By Tony Obiechina Abuja
The Federal Government is set to embark on phased revival and completion of National Library project which has been abandoned for about 20 years.
The minister of education, Dr Tunji Alausa who disclosed this during an official inspection of the project in Abuja on Wednesday said work will resume on the abandoned National Library from June this year.
Alausa who embarked on the inspection of the edifice in company of the National Librarian, Prof. Chinwe Anunobi, some senior directors of the Federal Ministry of Education and consultants, said the first phase of work resumption involves the basement levels one and two, ground floor, first, second floors as well as external works.
Designed in 1981, construction started in 2006 during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to the tune of N8.9bn with an initial completion period of 22 months. However, work stopped in 2012.
The contract for the Library project, located on Plot 35, Cadastral Business District, in the Federal Capital Territory, was awarded to Reynolds Construction Company (RCC) on 11th March, 2006, to be completed in 22 months.
Addressing journalists after inspecting the project, Alausa said the Tinubu administration has the political will to complete the project.
According to him, although the Ministry is still awaiting the consultants’ cost estimate, he acknowledged that completing the national monument would likely require an enormous investment, running into hundreds of billions of Naira.
The minister said, “Even the quotation that the contractor quoted a few years ago to complete the project was about N90 billion.
“If we have to go back to do the costing, it will cost into hundreds of billions. But what we have been able to do is to be innovative in moving this project forward. We will begin by finishing the Basement Level One, Basement Level Two, ground floor, first floor, second floor and external works.
“We have enough funds to complete it but we are still waiting for the final costing based on what the consultants will put together with regards to the bill of quantities. And the contractor will come back to us on how much it is going to cost to do this level of construction.”
The minister also disclosed that the President has instructed the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to release funds for the completion of the project.
“I can tell you today, the President has directed TETFund to put money aside – a certain percentage of their budget – for us to start using for this project,” he said.
“We have some money now to move back to site. We have dedicated funds from TETFund to go back to site. And I’ve spoken to the consultant and the contractors that we have a deadline of moving back to site on or before June of this year, 2025.”
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