Alausa: Tinubu Has Rescued 18-Year Abandoned National Library Project

Jane Salihu

The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for rescuing the 18-year-old abandoned National Library of Nigeria Headquarters Complex in Abuja through renewed funding and a fresh push for its completion.

Alausa gave the commendation while reacting to the Federal Executive Council’s approval of the augmentation of the existing contract for the completion and comprehensive furnishing of the National Library Headquarters, saying the President’s intervention had provided the resources and political will needed to revive the long-stalled project.

Construction of the National Library Headquarters commenced on April 29, 2006, with an initial completion period of two years. However, work was halted in October 2008, leaving the major national infrastructure project unfinished through successive administrations.

The Minister said President Tinubu, upon assuming office, directed that sustainable funding be sourced to complete the project, including support from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

“President Bola Tinubu, when he came in, mandated that we look for funds, real funds, that we use in completing this National Library,” Alausa said.

He disclosed that the funding effort received a significant boost from First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who directed that gifts received during her birthday celebration be channelled towards the National Library project.

According to him, the initiative generated about ₦25 billion, which, combined with funds sourced through TETFund and other interventions, strengthened the financial base for the project’s completion.

“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.

Alausa described the FEC approval as a major turning point for a project that has remained a symbol of unfinished national infrastructure for nearly two decades.

He stressed that the significance of the National Library extends beyond the completion of a physical structure, noting that the facility is expected to serve as a national knowledge centre for learning, research, scholarship, information access and the preservation of Nigeria’s intellectual heritage.

The Minister expressed optimism that construction would resume fully in the coming months, with the approved funding expected to facilitate both the completion and furnishing of the complex.

He further commended President Tinubu for prioritising the completion of critical education infrastructure and thanked the First Lady for her financial intervention towards the project.

“Abandoned National Library for 18 years, President Bola Tinubu has now been able to mobilise funds, cobbled funds together, for work to go back, to start again at the National Library. We thank you, Mr. President,” Alausa said.

He expressed confidence that the renewed intervention would finally transform the long-abandoned Abuja structure into a fully functional national centre of knowledge capable of serving present and future generations of Nigerians.