Reps Grill National Library Over Alleged Abandoned N365m Project

House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee has queried the alleged abandonment of a N365 million National Library of Nigeria project in Jalingo, Taraba State, following a petition by the BudgIT Foundation.

The foundation accused the National Library of Nigeria of abandoning the construction of a prototype National Library building in Jalingo after paying about N292 million to the contractor.

The chief executive officer of the National Library of Nigeria, Prof. Chinwe Veronica, appeared before the committee chaired by Hon. Bamidele Salam to respond to the allegations.

During the hearing, the Agency explained that the contract for the construction of the National Library state branch in Jalingo was initially awarded on March 1, 2018, to Samsung and Asosu Nigeria Limited at a sum of N238 million, with a completion timeline of March 2019.

She told lawmakers that the contract sum was later reviewed upward to N365 million in March 2023 following a variation approved through the Federal Ministry of Education.

According to her, a total of N292.267 million has been paid to the contractor, while the project currently stands at about 85 per cent completion.

She also disclosed that about N7.3 million remains as the outstanding balance on the project.

However, members of the Public Accounts Committee expressed concern about the project’s status, noting that despite the substantial payment made, the contractor has not been seen on site since October 2023.

The committee also questioned why the eighth payment certificate, valued at N65.2 million, was processed alongside an earlier unpaid certificate despite limited documentation provided to justify the payments.

Lawmakers noted that the only document submitted to the committee was the original letter of award, with other key procurement documents, including the variation request and approval records, missing from the agency’s submission.

While responding, the National Library boss said some of the processes predated her tenure but assured the lawmakers that the relevant documents would be submitted to the committee.

Chinwe told the Committee that officials of the agency visited the project site last year and observed security personnel stationed there by the contractor, adding that they also communicated with the contractor by telephone.

However, the committee chairman disagreed with the assessment, arguing that the absence of the contractor on site since October 2023 suggested that the project had effectively been abandoned.

He said the agency’s response appeared biased and failed to adequately address the committee’s concerns regarding the status of the project.

Following deliberations, the committee directed the National Library of Nigeria to submit all outstanding procurement and payment documents related to the project.

It also constituted a three-member investigative team to conduct a physical inspection of the project site in Jalingo.

The committee further directed both the contractor, Samsung and Asosu Nigeria Limited and the National Library of Nigeria to reappear before it after the inspection for a final determination on the status of the project and possible next steps.