“Nigeria Is Finished” — Peter Obi Reacts To Remi Tinubu’s Birthday Request

Former presidential candidate of the Labour Part, Peter Obi, has criticised the federal government for abandoning the National Library project in Abuja.

Peter Obi’s remarks came after Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, used her upcoming 65th birthday to appeal for donations toward the library’s completion.

She asked friends and well-wishers to contribute to the project instead of sending cakes, flowers, adverts, or other gifts.

In her appeal, the First Lady said: “By the grace of God, I will be turning 65 years old on the 21st of September 2025. I have decided to dedicate the day to God for all His blessings in my life and to have a quiet birthday.

“I wish to appeal to those who would like to send a birthday card, cakes, flowers, greetings in the newspapers, or gifts. Instead, kindly send funds to the designated account for the completion of the National Library. This will be the best birthday present I could receive.”

Obi, while wishing her a happy birthday, said her request showed both “nobility and selflessness,” but also exposed the failure of government.

The former Anambra governor described it as ironic that a project as important as the National Library now depends on private donations.

Reflecting on his days as governor, Obi recalled that he often asked supporters to channel advert money into education, but stressed that it never replaced government’s responsibility.

He expressed shock that a country which easily spends billions on luxury items and frivolous expenses is now looking for charity to complete “a temple of knowledge.”

Peter Obi commended the First Lady’s focus on education, but warned that Nigeria cannot progress if leaders continue to prioritise vanity over knowledge.

He wrote: “We are finished! 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.

“I recall that, as Governor of Anambra State, I too urged that money meant for adverts be channelled into meaningful causes, computers for schools and classroom blocks.

“Such gestures were never meant to replace the government’s duty but to complement it. The state still bore the responsibility of providing those essentials.

“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.

“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.

“Mrs Tinubu was right: education is the most enduring legacy a nation can give its people. Yet to know this truth and still prioritise vanity is both shocking and tragic.

“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.”

KanyiDaily recalls that Peter Obi recently condemned the proposed salary increase for political leaders, describing it as unfair and insensitive given the country’s current economic challenges.