Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has reacted to the birthday message of Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, describing it as a reflection of the country’s misplaced priorities.
In a statement on Sunday, Obi joined other Nigerians in wishing the First Lady a happy birthday, praying for her continued health and happiness. However, he expressed shock at her call for well-wishers to donate toward the completion of the National Library in Abuja rather than spending money on cakes or newspaper adverts.
“I join millions of Nigerians in wishing Her Excellency, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu, a happy birthday. May God Almighty, who has been with her all these years, grant her many more healthy, fruitful, and happy years.
“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 said.
The former Anambra State governor explained that while he had previously encouraged people to redirect funds from adverts to meaningful causes, such initiatives were meant to complement government efforts not replace them.
“That is why 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,” he stated.
Obi lamented the neglect of education and critical infrastructure, stressing that the long-abandoned National Library project stands as a symbol of failed leadership.
“What kind of country must beg for charity to build the very temple of knowledge? 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.”
He concluded by reiterating that Nigeria’s progress will depend not on extravagance but on deliberate investment in education and 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.”
