By Abdulrasheed Ibrahim
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Few years back, I asked the question whether the contemporary leaders in this country are interested in reading or have the flair for it. If they truly love or have the flair for reading, why has the National Library in Abuja remained uncompleted since the Federal Capital was moved to Abuja under the IBB regime in the early 90s? The Federal Capital Territory has over the years witnessed serious rapid development but those developing it have refused to spare a thought for the completion the National Library. The video of the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu (CON) was run on television for weeks calling and appealing to those who would want to wish her “Happy Birthday” on the 21st September through various advertisements in the mass media or any other form of gifts to convert such to the donation of funds towards the completion of the National Library. In the very words of the First Lady:
“I wish to appeal to those who would like to send a birthday card, cakes, flowers, greetings in the newspapers or gifts should please send the funds to the designated account for a special project close to my heart among many other .The completion of the National Library, this would be the best birthday present I could receive. My love for education has informed my decision to dedicate my birthday to this worthy cause.”
This gesture is very commendable on the part of the First Lady. If those who are really in charge do not know the right thing to do, at least she has shown them the way. In this part of the world, many people throw up birthday parties as if they will live in this world forever without remembering the fact that the more birthdays they celebrate, the less the number of years they have to spend on the surface of the earth. We live in a country where National Library and anything that relates to it does not receive adequate attention from this but government. If the teachers or lecturers in our various institutions of learning are not threatening warning strike today, they will threaten going on total strike tomorrow. One can say without fear of any contradiction that education for long has not been receiving adequate attention from the government of this country at all levels.
One of the hard facts to prove this is the abandonment of the National Library which ought to be the pride of any of nation. Another fact is that some leaders in this country have supervised the collapse of the public schools and created grounds for the many private school owners to continue exploiting parents in different ways. It was this kind of exploitation that prompted the Imo State Government or so to ban the graduations of school pupils at every stage of moving from Pre-Nursery Class to the Nursery Class and from there to the Primary School Class and thereafter to the Secondary School Class. The exploitation became so rampant that unlike in those days that the children of the rich and those of the poor mixed together in public schools and doing everything together, the education system this time around has created a situation where those you see in private schools are virtually the children of the rich or the well to do parents while the public schools are left virtually for the children of the poor or the less privileged. The banning of the unnecessary graduation ceremonies and the yearly change of text books being used by students by Imo State and some States are very commendable. Unlike in those days when the younger brothers or sisters could use the text books of their older brothers or sisters on getting to a particular class, most private school owners have assumed the status of capitalists maximizing profits by inventing the idea of yearly change or buying of text books where the Reading Books are different from the Work Books on various subjects that must all be bought by parents for their children.
The way things stand today; many public libraries in different parts of the country have remained the ghosts of their glorious past as many of them are not up to date in terms of supply of books and related materials. This is more the reason why one must commend the efforts of the likes of the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) who through his private initiative his before death established in Ikeja , Lagos Sate what has come to be known as the Gani Fawehinmi Library and Gallery for the use of the general public. The history of literature in this country particularly in the area of law and jurisprudence will not easily forget the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi for his contributions in this regard which still remains unmatched till date. No wonder that late Hon. Justice Anthony Aniagolu, JSC once asserted about Gani that: “No Nigerian to date has marched the indomitable energy you have put up for the growth of law in this country”.
Chief Gani Fawehinmi in the 80s came like a messiah to change the narrative in the law publishing and by the consensus of Justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria his Law Reports remain the best in Africa. Like Chief Obafemi Awolowo SAN who established the Tribune Newspaper in 1949 which still exists till date, likewise Chief Gani Fawehinmi SAN started his Nigerian Weekly Law Reports (NWLR) in 1985 and also still continues publishing till date. These two great lawyers through their efforts opened the floodgate for the Advent of more Newspapers and Law Reports in this country. They have proved individually to be the symbol of consistency and continuity as they have succeeded where many other people have failed collectively which often question the potency of the maxim : “Two heads are better than one”. In their own cases, they have proved that one head is better than two heads or even three heads. Achieving such feat is not an easy task. In the preface to his book titled: “DIGEST OF THE SUPREME COURT CASES” published in volumes in January 1986, Chief Gani Fawehinmi had this to say:
“…I will like to place on record the wonderful co-operation we received from Hon. Mr. JUSTICE GEORGE SODEINDE SOWEMIMO, the Chief Justice of Nigeria. He ensured that we obtained all decisions we requested for. He ordered that all the Court’s Guard Books of the original judgments of the Supreme Court from 1956-1986 be given to us for our examination, study and research. He made available to us ROOM 34 of the Supreme Court Extension for our use. I thank him for his major contribution in this regard.”
The above assertion depicts one of the problems still confronting many lawyers and researchers till date which is the lack of adequate access to the books and materials that are available in the public libraries particularly the law libraries of our various courts. As far back as in the 80s when the Supreme Court was in Lagos, Chief Fawehinmi had to resort to getting the “ORDER” from the CJN who ensured that he had adequate access to the books and materials in the Supreme Court for the purpose of his research works. The situation of lack of adequate access to the library unfortunately still remain the same till date as your mere visiting or writing to those in charge of the libraries requesting for books or materials is not a guarantee that your request will be attended to or you will be allowed full access to the court libraries as your contact with the books are restricted which ought not to be so.Even consider yourself lucky if your letter is acknowledged or responded to.
