FG WARNS NATIONAL LIBRARY CONTRACTORS AS 20-YEAR PROJECT DELAY CONTINUES

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By: Fasasi Hammad

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has warned contractors and consultants handling the National Library of Nigeria project that they could face sanctions if further delays continue to hinder its completion.

Alausa issued the warning on Sunday in Abuja during a meeting with contractors, consultants and officials of the National Library of Nigeria.

The minister’s position was contained in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Ikharo Attah.

Alausa said the Federal Government would establish fresh timelines for the completion of the long-delayed project and hold the contractors and consultants accountable for meeting the agreed deadlines.

“We will make you accountable for the timelines we’re going to set for ourselves,” he said.

He warned that contractors who failed to meet the new deadlines would be penalised.

“If you’re not meeting your guidelines, the timelines, I’m sorry, you’ll be penalised,” the minister stated.

Alausa also disclosed that the project had been divided into two major components — physical infrastructure and furnishing — which he said would be executed concurrently to accelerate completion.

The National Library project was conceived in 1981, while construction commenced in 2006 with an initial 24-month completion timeline. It was therefore expected to be completed in 2008 but has remained unfinished for years.

The minister said the Federal Government was determined to ensure the project is eventually delivered to a standard comparable with leading national libraries around the world.

“We’ll have a National Library that looks like the National Library of Qatar,” Alausa said.