National Library is not First Lady’s pet project, ADC tells Remi Tinubu

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

The party’s reaction followed comments by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, who announced her intention to support the library’s completion as part of her birthday celebrations. While appreciating her gesture, the ADC stressed that the National Library cannot be reduced to a personal pet project.

“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 in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi.

Established by an Act of Parliament in 1964, the library operates as a parastatal under the Federal Ministry of Education. The ADC maintained that its completion and long-term sustainability must be ensured through transparent and predictable national funding rather than goodwill donations.

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

“Now that Mrs. Tinubu has shown interest, 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 read.

While thanking Mrs. Tinubu for drawing attention to the project, the ADC insisted that Nigeria’s intellectual heritage was too important to be treated as an afterthought or left to depend on the goodwill of individuals.

“With all due respect, no ma!” the party concluded.