Late President Buhari Listed Among Donors to Remi Tinubu’s Controversial ₦20bn Birthday Fundraiser

Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi (Remi) Tinubu, announced on Tuesday that her “Oluremi@65 Education Fund” — an appeal launched around her 65th birthday to complete the long-delayed National Library headquarters in Abuja — has raised ₦20.4 billion (reported at ₦20,456,188,924.93). Several high-profile figures and institutions were named among contributors, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice-President Kashim Shettima (and his wife), and the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, whose name appears on the list of acknowledged well-wishers. (Premium Times Nigeria)

Here was the announcement

At a State House briefing on 23 September 2025, the First Lady said the fundraiser — coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Education and managed through a designated Zenith Bank account — had reached roughly ₦20.4 billion as of 2pm that day. She said the account would remain open until December 2025 to receive further donations. The account’s official signatories were identified as the Minister of Education and the Chief Librarian of the Federation. (Premium Times Nigeria)

Donors named in media reports

Multiple Nigerian outlets that covered the First Lady’s announcement named a combination of political officeholders, former officeholders, corporate titans and institutional groupings as contributors. Reported donors include (as publicly acknowledged by Mrs. Tinubu and cited in press coverage):

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. (Premium Times Nigeria)
Vice President Kashim Shettima and his wife. (Premium Times Nigeria)
The late former President, Muhammadu Buhari. (Listed among “contributors” in the First Lady’s remarks.) (Premium Times Nigeria)
Several former first ladies. (Premium Times Nigeria)
Senate President Godswill Akpabio and his wife. (Premium Times Nigeria)
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, and his wife. (Premium Times Nigeria)
Members of the National Assembly. (Premium Times Nigeria)
Nigeria Governors’ Forum and governors’ spouses. (Premium Times Nigeria)
Security chiefs and their wives. (Premium Times Nigeria)
Prominent business figures and moguls, including Aliko Dangote, Abdulsamad Rabiu, Arthur Eze, Tony Elumelu, Jim Ovia, among others. (Premium Times Nigeria)

Important clarification: media accounts so far report these names as contributors acknowledged by the First Lady during her briefing. None of the mainstream reports published a fully itemized, donor-by-donor ledger showing exact amounts per donor. Where outlets quote the First Lady, they list prominent contributors and categories rather than providing an exhaustive, verified list with amounts. (Premium Times Nigeria)

Reaction and controversy

The fundraising drive has drawn mixed reactions:

Supporters say the appeal is a pragmatic civic-minded way to fund a stalled national asset and that channeling gifts into an enduring public project is a fitting birthday initiative. The First Lady framed the fund as a non-political, education-focused appeal. (Arise News)
Critics, notably former presidential candidate Peter Obi, argued the need for birthday appeals to complete a national library exposes failings in government budgeting and priority setting — suggesting it is inappropriate for essential public infrastructure to rely on private well-wishers. This critique and similar ones have been widely reported in the national press. (Vanguard News)
Transparency advocates and some editorial writers have raised questions about the nature of the donations (private vs. public), governance of the fundraiser, accountability and whether a full, public disclosure of donor names and amounts should be published so Nigerians can understand exactly how public and private actors contributed. (The Guardian Nigeria)

What’s known about governance of the fund

The First Lady said the fund is coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Education, and the account will remain open through December 2025. She said the designated signatories are the Minister of Education and the Chief Librarian of the Federation — a move intended, she said, to show official oversight. However, concrete published details (for example, a publicly posted audited breakdown or a donor register with amounts) have not been released to the public at the time of reporting. (Punch Newspapers)

Why the this matters

The National Library headquarters project has been under construction for many years, with widely varying published cost estimates and repeated delays. The appeal highlights persistent funding and delivery gaps for major public infrastructure. (Punch Newspapers)
Donations from sitting and former presidents, senior officials, top business figures and institutional groupings create political optics that critics say deserve close public scrutiny — especially when the donation drive overlaps with high-stakes national politics. (Premium Times Nigeria)

Bottom line for accountability

At present, reputable national outlets confirm that ₦20.4 billion has been publicly announced as raised and that a number of prominent individuals and groupings — including the late Muhammadu Buhari — were acknowledged among contributors. But no exhaustive, independently verified list of every donor and the amounts given has been published in the mainstream press. For full public accountability, watchdogs and members of the public are likely to press for:

A publicly accessible donor register or audited statement showing donors and amounts (or a statement explaining why such a register will not be published).
Periodic audits of the fund and clear reporting on how funds are disbursed to the National Library completion project.
Clarification from the Ministry of Education on timelines, procurement and project management once funds are applied. (Premium Times Nigeria)

Sources

Reporting used to compile this story includes coverage of the First Lady’s statement and press briefing by Premium Times, Punch, The Tribune, PM News and Arise TV. These outlets supplied the totals announced and the names/categories of contributors that Mrs. Tinubu publicly acknowledged. Where available, those news update were cited above. (Premium Times Nigeria)