Peter Obi Slams Remi Tinubu’s National Library Birthday Appeal as “Shocking and Tragic”

Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, has criticized Senator Oluremi Tinubu’s birthday appeal asking well-wishers to donate towards the completion of Nigeria’s National Library in Abuja instead of giving her gifts or placing adverts.

                                      

Obi described the gesture as ironic and troubling, saying that the completion of a critical national project should not depend on birthday donations.

At her recent birthday celebration, Nigeria’s First Lady Oluremi Tinubu urged friends and associates to channel funds for presents and newspaper ads into the construction of the National Library.

On the surface, Obi admitted, the request appeared “noble and selfless.” However, he argued that it exposed the failures of governance in the country.

In a strongly worded post on X titled “We Are Finished”, Obi called the situation “tragic and shocking.”

“It is shocking that, in our present circumstances, while billions are easily found for jets, yachts, unused mansions, endless trips abroad, and other frivolities, the nation must rely on birthday donations to complete its own National Library,” Obi wrote.

He added that serious nations treat libraries as sacred spaces for knowledge, not as charity projects tied to personal celebrations.

Obi contrasted Nigeria’s handling of the National Library with his own time as Governor of Anambra State, where he urged people to channel money for adverts into projects like classroom blocks and computers.

He stressed that such gestures were never intended to replace the government’s responsibility, only to complement it.

“What kind of country must beg for charity to build the very temple of knowledge?” he asked.

Obi accused Nigeria’s leaders of prioritizing luxury and vanity over education:

• Billions spent on private jets, yachts, and foreign trips.

• Neglect of the National Library, which remains abandoned in Abuja.

• A widening gap between the nation’s needs and its leaders’ choices.

He warned that until education becomes the country’s main priority, Nigeria’s progress will remain stalled.

Despite his criticism, Obi extended good wishes to the First Lady:

“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.