The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called on the Federal Government to immediately take responsibility for completing the long-abandoned National Library of Nigeria project in Abuja.

The party in a statement issued on Wednesday by the interim National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, appreciated the First Lady, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu for offering to
take up the completion of the abandoned National Library of Nigeria project as part of her birthday celebrations, but said such national edifice should not be reduced to the status of a personal pet project.

ADC noted that the National Library, which was established by an Act of Parliament in 1964, is the custodian of Nigeria’s collective memory and intellectual heritage.

“In this regard, its completion and long-term maintenance must be prioritised through transparent, sustainable and predictable national funding, not through goodwill donations,” the party stated.

According to the ADC, the National Library is a living repository of Nigeria’s collective memory and intellectual heritage.

“It is the custodian of Nigeria’s story, culture, research, and knowledge production.

“It is not just another building. 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.

“Therefore, for sustainability purposes, the library and its projects must be funded through national budgetary provisions,” the party argued.

ADC stated that Mrs. Tinubu now that has shown interest in the National Library, “what is required is not personal charity, but presidential attention.”

It called on the First Lady to use her influence to impress upon President Bola Tinubu of the urgency of completing the project through budgetary allocations.

“From what we know, the responsibility for its funding was at some point shifted to TETFUND. This explains why there were no direct budgetary allocations for the library in both the 2024 and 2025 budgets,” the party said.

It noted that 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.

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