Why Peter Obi Declared 'We Are Finished' Over Remi Tinubu's Birthday Request | READ DETAILS

.... Labour Party leader slams First Lady's call for birthday well-wishers to fund National Library, questions why Nigeria must beg for charity to build a national monument while trillions are wasted on luxury.

By All Facts Newspaper

Presidential hopeful and Labour Party's 2023 candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has sparked a storm of controversy after lashing out at Nigeria's First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, over her birthday request that well-wishers should donate towards completing the abandoned National Library in Abuja instead of buying her cakes or paying for newspaper adverts.

In a strongly worded post on X titled "We Are FinishedÔÇØ, Obi described the First Lady's request as "shocking and tragic,ÔÇØ arguing that it exposed the depth of Nigeria's misplaced priorities.

Obi, a former Governor of Anambra State, said it was an indictment on the government that a critical national project like the National Library - the "temple of knowledgeÔÇØ - should be left at the mercy of birthday donations, while billions are readily available for private jets, luxury yachts, endless foreign trips, and unused mansions.

"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,ÔÇØ Obi thundered.

While acknowledging the First Lady's recognition that "education is the most enduring legacy,ÔÇØ Obi accused the government of hypocrisy, stressing that knowing the truth and still prioritizing vanity over education was a betrayal of Nigerians.

He recalled that during his time as governor, he redirected funds for birthday adverts into computers for schools and classroom blocks - but made it clear that such gestures were meant to complement government efforts, not replace its responsibility.

"That is why it is shocking that in our present circumstances, while billions are easily found for frivolities, the nation must rely on birthday donations to complete its own National Library,ÔÇØ Obi wrote.

The Labour Party leader's outburst has ignited fierce debate nationwide, with some Nigerians praising him for speaking truth to power, while others accuse him of politicizing a noble gesture.

Still, Obi's final words resonated widely:

"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.ÔÇØ