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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Federal Government has issued a fresh ultimatum to contractors handling the National Library of Nigeria project in Abuja, warning that failure to meet new completion timelines would attract sanctions.
Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, who handed down the warning at the weekend, said the government would provide the funding required to complete the multi-billion-naira project but would no longer tolerate delays, excuses or substandard work.
“This is a change day. We will make you accountable for the timelines we’re going to set for ourselves,” Alausa told contractors, consultants and officials of the National Library of Nigeria at a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja.
“If you’re not meeting your guidelines, the timelines, I’m sorry, you’ll be penalised.”
The minister said fresh and realistic delivery timelines would be established, with the contractual arrangements incorporating incentives and sanctions to ensure compliance.
He said the government’s financial commitment would be matched by strict demands for performance, quality, accountability and value for money.
To accelerate completion, Alausa disclosed that the remaining work had been divided into two major components—physical infrastructure and furnishing—which would proceed simultaneously rather than one waiting for the other.
He said the National Library was too important to remain trapped in an endless construction cycle, describing it as a critical institution for learning, research, knowledge development and human capital development.
The project was conceived in 1981, while construction began in 2006 with a 24-month completion target, meaning the facility should have been ready in 2008. Two decades after construction commenced, however, it remains uncompleted.
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Alausa said the prolonged delay was unacceptable, particularly given the library’s strategic location in Abuja’s Central Business District alongside major national institutions.
He linked the renewed push to President Bola Tinubu’s drive to improve education infrastructure and human capital development, saying the administration had provided the political will needed to revive the project.
The minister also commended First Lady Oluremi Tinubu for her intervention, saying she used her 2025 birthday to mobilise about N25 billion within two months towards completing the library.
Alausa said her visit to the Qatar National Library had also influenced the government’s vision for the facility, which would go beyond merely completing the abandoned structure.
“We’ll have a National Library that looks like the National Library of Qatar,” he said.
According to him, the facility would be developed into a modern, inclusive library with dedicated spaces and appropriate facilities for children, persons with disabilities, pregnant women, girls and boys.
Alausa charged contractors and consultants to match the government’s renewed financial commitment with professionalism, urgency and measurable results.
He said the ministry, working with Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Said Ahmad, would closely supervise the project and would not compromise on standards.
Every naira committed to the project, he stressed, must ultimately deliver a National Library that Nigerians can use and be proud of.
