A charitable appeal by Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for her 65th birthday has ignited a sharp debate about national priorities, drawing criticism from former presidential candidate Peter Obi who labeled the situation a sign that “we are finished.” Instead of accepting personal gifts, Mrs. Tinubu had asked well-wishers to donate towards the completion of the long-abandoned National Library headquarters project in Abuja, a gesture she explained was informed by her passion for education.

While the First Lady’s request was praised by some groups as “fantastic and exemplary,” opposition figure Peter Obi offered a stinging critique. He described the appeal as “noble and selfless on the surface,” but argued that it is a profound indictment of the government’s failure to fulfill its basic responsibilities. “What kind of country must beg for charity to build the very temple of knowledge?” Obi questioned in a post on his X account. He highlighted the irony of a nation that easily finds billions for “jets, yachts, unused mansions, [and] endless trips abroad” while relying on birthday donations for a critical intellectual institution.

The controversy underscores a deeper crisis in Nigeria’s education sector. The National Library project, under construction since 2006, has consumed billions of naira yet remains unfinished, operating from a rented building instead of its designated headquarters . This neglect is symptomatic of chronic underfunding across the sector; recent government allocations of 5-8% of the national budget to education fall significantly below the UNESCO-recommended benchmark of 15-20%.

Reactions to the First Lady’s initiative have been mixed. Organizations like the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission and the Yoruba Leaders of Thought commended the move, hoping it would galvanize broader commitment to learning . However, other voices, like the Middle Belt Forum, argued that while commendable, the gesture highlights governmental negligence, suggesting that the First Lady should instead directly appeal to powerful ministries and agencies to fund the project.

Peter Obi concluded that Nigeria’s hope lies not in luxury projects but in investing in its people’s minds. “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,” he stated. Until that shift occurs, he lamented, the state of the National Library stands as a tragic symbol of misplaced priorities.