Since the unfortunate destruction of the Lagos State High Court with its rich library at Igbosere during the EndSars Protest, Lawyers and Researchers are left in terms of law books and materials mainly with the Court of Appeal Library at the TBS and that of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja Division. One unpleasant thing about the use of these libraries as Lawyers or Researchers is that you cannot have full access or direct contact with the books in those libraries. You only have access to the indexes of Law Reports from where you will check the particular law reports you want that will be given to you. No catalogues or lists of books that are stocked in these libraries. You cannot walk round the bookshelves to scout for books that may be of interest to you in the cause of your searching .There are books that have been on the bookshelves for decades that nobody has ever opened them for once. Honestly, this is not the right way to make use of the books that are kept in the Court Libraries for reading and research.
Ampim Gogo Blankson, Esq., a lawyer and researcher who wrote and published a wonderful book on the “History of Rivers State Judiciary” lamented what he went through when researching to put the book together.In our discussion he said to me that when you go to a standard bookshop or supermarket, the staff or manager in charge does not keep you waiting at the entrance asking for the list of what you want to buy. You are allowed free access to go in searching from shelf to shelf for what you want to buy. Along the line, you may come across other things of interest to you and decide to buy them. I agreed with my Learned friend that that is the best way to make maximum use of the public or court libraries without lawyers or researchers going about disturbing the senior officers of the courts that you want to be granted permission to have access to the libraries. Probably if the Chief Justice of Nigeria had not intervened at that time of his research, Chief Fawehinmi might have found it difficult accessing the library the way he did. The common complaint among many lawyers and researchers involving in writing and publishing as well as other engaging in the research for their post graduate programmes is the lack of adequate access to the libraries.
The public and court libraries need to be staffed with professional librarians and people that have passion and knowledge of library science for the effective and efficient management of the libraries as most often when you go to some libraries, you discover that some of the staff there are too lazy to go in searching for the books you have requested for and will only return to tell you that there are no such books in the library.
It is a good news that the First Lady has announced to the State House Correspondents that the sum of N20,450, 188, 924.00 has been realized so far as her birthday gifts through her “Oluremi at 65 Education Trust Fund” account with the Zenith Bank meant to be devoted to the completion of the National Library. It is equally interesting that , Ayo Ademiluyi , a lawyer has also gone to court seeking for an order of mandamus to compel the First Lady to disclose the details of how the funds will be utilised for the library project. While the court action may be necessary to ensure transparency on the use of the funds for what it is meant for if the case is not thrown out by the court on the notorious ground of “Locus Standi”. The wife of the President must be commended for her interest and effort on the National Library. As for those that thought she is doing it for the re-election of her husband for 2027, she has cleared the air on this that:
“Let me at this point correct a notion moving around about this fundraising .It is not connected to anything political…So far , we have raised N20. 4bn since this fund launched last week and more are still…This is not the first time I have raised funds for causes close to my heart. For my 45th birthday, I raised N50m to complete the National Sickle Cell Foundation Centre, which has since become fully operational. For my 50th birthday, I raised N200m for the New Era Foundation…What is wrong with drawing attention to area of need and inclusion? Helping to rebuild does not have a political under toned- it’s our duty as citizens to contribute meaningfully to society. I even donated to the post -war rebuilding of schools in Liberia…”
Honestly, it is this type of thinking that normally makes one to suggest that some women should be tested with the position of leadership of this country. If we have been having men as leaders at the helm of affairs including her husband and they never spare thought on the completion of the National Library all this while, the incumbent First Lady must be commended for her initiative on the National Library. The Idea of having a National Library in Abuja was said to have been mooted in 1981 but the construction did not start until in 2006 and was meant to be completed within two years with the sum of N8.59bn. Since the structure is not receiving adequate attention on the part of the successive leaders some of whom prefer to focus on their own personal libraries rather than the National Library. Remember Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was the President in 2006 when the construction started but he was able to complete his own presidential library in Abeokuta. General Ibrahim Babangida who launched his own autobiography in February this year said the proceeds in Billions of Naira realised therefrom would be used to build his own presidential library in Minna. IBB became Military President four years after the idea of the National Library in Abuja was mooted. Does this not show how self-centred some of our leaders are? IBB moved the Federal Capital from Lagos to Abuja in 1991 but never spare a thought for the National Library throughout his tenure.The project originally meant to be completed within two years with the sum of N8. 59bn has since been in limbo. According to a report:
“However , costs ballooned and progress slowed. By 2023 the physical completion rated stood at about 44 per cent with estimates ranging from N49.6bn to more than N120bn required to finish the 11-storey complex…has long been considered a symbol of a stalled infrastructure project. Successive administrations have pledged to deliver the project, and in 2025 the Federal Government directed the Tertiary Education Trust Fund to take over funding and resume construction. Education minister, Tunji Alausa, said in April that work would restart by June 1, following site in assessments. The Nigerian Library Association renewed its call in September 2025 for urgent completion, arguing that the facility is critical to education, research and cultural preservation.”
With this latest development, the First Lady has focused attention on the National Library which ought to be critical to our education; research and cultural preservation which the successive leaders of this country have not refused to take seriously. If you watch the documentary films of Gani Fawehinmi Library and Gallery as well as the library of Mohammed Bin Rashid in Dubai , UAE, you will marvel and begin to ask the question : when will our contemporary leaders in this part of the world get it right ?
NOTE: Anyone is at liberty to disagree with my above submissions as I will surely appreciate a balanced, fair and objective rebuttal
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