ADC to Tinubu’s wife: National Library is a right, not gift

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called on First Lady, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, to use her influence to secure national funding for the completion of the long-abandoned National Library of Nigeria.

While appreciating Mrs. Tinubu’s gesture of attention to the project for her birthday, the party emphasized that the library is a national right and not a matter of personal charity.

In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC stated that the National Library, established by an Act of Parliament in 1964, is a “living repository of our collective memory and intellectual heritage.”

The party argued that its funding must be sustainable and come from national budgetary provisions, not from the goodwill of individuals, no matter how well-intentioned.

The ADC noted that responsibility for the library’s funding was at some point shifted to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), which explains the lack of direct budgetary allocations in the 2024 and 2025 budgets.

The statement read: “However, as a responsible party, we must firmly state that the National Library of Nigeria cannot, and must not, be reduced to the status of a personal pet project of any individual, no matter how well-intentioned.

“The National Library is a living repository of our collective memory and intellectual heritage. It is the custodian of Nigeria’s story, culture, research, and knowledge production. It is not just another building. It was established by an Act of Parliament in 1964, as a parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Education to ensure that future generations have access to the wealth of knowledge needed to build a progressive and enlightened society. Therefore, for sustainability purposes, the library and its projects must be funded through national budgetary provisions.

“Now that Mrs. Tinubu has shown interest in the National Library, what is required is not personal charity, but presidential attention. The First Lady should use her influence to impress upon President Tinubu the urgency of completing this project through budgetary allocations. From what we know, the responsibility for its funding was at some point shifted to TETFUND. This explains why there were no direct budgetary allocations for the library in both the 2024 and 2025 budgets.

“But let us be clear: the National Library of Nigeria is far too important to be treated as an afterthought or left to depend on the goodwill of well-meaning individuals. A nation’s intellectual heritage cannot rest on acts of benevolence, while being deliberately neglected in the appropriation process.”

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