Govt pledges to revive National Library after 19-year neglect

After years of delay, the Federal Government is set to complete the abandoned National Library project.

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, stated this recently in Abuja during a tour of the edifice in the company of the National Librarian, Prof. Chinwe Anunobi, some senior directors of the Federal Ministry of Education and a team of consultants.

He disclosed that the ministry will resume work on the 19-year-old abandoned project from June this year with the aim of completing basement levels one and two, the ground floor, the first and second floors, as well as external works.

Designed in 1981, construction of the National Library started in 2006 during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to the tune of N8.9bn with an initial completion period of 22 months. However, work stopped in 2012.

It was earlier reported that the contract of the library, which lies fallow on Plot 35, Cadastral Business District, in the Federal Capital Territory, was awarded to Reynolds Construction Company.

Speaking after inspecting the project, Alausa noted that the Tinubu administration had the political will to complete it, but he did not give a specific timeline on when the first phase will be completed.

According to him, although the ministry is still awaiting the consultants’ cost estimate, he acknowledged that completing the national monument would likely require an enormous investment, running into hundreds of billions of naira.

He explained, “Even the quotation that the contractor quoted a few years ago to complete the project was about N90bn.

If we have to go back to do the costing, it will cost into hundreds of billions. But what we have been able to do is to be innovative in moving this project forward. We will begin by finishing basement level one, basement level two, the ground floor, the first floor, the second floor and external works.

“We have enough funds to complete it, but we are still waiting for the final costing based on what the consultants will put together with regards to the bill of quantities. And the contractor will come back to us on how much it is going to cost to do this level of construction.”

He also disclosed that the president has instructed the Tertiary Education Trust Fund to release funds for completion of the project.

He said, “I can tell you today, the president has directed TETFund to put money aside, a certain percentage of their budget, for us to start using for this project.

“We have some money now to move back to the site. We have dedicated funds from TETFund to go back to the site. And I’ve spoken to the consultant and the contractors that we have a deadline of moving back to site on or before June of this year, 2025.”