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The abandoned National library
By Chika Nwachukwu, Abuja
The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman has stated that contractors will begin work at the National Library immediately, pledging the completion of the building within 21 months.
The minister disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday during a tour with some Heads of Agencies in the sector to ascertain the level of progress of the project.
Recall that the project initially commenced on March 11, 2006 with the contract sum of N8,590,226,393.00 and the project was expected to elapse within 22 months.
Mamman stated that the project was too important for Nigerians adding that it was sad that the Library has remain uncompleted for close to 20 years.
“So, the decision is that we have a president who does not tolerate uncompleted projects anywhere. He is determine to deliver on what will bring progress and development and the national library is one of the major edifice anywhere in the world.
”So, the decision is that every one involved must come back to site,” he said.
The minister who refused to comment on the cost required to complete the project, said there were issues surrounding the project but that is being worked out as everyone involved would come together to review the cost.
“There are some issues here and there but the project will be completed in about 21 months. But we are urging them (Construction company) to deliver the project earlier because we’ve dragged it for too long and the project is too important for it to be dragged any further.
”So whatever obstacles in the project, we are determined to go over it and attend to it so it doesn’t become an obstacle,” he said.
Also speaking, the National Library, Prof. Chinwe Anunobi attributed the non- completion of the project since 2006 to the issue of bureaucratic bottleneck.
She also assured that work would commence immediately saying that the monitoring would be followed by meetings of stakeholders involved in the project.
The federal government through the ministry of education after the 2006 contract failed, re-awarded the project in March 2010 for 21 months at the cost of N49,643,337,960.32.
However, the construction firm in charge of the project, Reynolds Construction Company Nigeria Ltd. had in 2010 projected N120,327,599,990.45 as cost of completion of the project.
Also, as at 2012, the project which scope include 11 floors, consisting of two basement floors, a ground floor and eight upper floors as well as perimeter fence, gates/gatehouses, internal roads and other external work, needed about N150 million to complete.
In 2021, the Federal Government has approved the takeover of the financing of the abandoned multi-million National Library edifice by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, (TETFund) with over N50billion stated to be required to complete the project.
