Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has criticized the Federal Government over the continued abandonment of the National Library in Abuja, describing the situation as “a tragic reflection of misplaced priorities.”
Obi, in a statement marking the birthday of First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, commended her request that instead of cakes or newspaper adverts, well-wishers should donate toward the completion of the National Library project.
While acknowledging the gesture as noble, Obi said it was ironic and an indictment of governance in Nigeria.
“On the surface, it is noble and selfless. But beneath it lies an indictment of our nation,” Obi said.
The former Anambra State governor recalled that during his tenure, he also urged that funds for adverts be redirected to meaningful causes such as computers for schools and classroom blocks.
However, he stressed that such gestures should only complement government efforts, not replace them.
“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 lamented.
He questioned the values of leaders who prioritize luxury over education.
“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?” he asked.
Obi maintained that serious nations treat libraries as sacred, while Nigeria has reduced 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,” he added.
The former presidential candidate insisted that Nigeria’s development will only come through investment in education, not wasteful spending. “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.
