ADC to Remi Tinubu: National Library Must Not Be Treated as a Personal Project

The call came in reaction to remarks by First Lady, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, who recently pledged to support the library’s completion as part of her birthday celebration.

In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC expressed appreciation for the First Lady’s concern but insisted that the National Library must not 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 statement read.

The party recalled that the library, established by an Act of Parliament in 1964 under the Federal Ministry of Education, was designed to preserve knowledge for future generations. For that reason, the ADC maintained, its completion and maintenance should be funded through transparent and sustainable budgetary allocations, not goodwill donations.

The statement further noted that responsibility for the project’s funding was at some point transferred to TETFUND, which explains its exclusion from the 2024 and 2025 federal budgets.

“Now that Mrs. Tinubu has shown interest in the National Library, what is required is not personal charity but presidential attention. She should use her influence to urge President Tinubu to prioritize its completion through direct budgetary allocation,” the ADC stated.

The party concluded by thanking the First Lady for highlighting the issue but firmly emphasized that Nigeria’s intellectual heritage “cannot rest on acts of benevolence, while being neglected in the appropriation process.”