“We Are Finished” – Peter Obi Criticizes Oluremi Tinubu’s Birthday Appeal for National Library Funds

On September 21, 2025, Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, extended birthday wishes to Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, on her 65th birthday but strongly criticized her appeal for donations toward completing the long-abandoned National Library project in Abuja.

In a statement, Obi described the First Lady’s request as “noble and selfless” but also “an indictment of national leadership priorities.” He noted that while successive governments have allocated huge sums to luxury items such as presidential jets, foreign trips, and mansions, the National Library begun in 1995 and reportedly at just 60% completion after over N30 billion spent remains uncompleted.

“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,” Obi wrote.

He drew a parallel with his time as governor of Anambra State, recalling how he encouraged supporters to fund educational causes instead of adverts for him. However, he emphasized that such gestures were meant to complement not replace the government’s duties.

The former governor concluded with a stark warning:

“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.”

The remarks sparked mixed reactions. Supporters praised Obi for spotlighting fiscal irresponsibility, while critics including Reno Omokri accused him of hypocrisy, citing what they claimed were shortcomings during his governorship.

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