Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 Elections, Peter Obi, has responded to the birthday message of Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, describing it as a reflection of the country’s misplaced priorities.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Obi joined Nigerians in celebrating the First Lady, wishing her good health and more years of happiness.
“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,” Obi stated.
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The former Anambra State governor, however, expressed surprise at the First Lady’s request that instead of cakes or newspaper adverts, well-wishers should donate towards completing the National Library project in Abuja.
“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.
Obi noted that while he had previously encouraged people to channel resources meant for adverts into meaningful ventures, such efforts were only intended to complement government responsibility and not replace it.
He lamented the neglect of education and critical infrastructure, stressing that the long-abandoned National Library project was a symbol of Nigeria’s leadership failures.
“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 queried.
The Labour Party presidential candidate further emphasized that Nigeria’s progress would not be measured by extravagance but by genuine investment in education and intellectual development.
“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,” Obi declared.
