FORMER PRESIDENT OBASANJO URGES FG, AND KEY PLAYERS TO PRIORITIZE COMPLETION OF THE NATIONAL LIBRARY HEADQUARTERS BUILDING 21-11-24
By Sadiq Aminu Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has urged the Federal Government, private sector and key players in education to prioritize the completion of the National Library Headquarters building in Abuja.
The Former President, who stated this in a message at the 60th anniversary of the National Library of Nigeria in Abuja, said the building was critical to the nation’s drive for life long learning, Literacy and cultural preservation.
Former President Obasanjo emphasized the need for Nigeria to have a state of the art edifice to preserve its national heritage for knowledge acquisition and said all hands must be on deck to achieve this feat.
He commended the National Library of Nigeria for the achievements so far, in the last sixty years and said that a fully operational headquarters would serve as a beacon for literacy and learning.
The Minister of State for Education, Dr. Suwaiba Ahmad described the library as critical to the development of any Nation and called on stakeholders to harness the power of information for the future.
The National Librarian and Chief Executive Officer of the National Library of Nigeria, Professor Veronica Anunobi said the Agency had made giant strides among which were its transition from analog to digital operations and the campaign across the country especially in the hard to reach areas to promote good reading culture.
The representative of Ford Foundation, Mr. Dabesaki Mac-Ikemejima pledged continued support to the National Library and stressed the need for investment into physical libraries to cater for those in the rural communities.
There were goodwill messages from the National Librarian of South Africa and American Embassy in Nigeria, and the event witnessed the launch of the Strategic plan of the National Library of Nigeria from 2025 to 2030.
The construction of the National Library headquarters building which commenced over ten years ago, is yet to be completed.