FG Threatens Sanctions as 19-Year Stalled National Library Project Gets Fresh Deadline

The Federal Government has issued a stern ultimatum to contractors and engineering consultants handling the long-delayed National Library of Nigeria project, warning that failure to meet newly structured delivery timelines will attract immediate legal and financial sanctions. The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, handed down the directive during an intensive review meeting in Abuja with key stakeholders, project managers, and executive leadership from the National Library of Nigeria.

Conceived in 1981 during the Second Republic and eventually awarded for construction in 2006 with a strict 24-month execution window, the iconic edifice was originally slated for completion in 2008. However, nearly two decades later, the structure remains an incomplete eyesore within Abuja's prestigious Central Business District, standing in stark contrast to completed neighbouring national monuments such as the National Mosque and the National Economic Centre.

Signalling a departure from previous administrative tolerance of contract inflation and endless extensions, the minister emphasized that accountability would be enforced strictly through legally binding service agreements currently being finalized.

“This is a change day. We will make you accountable for the timelines we’re going to set for ourselves. If you’re not meeting your guidelines and timelines, I’m sorry, you will be penalised,” Alausa cautioned.

To prevent further bottlenecks, the Ministry of Education disclosed a major operational shift: the remaining project scope has been unbundled into two independent, concurrent workstreams—civil structural infrastructure and internal furnishing—allowing work on both fronts to progress simultaneously rather than sequentially.