NIGERIA’S First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has disclosed that donors contributed ₦20.4 billion so far to complete the long-abandoned National Library headquarters in Abuja.
She told journalists on Tuesday, September 23, at the State House Conference Centre that “So far, we have raised N20.4 billion since this fund launched last week, and more are still coming.”
The ICIR reported how the First Lady, who turned 65 on September 21, pleaded for donations for the library as her 65th birthday gift.
She urged her well-wishers to forgo gifts and contribute instead to an “Education Fund” dedicated to finishing the library.
Speaking in a video posted by her spokesperson, Bukola Kukoyi, she said: “I wish to appeal that those who would like to send a birthday card, cakes, flowers, greetings in the newspapers or gifts should please send the funds to the designated account for a special project close to my heart among many others.
“The completion of the National Library would be the best birthday present I could receive. My love for education has informed my decision to dedicate my birthday to this worthy cause,” she added.
The request, however, drew widespread criticism, with many arguing that the appeal showed the Federal Government’s failure to adequately budget for the library’s completion despite repeated promise.
Explaining further on Tuesday while giving an update on the project, the president’s wife explained that her passion for the project stemmed from her years at the Senate Committee on Education, where she watched the Education Ministry struggle to build the library.
She recalled how public libraries shaped her youth and said she felt dismayed that a project conceived during the late former President Shehu Shagari’s administration remained uncompleted decades later.
Her update came after days of public debate over why private citizens are being asked to bankroll a national institution that has consumed multiple government allocations without reaching completion.
The ICIR reports that the 11-storey National Library complex, first awarded in 2006, has suffered repeated delays and cost revisions. Although the Federal Executive Council in April 2023 approved ₦32.4 billion for the project, no significant progress has been recorded since.
The ICIR checks on government spending related to the National Library through websites that details government spending such as Govspend and Nocopo, shows that there has not been budget allocations or payment made for that purpose since 2023.
Between 2023 and 2025, budgetary allocations for the National Library have mostly gone to personnel cost, salary and recurrent expenses such as power supply.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M