Multi-billion-naira National Library headquarters building remains abandoned

DESPITE pronouncement by the Federal Government in June 2021 that the completion of the abandoned multi-billion-naira National Library of Nigeria (NLN) Headquarters building would be taken over by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), work is yet to commence on the site.

Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, had disclosed that over N50billion was needed to complete the National Library edifice which had been under construction since 2006, about 16 years ago.

Nigerian Tribune checks revealed that the contract for the construction of the National Library headquarters located on Plot 35 of the Central Business District, Abuja, was awarded to Messrs Reynolds Construction Company (RCC) in 2006 at the cost of N8.590billion. The project was expected to be completed within three to four years.

However, about 16 years after, the contractors are not on site though the building is about 44 per cent near completion. It was also gathered that the project, at the stage it is currently abandoned, has gulped about N11billion and due to inflation and cost of materials, the contract has been reviewed several times.

Adamu, while noting that a whopping sum of N50billion was required to complete the NLN Headquarters, a project abandoned since 2013, cited poor funding as the reason for its abandonment.

According to him, by 2013, during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, the project cost was reviewed upward to the sum of N18billion, but work was, however, stopped by the end of 2013 as a result of poor funding.

Adamu said: “In the recent past, I have received a number of inquiries from members of the press, expressing concern over the ‘abandoned’ gigantic National Library Headquarters, here in Abuja.

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“Let me state unequivocally that the Buhari administration has made it clear that it will not abandon any project initiated by any past administration that is adjudged to be in public interest.

“We have set up a committee to evaluate the project. This committee has submitted a bill of N50billion. We have forwarded the report to the Bureau of Public Procurement for further appraisal. The recommendation of the BPP will be forwarded to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for consideration.”

Meanwhile, the director, Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, Mr Ben BemGoong, had issued a statement on June 28, 2021, where he stated that: “the Federal Government has approved the takeover of the financing of the National Library project by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, (TETFUND).

“Over N50billion  is needed to complete the project.

“Speaking in Abuja, when the Nigerian Library Association (NLA) led by its president, Professor Innocent Ekoga, paid a working visit to the ministry, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Sonny Echono, (now retired from the Federal Civil Service), said the critical step being taken by government is to reposition library services in the Nigerian education sector for effective service delivery.

“Echono recalled that work on the National Library has been stalled for years due to inadequate funding, adding that efforts to get the private sector to complete the project have not yielded results.”

The newly appointed Librarian and Chief Executive of NLN, Professor Chinwe Veronica Anunobi, also reaffirmed the commitment of the Federal Government  over the completion of the project, saying discussions were ongoing in line with the directive of the government for TETFund to take over the completion of the project.

Nigeria Tribune checks also revealed that only N50million was earmarked in the 2022 Federal Government Budget recently signed into law by President Buhari, for the construction of the NLN building.

It was however, gathered that before the directive for TETFund to take over the completion of the abandoned project, the funding plan was done in such a way that out of the N50billion needed to complete the project, N11billion  had been already spent and the remaining N39billion was divided into three for year 2021, 2022, and 2023.

The NLN headquarters was made to take care of the budget of the consultant for 2021, 2022 and 2023 while the Federal Government would be releasing money to the contractor.

Although, the executive secretary of TETFund, Professor Suleiman Bogoro,  had confirmed the directive of the government for his agency to take over the construction of the NLN headquarters, it could not be confirmed when work would commence in earnest.