Labour unions under the National Library of Nigeria have accused the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) of deliberately delaying or suppressing corruption investigations involving the management of the institution.

The unions, including NUPSRAW and ASURI, claim that multiple petitions submitted over the past two and a half years regarding alleged corruption, abuse of office, recruitment fraud, contract inflation, and financial mismanagement worth over N10 billion have not been properly concluded.

They allege that investigations uncovered evidence suggesting illegal sale of government properties without approval from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), with proceeds allegedly traced to personal accounts.

According to the unions, although ICPC has questioned some staff members linked to the alleged transactions, the National Librarian and Chief Executive Officer, Prof.Chinwe Anunobi, has not been formally invited for questioning despite being central to the allegations.

The unions also claim that the same contractors were repeatedly used to purchase government assets such as vehicles and generators, raising concerns about transparency and accountability.

They further allege that recruitment processes under the National Library have been abused, including violations of civil service rules, creation of non-existent job cadres, and alleged sale of job vacancies for up to N2 million.The unions also raised concerns over alleged federal character violations, claiming that recruitment exercises favoured specific regions over others.

In addition, they criticised the reappointment of the National Librarian for another five-year term despite pending corruption allegations, describing it as inappropriate.

The unions are calling on the ICPC, Federal Ministry of Education, and other federal authorities to ensure a full and transparent investigation, insisting that continued delays undermine public trust in anti-corruption efforts and governance institutions in Nigeria.