The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman has given assurances that the National Library would be completed in 21 months.
Recall that the initial contract sum of the national library as of March 11, 2006, when it was first awarded was N8,590,226,393.00 when the exchange rate was N130.29. The project was then expected to span through 22 months.
The Ministry of Education later re-awarded the project in March 2010 for 21 months at the cost of N49,643,337,960.32.
However, the construction firm in charge of the project, Reynolds Construction Company Nigeria Ltd. had in 2010 projected N120,327,599,990.45 as the cost
of completion of the project.
Mamman who spoke during a tour of the library with some Heads of Agencies in the sector to ascertain the project level on Tuesday in Abuja, noted that the contractor in charge of the project would return to the site in earnest to deliver the national edifice for the good of the citizenry.
He said: “This project is too important for Nigerians and we have this project uncompleted for close to 20 years. We know the importance of a library not to talk about a national library.
“So, the decision is that we have a president who does not tolerate uncompleted projects anywhere. He is determined to deliver on what will bring progress and development and the national library is one of the major edifices anywhere in the world. The decision is that everyone involved must come back to the site.”
The Minister who declined to comment on the cost required to complete the project, however, disclosed that everyone involved would come together to review the cost.
“There are some issues here and there but the project will be completed in about 21 months. But we are urging them (The construction company) to deliver the project earlier because we’ve dragged it out for too long and the project is too important for it to be dragged any further.
”So whatever obstacles in the project, we are determined to go over it and attend to it so it doesn’t become an obstacle,” he added.
National Librarian, Prof. Chinwe Anunobi faulted the issues of bureaucratic bottlenecks have hindered the completion of the project since awarded in 2006.