National Library of Nigeria, launched in the 1960s, has been under construction in Abuja since 2006, with successive governments pledging but failing to complete it.
