During the visit on Thursday, the minister described the abandonment of the multi-billion-naira project as unacceptable and inconsistent with the federal government’s commitment to prudence, accountability and optimal use of public assets under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Idris recalled that the foundation stone of the facility was laid in 2001 during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, noting that the project is about 70 per cent completed, with high-grade printing equipment supplied as far back as 2007.
He expressed concern that many of the machines, imported from countries such as Germany and India, remain unopened in their original crates more than a decade later, with some of the technology now rendered obsolete due to prolonged neglect.
The Government Printer serves as the official printer of the Federal Government, producing sensitive national documents including the Federal Government Gazette and other critical publications. The minister noted that the prolonged inactivity of the facility has forced the government to outsource printing jobs that should be handled internally.
The inspection also revealed that key infrastructure at the site, including a 2000 KVA generator installed in 2011, has never been put to use, highlighting the scale of underutilised public assets.
Accompanied by senior officials of the ministry, Idris said the visit was aimed at assessing the situation firsthand, carrying out proper stock-taking and enabling informed management decisions.
He assured that concrete recommendations would be made to President Tinubu and the Federal Executive Council to revitalise the facility, stressing that the Federal Government would take decisive steps to recover value from existing investments and prevent further waste.
