THURSDAY, MAY 8 2008
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Na’iya laments decline in public libraries
By MAJE T. SANUSI, Political Editor
CHAIRMAN Northern States Distribution Committee, Book Aid International (BAI), Malam Misbahu Na’iya Katsina, has expressed concern over decline of public libraries in the country, attributing their failure to lack of adequate funding by the appropriate authorities.
Speaking during the launching of the last lap of book aid by Book Aid International at the Kano state Library Complex, Monday, the chairman explained that in spite of all the good that libraries bring to our society, funding of public library system has remained lethargic over the years.
He asserted that except in a few islands of hope most public library systems in Nigeria are now in a sorry state, lamenting that even flagship national library, a few laggard states and the FCT have nothing to show by way of a functional public library system.
He further stated that it’s a shame that the implementation of the FCT plan has so far neither acknowledged, nor fingered the need for a public library system for the national capital of the leading black nation of the world.
Malam Na’iya stressed that it’s for these reasons, donor agencies such as BAI matter so much to our library system, expressing dissatisfaction that not only are there too few public library services points in Nigeria but they are also mostly grossly below standard.
Malam Na’iya who was visibly disturbed by the suspension of BAI activities in the African sub-region including Nigeria, stated that BAI has been supporting over-neglected public libraries for more than four decades.
He said part of the agency’s contributions to the development of public libraries in Nigeria included books donation, training, advocacy and creation of linkages with the United Kingdom libraries.
The chairman, who traced BAI’s contributions in Nigeria to 1964, not only in forms of books distribution, journals and CDs to encourage leverage and enhance library services among librarians, but BAI’s donation became twice in the country, closing to a total value of N500 million per annum.
According to him, most of its support went to public libraries in support of children’s public education, a special scheme of support for 12 selected Nigerian universities and smattering of special institutional libraries, including nomadic and prison population was equally introduced.
The chairman however, regretted that all these contributions will be in vein, if libraries, governments and the public have failed to rise up to the challenges of salvaging the situation.
He also advocated that individual libraries and public librarians in particular, who in recent have become larger beneficiaries of BAI donations, to use their advocacy skills to leverage previous benefits and advance the cause of support to public libraries.
Malam Na’iya finally appealed to the National Library of Nigeria and book – donating charitable trusts, such as the National Book Foundation and Northern Book Trust towards making extra-efforts in order to fill the gap created by absence of the likes of BAI in the country.
