Obi also noted that Nigeria’s future doesn’t depend on luxury, but “strength of minds formed in classrooms and nourished in libraries.”
By Kehinde Okeowo
Labour Party (LP) 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi has faulted a request by the president’s wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, while announcing her 65th birthday.
He criticised the First Lady’s birthday wish on Monday via a post he shared on his official X page.
Several media outlets had earlier reported that Mrs.Tinubu asked anyone wishing to celebrate her with gifts or newspaper adverts to channel such gestures to the completion of the National Library in Abuja.
Reacting to her request, Obi said Nigeria does not need to wait for birthday gifts before completing its National Library.
While wishing Senator Tinubu a happy birthday, the former Anambra State governor said he was “struck by the irony” of her request, describing it as “noble and selfless” on the surface but ultimately “an indictment of our nation.”
ALSO READ: Tinubu to wife, Remi, at 65: Nigeria owes you more than many will ever know
He went on to reflect on his time as governor, saying he asked that money meant for adverts be used for education instead, but added that “the state still bore the responsibility of providing those essentials.”and that “Such gestures were never meant to replace the government’s duty but to complement it.”
He noted 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 asked, “What kind of country must beg for charity to build the very temple of knowledge?” and said, “Serious nations treat libraries as sacred; but here we reduce them to afterthoughts, begging bowls, or birthday tokens.”
He, however, praised Tinubu’s emphasis on education, saying, ”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, thereafter, warned that Nigeria’s future depends not on luxury, but on “the strength of minds formed in classrooms and nourished in libraries.” Until then, he said, “we are finished.”
