Library
By Talatu Maiwada
Abuja, March 29, 2018 (NAN) Youth Initiative for Sustainable Human Development in Africa (YISHDA), an NGO, has urged Federal Government to invest in public libraries to promote effective reading culture among young people.
The organisation’s Director of Communication, Mr Moses Agbara, made the call at an event in Abuja on Thursday to mark the 2018 Book Reading Day with the theme “Library As Tool To Reviving the Culture of Reading Among Young People.”
Agbara said libraries formed an integral part of the educational development of young people, noting that the day was aimed at creating platform toward revitalising reading culture among young people in Nigeria.
He, however, decried the poor state of libraries in the country and urged government to prioritise and equip the facilities as they were fundamental to the design, implementation and attainment of educational excellence.
He said “government needs to pay attention to public libraries because they are decaying.
“Without the support of efficient libraries young people cannot effectively improve and develop their skills.
“We presently have about 200 public libraries in the country and most of them are not functional and conducive in a country with a population of about 180 million people.
“We want government to invest and quip existing libraries with 21st century information sources, to help reawaken the reading culture among young people.
“In developed countries, libraries are hubs where people in communities go to develop themselves, the government invest in them through the libraries and in turn they become relevant to their communities.”
Agbara said young people could achieve their potential in life if they developed interest in reading, adding that reading was not about exams but galvanising knowledge.
He said there was need to put in place a reward system to revive and encourage reading culture among young people which must begin from the family unit.
“Parents must be role models to their children by inculcating the habit of reading in them; reward or incentives could be given as a form of encouragement.
“Reading should not be limited to classrooms for academic work: students should be encouraged to use libraries for them to come into world of recognition and leadership.”
Mrs Folasade Adepoju, the Principal Liberian, National Library of Nigeria, called on government to invest and complete the building of National Library Headquarters which had been under construction since 2002.
He said “58 years of Nigeria’s existence and 54 years of establishment of National library in Nigeria, Nigerians do not have a functional library and this is not acceptable.
“The national library is the apex of all libraries, mandated to collect every intellectual output in Nigeria such as books written by Nigerian authors living in and outside the shores of the country.
“We collect the books and materials and process them and make them accessible to users, but a functional library will mentor, guide and raise new generation of readers and leaders in our country.” (NAN)
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