Former Anambra State Governor and Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has faulted the federal government’s priorities following First Lady Oluremi Tinubu’s call for birthday well-wishers to donate funds toward completing the National Library in Abuja.
In a statement shared on his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Sunday, Obi praised Mrs. Tinubu’s gesture as “noble and selfless” but said it highlights the federal government’s neglect of key national infrastructure.
“I join millions of Nigerians in wishing Her Excellency, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, a happy birthday. May God grant her many more healthy, fruitful, and happy years,” Obi wrote. “However, I was struck by the irony of reading her request. What kind of country must beg for charity to build the very temple of knowledge?”
The former governor recalled that during his tenure in Anambra, he encouraged friends and associates to channel money meant for congratulatory adverts into education projects such as classroom construction and the provision of computers. He stressed, however, that such contributions were never designed to replace government’s obligations.
Obi further condemned what he described as Nigeria’s misplaced spending priorities, citing billions allocated to “luxury items like presidential jets, yachts, lavish mansions, and endless foreign trips” while a critical project such as the National Library has remained abandoned for decades.
According to him, “A country that consistently fails to complete its National Library but spares no expense on extravagance sends the wrong signal about its values and future.”
