FG Moves to Revive Abandoned Government Printer, Ends Years of Waste in Abuja Facility

FG Moves to Revive Abandoned Government Printer, Ends Years of Waste in Abuja Facility

The Federal Government has commenced steps to revive the long-abandoned Government Printer facility in Abuja, following an inspection by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, who described the years of neglect as unacceptable and wasteful.

The Minister made this known on Thursday after touring the multi-billion-naira facility, which has remained largely unused for over a decade despite being substantially completed. He expressed concern that the abandonment of the project runs contrary to the Federal Government’s renewed emphasis on prudence, accountability and efficient utilisation of public assets under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Idris recalled that the foundation stone of the Government Printer was laid in 2001 during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and noted that the project is about 70 per cent completed. He disclosed that several high-grade printing machines, supplied as far back as 2007 and imported from countries including Germany and India, were found still sealed in their original crates, with some of the technology now obsolete due to prolonged neglect.

“It is heart-wrenching to see this level of waste in the heart of Abuja,” the Minister said. “At a time when government is working hard to conserve resources and look inward, it is unacceptable that such a massive investment has been allowed to deteriorate year after year.”

The Minister explained that the prolonged inactivity of the Government Printer has compelled the Federal Government to outsource critical printing jobs that should ordinarily be handled internally, thereby undermining efficiency and national capacity.

Findings during the inspection also revealed extensive underutilisation of infrastructure at the site, including a brand-new 2000 KVA generator installed in 2011, which has never been put into operation.

Accompanied by the Permanent Secretary, the Acting Director in charge of the facility and other senior officials of the Ministry, Idris said the visit was aimed at enabling the leadership to assess the situation firsthand, carry out a proper stock-taking and take informed decisions.

“We have come to see things for ourselves. We will return to make concrete recommendations to Mr President and the Federal Executive Council on the best way to revitalise this facility and put it to use for the benefit of Nigerians,” he said.

He assured that the Federal Government would no longer turn a blind eye to the continued deterioration of national assets and would take decisive steps to recover value from existing investments and prevent further waste.

The Minister reaffirmed the commitment of the Ministry of Information and National Orientation to transparency, responsible governance and the efficient management of public resources, in line with President Tinubu’s directive that every naira spent must deliver value to Nigerians.

The Government Printer is the official printing arm of the Federal Government, responsible for producing sensitive and security-related documents such as the Federal Government Gazette and other statutory publications of the Ministry of Information and National Orientation.

Despite the strategic importance of the facility, the Abuja Government Printer has suffered years of abandonment since construction began in the early 2000s. The neglect has resulted in heavy financial losses, as successive administrations continued to outsource government printing jobs while expensive equipment lay idle.

The Tinubu administration’s renewed focus on asset recovery and optimal use of public infrastructure has brought renewed attention to abandoned and underutilised government projects, with the Government Printer now set for possible revitalisation as part of broader public sector reforms aimed at cutting waste and strengthening national capacity.