Special Report
By Chukwudi George Ozalla
The National Library of Nigeria (NLN) on Thursday, September 24, 2026, unveiled its Endowment Foundation in Abuja, with Alhaji Alhassan Amadu Dantata announcing fresh financial commitments and stakeholders calling for stronger support for the institution.
The foundation was unveiled at the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Auditorium, Maitama, Abuja, with Dantata, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Synergy Infrastructure Development and Investment Limited, as Chief Launcher.
Dantata pledged ₦25 million every year for the rest of his life to support the National Library. He also pledged ₦100 million annually for three years, making another ₦300 million.
The commitments came during renewed efforts to find private-sector support for the National Library, particularly the completion of its permanent headquarters in Abuja.
Dantata said he had been involved in advocacy for the National Library for about eight years and described the institution as one of the most neglected agencies under the Federal Ministry of Education.
He said his position as the library’s current landlord had also given him the opportunity to see the problems caused by inadequate facilities.
Dantata recalled that about three years ago, he made an unsolicited offer of ₦150 billion to complete the National Library headquarters, but the Ministry of Education rejected the offer in writing, saying the project was an ongoing government project that did not require external funding.
He said his renewed engagement with the National Librarian and Chief Executive Officer of the NLN, Prof. Chinwe Veronica Anunobi, led to fresh discussions and presentations within 48 hours on how private capital could be brought into the project.
The headquarters is an eight-level concrete and steel structure with about 80,000 square metres of floor area on a 10,000-square-metre footprint. Dantata said the project was about 40 per cent complete.
Construction of the headquarters began on April 29, 2006, with an initial two-year completion target, but stopped in October 2008.
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) in August 2026 approved an additional ₦118.3 billion for the construction component and ₦27 billion for furnishing of the project.
Dantata also acknowledged the efforts of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu towards the project and commended First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu for launching an appeal fund for the National Library.
Anunobi, who chairs the Endowment Foundation, said the initiative was born out of the financial pressure facing the National Library and the need to find a reliable source of support outside the institution’s regular government allocation.
She said the NLN operates 35 branches, all of which require funding for infrastructure, power, information and communication technology (ICT), library collections, digitisation and service delivery.
Anunobi said the National Library has the responsibility of collecting, preserving and making available Nigeria’s intellectual heritage, but the resources required to carry out that responsibility had grown considerably.
She said the Endowment Foundation would give government, companies, philanthropists, foundations, academics and other interested organisations a formal avenue to support the National Library.
She recalled the contribution of the Ford Foundation to the early development of the National Library and said the new foundation would provide a fresh structure for private support.
The establishment of the Endowment Foundation followed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on April 3, 2025, between the National Library and Midpoint Innovation Limited.
The National Library’s official record states that Anunobi signed the MoU for the NLN, while Prof. Emeka Aniagolu signed on behalf of Midpoint Innovation Limited.
The private-sector support at Thursday’s event also included a ₦50 million donation announced by the Habila Group.
Olorogun Olorunfunmi Adesina, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Adiva Properties and a member of the Endowment Foundation’s board, was among the business leaders associated with the initiative.
The Sir Emeka Offor Foundation was represented by Mr. Chijioke James.
Representing Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, the Special Adviser on Monitoring and Evaluation, Mazi Ugochukwu Okoroafor, said the importance of libraries had increased with the spread of digital technology and artificial intelligence.
Okoroafor said government could not alone provide all the resources needed to develop and sustain a modern library system and called for greater participation by businesses, philanthropists, academic institutions and other stakeholders.
He cited Abia State’s commitment of 20 per cent of its annual budget to education since 2023, the recruitment of 5,394 teachers, renovation of school facilities and development of technology-enabled smart schools.
He also mentioned the Leadership Academy, TechRise and AbiaFest among programmes introduced by the Abia State Government.
Otti said the state was making the investments because of the importance of preparing young people for the demands of a knowledge-based and technology-driven economy.
Representing the House Committee on Library, Research and Documentation, Hon. Dominic Okafor, member representing Aguata Federal Constituency and Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Delegated Legislation, pledged legislative support for the National Library.
Okafor said the committee became aware of the institution’s funding problems during proceedings of the Public Accounts Committee, where the library’s limited allocations came under scrutiny.
He said the timing of the launch was important because the National Assembly would soon begin preparations for the 2027 budget.
Okafor said he would engage the chairman of the House Committee on Library, Research and Documentation and the leadership of the 10th National Assembly on improved funding for the National Library.
The keynote address was delivered by Prof. Azikiwe Peter Onwualu, President of the African University of Science and Technology (AUST) and Chairman of the Council of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU).
Speaking on the theme, “Functional Library as Key to Securing the Future of Knowledge and Springboard for Technological Advancement,” Onwualu said libraries should serve as centres for research, digital literacy, innovation and technological development.
He said the spread of artificial intelligence (AI), big data, automation, advanced computing and biotechnology had increased the need for access to reliable knowledge.
Onwualu said a modern library should provide electronic journals, research databases, institutional repositories, e-books and digitised archives, as well as spaces where students, researchers and entrepreneurs could work.
He also said libraries had a role to play in helping users separate reliable knowledge from misinformation at a time when the volume of information available online was increasing rapidly.
Onwualu called for AI literacy programmes in libraries and training for librarians and information professionals in areas including accuracy, bias, intellectual property, privacy, authorship and academic integrity.
He said investment in library infrastructure should go together with investment in the people who work in the libraries.
The event was attended by senior government officials, legislators, academics, business executives and representatives of philanthropic organisations.
Those present included the Minister of Inter-Governmental Affairs and Special Duties, Rt. Hon. Bitrus Zephaniah Jisalo; Deputy Commissioner of Police Idowu Owohunwa, representing the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Olatunji Rilwan Disu; Olorogun Olorunfunmi Adesina; and Mrs. Olushola Olutokun, Assistant Director, Library Services, representing the Statistician-General of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer of the National Bureau of Statistics.
Also present were Engr. Chief Chris Ojobo, OON, Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Urban Transportation Studies, AUST, and Mr. Chijioke James of the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation.
While interacting with pressmen after the event, Dantata commended the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, for the infrastructure work being carried out in Abuja.
Dantata said Abuja was originally planned with 93 districts but that only 11 had been developed before Wike assumed office as FCT Minister.
He said he had lived in Abuja for more than 15 years and that the changes in the city had been so extensive that he sometimes needed Google Maps to find his way around.
Dantata said Abuja, as the capital of Nigeria, needed infrastructure that would match its status and proposed two bridges around Hospital Avenue North and Hospital Avenue South to improve movement from the valley towards the ministries, Three Arms Zone and Central Business District.
He also suggested the use of the hills around Mpape, Gwarinpa and Guzape for wind turbines as part of a plan to increase renewable energy generation in the FCT.
NAN reported that Dantata described Wike’s infrastructure work as a major effort to implement the Abuja Master Plan and said the scale of development in the capital was evident from the changes recorded in different parts of the city.
The Endowment Foundation now provides the National Library with a formal structure through which individuals, businesses, foundations and other organisations can contribute to the completion of the headquarters, development of library facilities, digitisation and preservation of Nigeria’s documentary heritage.
