The federal government in its bid to ease access to libraries around the country has announced its plans to establish new branches of the National Library in Delta, Anambra, Ekiti, Kebbi, Kogi and Jigawa states.
Adamu Adamu, Minister of Education disclosed this in a press briefing in Abuja on Friday stating that for the National Library of Nigeria (NLN) to fulfil its mandate as required by its enabling Act to have presence in all states of the Federation, the NLN has been expanding its branches across the country as well as rehabilitating existing ones.
He said “Away from the National Library Headquarters, may I inform you that the National Library of Nigeria (NLN) is required by its enabling Act to have presence in all states of the Federation. To fulfil this mandate, the NLN has been expanding its branches across the country as well as rehabilitating existing ones. Contracts for the renovation of the Lagos, Benue, Nasarawa, Imo, Adamawa, and Plateau branches have been awarded while others will come on stream 1n 2020”.
The minister, speaking on the state of the public Libraries in Nigeria said that efforts are on-going to complete the National Library Headquarters as the project was first awarded in 2006 at a total cost of N8 billion but the project cost was reviewed upward to N18 billion in 2013 adding that the work was however stopped by the end of 2013 due to poor-funding.
“I have received a number of enquiries from members of the press, expressing concern over the “abandoned” gigantic National Library Headquarters, here in Abuja. Let me state unequivocally that the Buhari administration has made it clear that it will not abandon any project initiated by any past administration that is adjudged to be in public interest, efforts are on to complete the National Library Headquarters”, he added.
“It must also be noted that we are in a digital world. We are therefore in the process of providing free internet access for our library users, beginning with Lagos, Abuja and Enugu branches. We have requested Galaxy Backbone to increase our Internet bandwidth in these branches and the
process is ongoing”.
“We are also expanding completing and renovating e-libraries in all our Unity schools and each school will gets qualified librarian to manage the learning resources”, he said.
