Oluremi Tinubu’s crowdfunding call and the future of Nigeria’s national library

BY MOHAMMED NMA BABA & CHUKWUEMEKA UDOJI 

When Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, recently urged her well-wishers to channel their birthday gifts for her 65th celebration into contributions for the completion of the National Library, the gesture sparked mixed reactions. While many hailed it as a noble and selfless appeal, others criticised the move, arguing that a national institution should not be reduced to a “personal pet project.”

Indeed, the National Library is a national right that must be funded through the federal budget. It is indisputable that the government bears the ultimate responsibility for sustaining its apex repository of knowledge. But what critics overlooked or are ignorant of is the fact that the National Library of Nigeria like most libraries around the world was born out of a partnership between government and philanthropy.

Its very existence is a testimony that external support, donor funding, and collective contributions are part of its founding story.

The history is clear. In 1962, the Ford Foundation championed the course for the establishment of the National Library. At the time, the proposed library had no budgetary allocation in the then National Development Plan. It was only through the intervention of the Ford Foundation, which dispatched Dr. Carl White of Columbia University as library advisor, that the project took shape.

The Ford Foundation largely bore the burden for the overall conceptualisation and funding of the proposed NLN; the Federal Government contributed a small amount (as a grant, since there was no budget for it in the National Development Plan at the time).

The Ford Foundation’s commitment was substantial: three separate grants totalling $468,000, specifically for the National Library, and over $2 million in support for library development across Nigeria between 1959 and 1971. Advisors like Priscilla Taylor and Philip Rappaport carried the work forward, while Nigeria’s top leadership—Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa lent decisive political backing.

Thus, the National Library of Nigeria was established through philanthropic efforts from an international body, rather than solely by the government.

It is noteworthy to state that, around the world, libraries, as free institutions for the democratisation of access to information, have continued to be funded through philanthropic efforts (which, in most cases, served as their foundations of existence) in addition to government funding. Worthy of mention in this regard is the noble effort of Sir Andrew Carnegie.

At the turn of the 20th century, industrialist Andrew Carnegie funded 2,509 public libraries worldwide, including 1,679 in the U.S., 660 in the U.K. and Ireland, and 125 in Canada. Carnegie provided building grants, while local governments supplied land, annual budgets, and guaranteed free public access.
The model transformed public access to knowledge and became the backbone of library systems across continents.

Seen in this light, Senator Tinubu’s crowdfunding initiative is not a departure from the National Library’s origins. It is a continuation of the founding spirit of partnership and shared responsibility. What she proposes is simple but profound: that every Nigerian, from individuals to corporate bodies and diaspora communities, should become stakeholders in completing the long-abandoned National Library headquarters in Abuja.

Yes, government funding remains indispensable, but after nearly two decades of delay, it would be unwise to dismiss alternative approaches. A crowdfunding drive does not absolve the government of responsibility—it galvanises public ownership, while also reminding leaders that citizens care enough to invest directly in their intellectual heritage.

The first lady is emulating a global tradition as great libraries and cultural institutions thrive on a mix of government subvention, private philanthropy, and citizen contributions. The Library of Congress in the United States, the British Library, and countless university libraries in Africa have all benefited from donor funds and endowments. Nigeria’s National Library should not be different.

By tying her birthday celebration to the library’s completion, the First Lady has chosen to invest her symbolic influence in something far greater than herself: the preservation of Nigeria’s collective memory. In an era where leaders are often criticised for extravagance, her decision to prioritise books over banquets and knowledge over opulence deserves commendation.

Rather than dismiss this initiative, Nigerians should embrace it. Corporate organisations, philanthropists, alumni associations, and individuals can all play a role. The National Library houses not only books but also the story of Nigeria’s past, present, and future. To support it is to invest in national identity, educational progress, and cultural continuity.

But crowdfunding should be the spark, not the substitute. The government must still match this civic energy with budgetary commitments, policy reforms, and transparent timelines for completing the National Library headquarters.

Since the National Library of Nigeria was conceived through the marriage of government will and philanthropic generosity. Senator Oluremi Tinubu’s appeal invites us to relive that founding spirit—to prove that, just as foreign support once seeded the institution, Nigerians themselves can now rise to complete it.

Let us join hands to complete a chapter of our national story. And history will remember not the delay, but the moment Nigerians came together—sparked by the First Lady’s call—to give their future the priceless gift of knowledge.

Mohammed Nma Baba and Chukwuemeka K. Udoji are certified librarians in Nigeria and members of the Nigerian Library Association (NLA)