“We Are Finished!” – Peter Obi’s Shocking Reaction to Remi Tinubu’s Birthday Request
Former Anambra State Governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has stirred heated conversations after reacting to First Lady Oluremi Tinubu’s 65th birthday request.
While joining millions of Nigerians to wish Mrs. Tinubu a happy birthday, Obi said he was “struck by irony” at her appeal that well-wishers should donate towards completing the long-abandoned National Library in Abuja instead of spending on cakes and congratulatory adverts.
On the surface, Obi described the First Lady’s request as “noble and selfless.” But digging deeper, he called it a sad indictment on Nigeria’s governance, questioning why a project as important as the National Library must wait for birthday donations while leaders find billions for luxury and vanity.
The former governor recalled how, during his tenure in Anambra, he encouraged citizens to redirect funds for adverts into meaningful causes such as school computers and classroom blocks. However, he stressed that such gestures were never meant to replace government responsibilities.
“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 lamented.
Obi further expressed shock that Nigerian leaders acknowledge that “education is the most enduring legacy a nation can give its people” yet continue to neglect it.
He concluded with a chilling remark:
“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.”
Read Full Message @PeterObi
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. -PO
