The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, has commended President Bola Tinubu for his intervention in the revival of the National Library of Nigeria Headquarters Complex in Abuja, following the Federal Executive Council’s approval of funds for the completion and comprehensive furnishing of the long-abandoned project.
Alausa said the President’s intervention had provided the leadership and resources required to revive the project, which had remained stalled for 18 years, describing the development as another indication that Nigeria’s education sector was on a “glorious path.”
The Minister, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Mr. Ikharo Attah, on Sunday, said construction of the National Library Headquarters commenced on April 29, 2006, with an initial completion period of two years, but was halted in October 2008 and remained unfinished through successive administrations.
Alausa said Tinubu, upon assuming office, directed that resources be mobilised for the completion of the project, including funding 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. He directed that we source funds from Tertiary Education Trust Fund, and we’ve cobbled some funds together,” the Minister said.
He also acknowledged the contribution of the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who directed that gifts received during her birthday celebration be channelled towards the completion of the National Library.
According to him, the initiative generated about N25 billion, which, alongside funds sourced through TETFund and other interventions, strengthened the financial base for completing 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,” Alausa said.
The Minister expressed optimism that construction work would resume fully in the coming months, describing the development as a significant milestone for the education sector and an end to years of uncertainty surrounding the project.
He said completing the National Library was about more than finishing a building, describing the facility as a national knowledge centre that would provide a lasting platform for learning, research, scholarship, information access and the preservation of Nigeria’s intellectual heritage.
Alausa said the President’s intervention demonstrated the administration’s commitment to completing critical education infrastructure, particularly projects that had remained abandoned for many years.
He expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for the support that had moved the National Library from an abandoned project towards completion, while also commending the First Lady for her contribution to the initiative.
The Minister said the revival of the National Library formed part of the broader progress being recorded in the education sector under the Tinubu administration, adding that the completion of the project would provide Nigerians with a modern national institution worthy of its purpose.
“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,” he said.
Alausa expressed confidence that the renewed momentum would lead to the eventual completion and furnishing of the National Library Headquarters, transforming the long-abandoned structure into a functional national centre of knowledge for present and future generations.
