Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s candidate for president in 2023, has criticized the Nigerian government for not taking care of important national issues after Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, made a birthday request.
Obi sent a message on his X account to greet Mrs. Tinubu a happy birthday and praise her for asking people to donate to the completion of the long-abandoned National Library in Abuja instead of spending money on birthday cakes or newspaper ads.
But the former governor of Anambra State said that the appeal, even though it was well-intentioned, was a clear sign of how bad the government is in Nigeria, according to Channels TV.
“What kind of country has to beg for money to build the temple of knowledge?” Obi asked.
“What kind of leaders spend trillions on luxury and vanity while the National Library, our intellectual furnace, sits empty in the capital?”
Even though the National Library has received several budgetary allocations, it is still not done after more than ten years of work.
Obi pointed out how ironic it is that a country with so much money, often used for private jets, government homes, and travels abroad, has to rely on private donations to support an important national institution.
Obi said that when he was governor, he told those who wanted to help to use their ad money to improve school buildings. However, he said, this was always meant to be in addition to the government’s duties, not instead of them.
He remarked, “These kinds of actions were never meant to take the place of the government’s duty, but to support it.” “The state was still responsible for providing those basic needs.”
Mrs. Tinubu asked friends and supporters to send money for her birthday to the National Library project instead. People have had various reactions to this request.
Some people regard the action as a sign of humility and public spirit, while others, like Obi, see it as a sign of a bigger problem with administration.
Obi stated, “Serious countries treat libraries like they are holy.”
“But here we turn them into afterthoughts, begging bowls, or birthday gifts.”
Obi said that Nigeria’s future does not depend on luxury or political theater, but on education and giving its people authority.
He remarked, “Nigeria will not rise on the wings of jets or the beauty of mansions, but on the strength of minds formed in classrooms and fed in libraries.”
“Until then, the sadness is still true: we are done.”
The president has not yet said anything about Obi’s comments.
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