The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts has raised concerns over the alleged abandonment of a ₦365 million National Library of Nigeria project in Jalingo, Taraba State, following a petition submitted by civic organisation, BudgIT Foundation.
The petition alleged that the National Library of Nigeria halted work on the construction of a prototype national library building in Jalingo despite paying about ₦292 million to the contractor.
The agency’s Chief Executive Officer, Chinwe Veronica, appeared before the committee chaired by Bamidele Salam to address the allegations.
During the session, the agency explained that the contract for the Jalingo state branch of the National Library was originally awarded on March 1, 2018, to Samsung and Asosu Nigeria Limited for ₦238 million, with an initial completion deadline of March 2019.
Veronica informed the lawmakers that the contract sum was later revised to ₦365 million in March 2023 after a variation approved by the Federal Ministry of Education.
She added that a total of ₦292.267 million has so far been paid to the contractor and that the project is currently about 85 percent completed. According to her, roughly ₦7.3 million remains outstanding on the project.
However, members of the committee expressed worry that despite the significant payments made, the contractor has not been present at the site since October 2023.
Lawmakers also questioned why the eighth payment certificate worth ₦65.2 million was processed alongside an earlier unpaid certificate, noting that the agency failed to provide adequate documentation to justify the payments.
They further observed that the only document submitted to the committee was the original letter of award, while other critical procurement documents, including the request for contract variation and approval records, were missing.
Responding to the concerns, Veronica said some of the processes occurred before she assumed office but assured the committee that all relevant documents would be provided.
She also explained that officials of the agency visited the project site last year and found security personnel stationed there by the contractor, adding that communication had been maintained with the contractor by phone.
However, the committee chairman disagreed with the explanation, stating that the contractor’s absence from the site since October 2023 suggested that the project may have effectively been abandoned.
Following the deliberations, the committee directed the agency to submit all outstanding procurement and payment documents related to the project.
It also set up a three-member investigative team to carry out a physical inspection of the project site in Jalingo.
The committee further instructed both the National Library of Nigeria and the contractor, Samsung and Asosu Nigeria Limited, to appear before it again after the inspection for a final determination on the project’s status and the next course of action.
