The African Democratic Congress has criticised the Federal Government for neglecting the completion of the National Library of Nigeria, insisting that such a critical national institution should be funded through proper budgetary allocations—not public donations tied to birthday celebrations.
The party’s reaction follows a recent announcement by Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who expressed her intention to support the library’s completion as part of her birthday activities.
The ADC, however, described this approach as inappropriate for a project of such national importance.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, acknowledged the First Lady’s goodwill but firmly rejected the idea of turning the project into a charity drive.
“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 statement read.
“It was established by an Act of Parliament in 1964, as a parastatal of the federal Ministry of Education to ensure that future generations have access to the wealth of knowledge needed to build a progressive and enlightened society.”
The party stressed that national institutions of such magnitude must be sustained through official channels and not by appealing to Nigerians for birthday donations.
“For sustainability purposes, the library and its projects must be funded through national budgetary provisions,” it said.
The ADC also called on the First Lady to use her influence to press President Bola Tinubu’s administration to re-prioritise the project and include it in the federal budget, especially after it was excluded from the 2024 and 2025 budgets due to a funding shift to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND).
“The National Library of Nigeria is far too important to be treated as an afterthought or left to depend on the goodwill of well-meaning individuals,” the statement added.
“A nation’s intellectual heritage cannot rest on acts of benevolence, while being deliberately neglected in the appropriation process.”
The ADC’s position underscores growing public concern over the abandonment of the National Library project, which has been under construction for over a decade with little progress.
