Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has reaffirmed her commitment to reviving and completing the National Library of Nigeria, describing it as a project of national pride and a “cathedral of knowledge” that must not be left unfinished.
The First Lady made the remarks during a visit to the Qatar National Library in Doha, her first official engagement since arriving in the Gulf nation. According to the press release by Busola Kukoyi, the visit, she said, was aimed at learning from Qatar’s success in building a world-class, digitized library system that combines innovation, accessibility, and cultural preservation.
“When our National Library is finally completed, it will stand as a symbol of Nigeria’s intellectual identity, a modern, digitized facility where our children can learn, our history can live, and our stories can be preserved for generations,” Mrs. Tinubu said.
Oluremi Tinubu
Oluremi Tinubu
Located in Abuja, Nigeria’s National Library project has been under construction for over two decades, stalled by inadequate funding and shifting administrative priorities. Despite repeated budgetary allocations, the project remains incomplete, a visible reminder of the country’s struggle to prioritize knowledge infrastructure.
But under the Renewed Hope Agenda, Mrs. Tinubu is breathing new life into the dream. She has pledged part of her personal birthday donations toward the completion of the library project, demonstrating her belief that leadership must be backed by sacrifice and vision.
The First Lady emphasized that the National Library should serve as more than a building; it must become the nation’s intellectual and cultural compass, housing records of Nigeria’s heritage, creativity, and evolution.
“Nigeria is blessed with a rich and robust cultural history that deserves to be preserved and digitized,” she noted. “Our youth must have a point of reference — a place to know their roots, understand their identity, and access knowledge freely.”
During the tour, Mrs. Tinubu was impressed by the Qatar National Library’s expansive collection of two million books and 500,000 e-books, its advanced digitization system, and its guiding motto: “Free Access to Knowledge.”
She described the facility as a model for what Nigeria’s own National Library could become, a repository of learning, culture, and innovation, built to serve both citizens and the global community.
The First Lady’s next engagement in Doha is a meeting with the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development, where she is expected to explore partnerships aimed at supporting out-of-school children and the Almajiri Education Program in Nigeria.
Oluremi Tinubu
Oluremi Tinubu
Oluremi Tinubu
With her quiet resolve and strategic diplomacy, Mrs. Tinubu is positioning the National Library revival as not just a construction project, but a national renaissance, a bid to rebuild the intellectual soul of Nigeria.
“The future belongs to a nation that invests in knowledge,” she said. “And Nigeria must never lose that vision.”
