The Federal Government has secured about N25 billion from gifts received by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu during her birthday celebration, alongside funding from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, to revive the long-abandoned National Library of Nigeria headquarters in Abuja.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Sunday, saying the Federal Executive Council had approved an augmentation of the existing contract for the completion and comprehensive furnishing of the National Library headquarters complex.
The project, which was launched on April 29, 2006, was originally expected to be completed within two years. However, construction was halted in October 2008, leaving the facility abandoned for nearly two decades.
Alausa said President Bola Tinubu had directed the ministry to identify reliable funding sources to ensure that the project was completed.
According to the minister, the First Lady also contributed to the renewed funding effort by directing that monetary gifts received during her birthday be channelled towards the completion of the National Library.
“The First Lady, during her birthday, had gifts that she directed should be used for the National Library. That has generated about N25bn,” Alausa said.
He explained that the money was combined with funds obtained through TETFund and other sources to provide the resources required to restart and complete the project.
“Combined with the money we’ve sourced from TETFund, the Council today approved the augmentation of the existing contract for the completion of the construction of the National Library of Nigeria Headquarters Building Complex in Abuja,” he said.
The minister described the approval as a major step towards ending the prolonged abandonment of the project, expressing optimism that construction and furnishing would resume fully in the coming months.
He said the National Library headquarters was more than an ordinary construction project, stressing that its completion would provide Nigeria with a modern centre for learning, research, scholarship, information access and preservation of the nation’s intellectual heritage.
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Alausa also credited President Tinubu with providing the political will and intervention needed to revive the project after 18 years of inactivity.
He said the completion of the complex would enhance the National Library’s ability to fulfil its statutory responsibilities and provide Nigerians with improved access to knowledge and information resources.
The National Library of Nigeria serves as the country’s apex library and is responsible for collecting, preserving and providing access to Nigeria’s published intellectual heritage.
The Abuja headquarters was conceived as a major national knowledge institution but remained incomplete after construction stalled in 2008.
With the latest Federal Executive Council approval, the government is now set to deploy the combined funds towards completing and furnishing the complex, bringing renewed hope that the long-delayed national project will finally be delivered.