The Minister of Education Tunji Alausa has ordered contractors and consultants working on the long‑delayed National Library project to meet newly imposed deadlines and quality standards, warning that the federal government will impose penalties for missed targets.
“We will make you accountable for the timelines we’re going to set for ourselves,” Alausa told contractors, consultants and National Library officials at a meeting in Abuja.
According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Communication Attah Ikharo, the Ministry will pair funding with strict performance requirements and sanctions for substandard work.
Minister Alausa said the project has been split into two parallel tracks—physical infrastructure and furnishings—so construction and fit‑out can proceed at the same time.
The government will set “reasonable delivery timelines” and incorporate incentives and disincentives in new contracts to speed completion, the Minister said.
The renewed drive comes as President Bola Tinubu’s administration emphasizes education and human‑capital development as central to its agenda.
Minister Alausa characterized the library as more than a building, calling it a national institution for learning and research that must meet global standards.
NewsQuest reports that the project conceived in 1981 and started in 2006 with an initial two‑year timetable, remains unfinished more than a decade after its planned 2008 completion.
The structure sits prominently in Abuja’s central business district near the National Mosque and other federal edifices.
Minister Alausa praised the political backing the project has received from President Tinubu and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu. He credited the First Lady with mobilizing private support last year—raising about N25 billion within two months after using her birthday to solicit donations—and with inspiring parts of the new design after a visit to the Qatar National Library.
“We’ll have a National Library that looks like National Library of Qatar,” the Minister said, adding that the finished facility will emphasize accessibility and inclusion, with dedicated spaces for children, people with disabilities, pregnant women and others.
Minister Alausa also said the Education Ministry, together with Minister of State Suwaiba Said Ahmad, will keep close oversight of the project and expects contractors and consultants to match the government’s commitment with “urgency, professionalism and accountability.”
He reiterated that the government will not compromise on quality or value for money and that funds released will be tied to demonstrable progress.
