By Ernest Osogbue
Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu recently celebrated her 65th birthday, before then, however, she had made a video that went viral. I didn’t see the video, but follow-up events brought the video to my attention. Mrs. Tinubu according to reports announced that she will turn 65 sometime in September and that rather than host a lavish party or waste money on frivolous newspaper adverts and other activities, her well wishers should kindly pool such resources together towards the completion of the National Library project which has been abandoned for many years.
As soon as Mrs. Tinubu released her video, criticisms of her intentions flooded the media. politicians in the opposition went into overdrive. I watched different television stations where political analysts and social commentators took issues with Madam Tinubu for wanting to appropriate a state function to herself. Some commentators wanted to know where the budgetary allocation for the library was and came short of accussing the Tinubu administration of misappropriation.
A few months before Mrs. Tinubu’s video, I had been contracted by a friend to do a short documentary on the activities of the current minister of education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa. In the course of my research, the issue of the National Library came up, and that was how I gained some background information on the abandoned project.
The contract for the construction of the National Library was signed on March 11th, 2006, between the federal government of Nigeria, under the Olusegun Obasanjo administration, and Reynolds Construction Company, RCC. The project worth about #8.5 billion (eight point five billion Naira) was to be executed within a period of 24 calendar months or two years. Work started in earnest a few days later. Along the line, however, due to currency fluctuations and unforeseen factors, the cost of the contract was reviewed upwards to #17 billion, and then to #38 billion, and then to about #100 billion in today’s value.
To be fair, the National Library, when completed, would be an imposing eleven storey edifice in the choice Central Business District of Abuja. It would be a hub for intellectual research. Students and teachers could go there to fine-tune their projects. International intellectual engagements could be hosted there. The non-intellectually minded could also find it as a place of escape, as it comes complete with places of relaxation. Outside of these, the complex will stand as a national monument and a pride to all Nigerians.
I was, therefore, pained that rather than do their due diligence before being critical of the first lady’s action, members of the opposition and their supporters rushed off to comment without getting their facts right. This project was commenced under the Obasanjo administration, which failed to complete it. President Yar’adua, did nothing about it until his death in office. President Goodluck Jonathan did not find it worthy of being completed, and then, President Buhari, expectedly, didn’t see it as his business. Now, under the Tinubu administration, the First Lady finds it in her heart to draw attention to a project that was left abandoned by different administrations for almost 20 years, and the opposition is criticizing her. Wow!
The other day, I read a report where Mr. Peter Obi joined the bandwagon of critics of the First Lady, and I felt embarrassed. How could Peter Obi, a man who most Nigerian youths rightly or wrongly believe, has the magic wand to resolve all of the nation’s challenges, be so naive as not to recognize the nobility of the First Lady’s gesture. I agree that politicians would always like to criticize, but I also believe that there should be nobility in opposition. A good project is a good project, whether initiated by the ruling party or the opposition. I believe that Peter Obi, despite being in the opposition, should recognize the value of the national library to the overall well-being of Nigerian youths and support Mrs. Tinubu’s gesture. After all, the national library is for the good of Nigeria and Nigerians.
As is our tradition in these parts, eye service and patronage are a norm. As a result, whether we like it or not, sycophants and well-meaning persons would always wish to celebrate anyone in power or their spouse. It follows, therefore, that there will be persons who wish to celebrate Mrs. Tinubu on her birthday. It is, therefore, commendable that rather than direct such persons to channel such funds to selfish and frivolous ventures, the First Lady found it necessary to channel such funds towards the completion of the national library. What I expected the opposition to do, is to remain vigilant and ensure that the donations are used for the purpose for which they are meant. But not for them to be criticizing a noble gesture unduly.
Mrs. Tinubu will not claim the library for herself after her husband’s tenure. The edifice will remain as a national monument for the use of all Nigerians. I do not wish to criticize President Obasanjo, but it is obvious that while his presidential library which was initiated long after his presidency, is up and running, the public National Library for which contract he oversaw, is yet to see the light of the day. If for nothing else, Mrs. Tinubu deserves commendation for bringing the abandoned national library project into national discourse. It is an embarrassment that a national monument for which contract was awarded and funds released since 2006 is yet to be completed almost 20 years after. It is a disgrace to the various legislators who have sat in both the red and the green chambers of the National Assembly in that time. The various ministers of education and all those who have been president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria since the contract was awarded should hide their heads in shame.
I wish to commend Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the wife of our dear president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for her bold initiative on the national library project. May your days be long and filled with love, joy, and happiness. For reminding Nigerians of the gross injustice to the intellectual development of our nation, may Almighty God bless you real good. I can assure you that if you succeed with this initiative, Nigeria will never forget you. Generations to come will remember you for good. Finally, I say 65 hearty cheers to the mother of the nation, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu!
