National library not First Lady’s pet project, FG must fund it — ADC

By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA — The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has urged the Federal Government to assume full responsibility for completing the long-abandoned National Library of Nigeria project in Abuja, stressing that such a national institution should not be left to private charity.

The position was contained in a statement signed by Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the party, who reacted to recent comments by First Lady, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu, on her intention to support the library’s completion as part of her birthday celebrations.

“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 statement read.

While appreciating the First Lady’s gesture, the ADC maintained that the library was established by an Act of Parliament in 1964 as a parastatal under the Federal Ministry of Education and remains the custodian of Nigeria’s collective memory and intellectual heritage.

“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,” the party said.

The ADC argued that the project’s completion and long-term maintenance must be prioritised through transparent, sustainable, and predictable 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,” the statement continued.

The party further observed that responsibility for the library’s funding was at some point shifted to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), which, it said, explained the absence of direct budgetary allocations for the project in the 2024 and 2025 budgets.

It warned that Nigeria’s intellectual heritage was too important to be subjected to acts of benevolence while being sidelined in national appropriations.

“A nation’s intellectual heritage cannot rest on acts of benevolence, while being deliberately neglected in the appropriation process,” the ADC declared.

While thanking the First Lady for drawing attention to the abandoned project, the party added: “However, with all due respect, ‘No ma!’”

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