‘We are finished’ — Obi says Remi Tinubu’s birthday request an indictment of government

Peter Obi, ex-governor of Anambra, has reacted to first lady Remi Tinubu’s request that gifts for her birthday be channelled towards completing the National Library in Abuja.

The first lady had urged friends and well-wishers to donate towards the project instead of offering presents or placing adverts in newspapers to celebrate her.

She added that her love for education informed her decision to dedicate her birthday to the project.

In a post on X titled ‘We Are Finished’, Obi said it was wrong for a nation like Nigeria to depend on birthday donations to complete a critical national institution.

The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections said the country wastes resources on frivolities while neglecting education.

“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,” he wrote.

“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 while he also encouraged citizens to channel money for adverts into social causes during his stint as governor, it was never to replace government’s primary responsibility.

“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,” he said.

“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.”

He described the current scenario as “shocking and tragic”, pointing out that government easily finds money for luxuries while public institutions like the national library remain neglected.

“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,” Obi wrote.

“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?”

Obi praised the first lady for acknowledging the importance of education but said prioritising vanity despite knowing this truth reflects a deep national failure.

“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,” he added.

“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.”