On Mar. 5, the House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee has raised serious questions about a National Library project worth about N365 million in Jalingo, Taraba State. The committee said the project may have been abandoned after a petition from BudgIT Foundation.
The petition claimed that the National Library of Nigeria started building a prototype National Library branch in Jalingo but later stopped the work even after paying the contractor a large amount of money.
The Chief Executive Officer of the National Library, Prof. Chinwe Veronica, appeared before the committee to explain what happened. The meeting was led by Hon. Bamidele Salam, who chairs the Public Accounts Committee.
During the hearing, the agency explained that the contract for the library project was first awarded on March 1, 2018 to Samsung and Asosu Nigeria Limited. The project was originally valued at N238 million and was expected to be completed by March 2019.
However, the library boss told lawmakers that the cost of the project later increased. In March 2023, the amount was reviewed to N365 million after approval from the Federal Ministry of Education.
According to her, the government has already paid about N292.2 million to the contractor, and the project is said to be about 85 percent completed.
She also said only about N7.3 million remains to fully pay for the project.
But members of the committee were not satisfied with the explanation. They said the contractor has not been seen at the project site since October 2023, which raised concerns that the work may have been abandoned.
Lawmakers also questioned how another payment certificate worth N65.2 million was processed together with an earlier unpaid certificate, even though there was not enough supporting documents to explain the payments.
The committee said the only document given to them by the agency was the original letter showing that the contract was awarded. Important documents such as the request for increasing the contract amount and approval records were not included.
While responding, Prof. Veronica said some of the decisions were made before she became the head of the National Library. She promised that the missing documents would be submitted to the committee.
She also told the lawmakers that officials of the National Library visited the project site last year. According to her, they saw security guards there who were hired by the contractor. She added that the agency also spoke with the contractor on the phone.
However, the committee chairman disagreed with that explanation. Hon. Salam said the contractor’s absence from the site since October 2023 makes it look like the project has already been abandoned.
He said the agency’s response did not fully answer the committee’s concerns about what is really happening with the project.
After discussing the matter, the committee directed the National Library to provide all remaining documents related to the project, including payment records and procurement papers.
The committee also set up a three-member team to visit Jalingo and check the project site themselves.
Lawmakers further directed both the contractor, Samsung and Asosu Nigeria Limited, and the National Library of Nigeria to appear before the committee again after the inspection.
The final meeting will help determine the true condition of the project and what steps the government should take next.
