The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has launched an investigation into the alleged abandonment of a ₦365 million National Library project in Jalingo, Taraba State. The probe, initiated by a petition from civic advocacy organisation BudgIT Foundation, centres on the management of public funds and project delivery timelines.

Contract Details and Cost Escalation

Records presented before the committee, chaired by Hon. Bamidele Salam, show the contract for the prototype national library building was awarded on March 1, 2018, to Samsung and Asosu Nigeria Limited at a cost of ₦238 million. The initial completion date was set for March 2019. However, in March 2023—four years past the deadline—the Federal Ministry of Education approved a variation that increased the contract sum to ₦365 million. This significant cost review and timeline overrun raise immediate red flags about project supervision and value for money.

The Core of the Dispute: Paid vs. Outstanding

The National Library's Chief Executive Officer, Chinwe Veronica, appeared before the committee to account for the project. A major point of contention emerged from the financial reporting. One account states that ₦292.267 million has been disbursed to the contractor, with the project at approximately 85% completion. A conflicting claim suggests the outstanding balance is merely ₦7.3 million.

A Simple Arithmetic Problem

This discrepancy forms the heart of the accountability issue. Basic arithmetic reveals the problem: if the total contract is ₦365 million and ₦292.267 million has been paid, the logical outstanding balance should be roughly ₦72.733 million, not ₦7.3 million. This ₦65 million gap in accounting requires urgent clarification from the National Library management. The committee has demanded explanations for this inconsistency, the reasons for the massive cost variation, and the actual physical status of the project in Jalingo.

Broader Implications for Public Procurement

This case is symptomatic of broader challenges in Nigeria's public infrastructure procurement. It highlights issues like contract variation, project abandonment, and opaque financial reporting. The involvement of BudgIT underscores the growing role of civil society in tracking government expenditure and demanding transparency. The outcome of this probe will be a test of the National Assembly's oversight function and its capacity to enforce accountability for public funds.