The First Lady of Nigeria, Oluremi Tinubu, has appealed to Nigerians to make birthday donations to support the completion of the National Library project.
The former lawmaker, who turns 65 on September 21, 2025, said in a video message that she would dedicate the day to God and to a cause close to her heart, instead of hosting a lavish celebration.
“By the special grace of God, I will be turning 65 years old on the 21st September 2025, and this happens to be a Sunday.
“This is why I have decided to dedicate the day to God for all his blessings in my life and having a quiet birthday,” she said.
The First Lady made a direct appeal to Nigerians, urging them to send financial contributions instead of cards, cakes, flowers, or newspaper greetings.
“I wish to appeal to those who would like to send a birthday card, cakes, flowers, greetings in the newspapers or gifts should please send the funds to the designated account for a special project close to my heart among many others.
‘The completion of the National Library, this would be the best birthday present I could receive.
“My love for education has informed my decision to dedicate my birthday to this worthy cause,” she added.
The fund, according to her, is coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Education under the “Oluremi at 65 Education Fund”, Zenith Bank Plc, account number 1310314977.
Her spokesperson, Bukola Kukoyi, also took to X to warn the public about fake accounts.
“Announcement from the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria… Please discredit any other account information,” Kukoyi posted.
In March, Tunji Alausa, the Minister of Education, announced that the federal government intended to complete the first phase of the National Library project by June 2025.
However, there has been no publicly available update on the project’s completion status since that announcement.
The National Library was originally designed in 1981, with construction starting in 2006 and an initial completion target set for 2008.