Peter Obi isn’t holding back his frustration with Nigeria’s leadership priorities.
The former Labour Party presidential candidate has publicly criticized the government after First Lady Oluremi Tinubu asked people to skip birthday gifts and newspaper ads, suggesting they donate to complete the National Library in Abuja instead.
While Obi wished Mrs. Tinubu well on her birthday Sunday, posting congratulations on X, he couldn’t hide his dismay at what the request really represents about Nigeria’s broken priorities.
“We are finished!” Obi wrote, capturing the exasperation many Nigerians feel. “I join millions of Nigerians in wishing Her Excellency, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, a happy birthday. May God grant her many more fruitful years.”
But that’s where the pleasantries ended.
Obi painted a stark picture of a country that somehow finds billions for presidential jets, luxury yachts, empty mansions, and constant foreign trips, yet can’t fund its own National Library without birthday charity drives.
“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 said.
The former Anambra State governor knows something about redirecting celebration money toward education.
During his time in office, he encouraged people to put money they would have spent on birthday newspaper ads into school projects instead.
But here’s the key difference he emphasized: those donations were meant to supplement government investment, not replace it entirely.
His questions cut deep: “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?”
For Obi, this isn’t just about a building or even about libraries. It’s about what Nigeria chooses to value.
He argues the country can’t build its future on “jets and mansions” but needs to invest in the foundations of learning – classrooms, libraries, and education infrastructure.
“Mrs. Tinubu was right: education is the most enduring legacy a nation can give its people. Yet, to know this truth and still prioritize vanity is both shocking and tragic,” Obi concluded.
The criticism highlights a broader conversation about government spending priorities in Nigeria, where citizens increasingly question why luxury items receive funding while basic infrastructure projects languish incomplete.
