LIBRARY DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA: A FORGOTTEN LEGACY OF AWOLAWO, AZIKIWE AND SARDAUNA

By

ISYAKU BALA IBRAHIM

The world is currently in the information age. Whoever possesses adequate information controls and dominates it. Information is often describe as the source of development, that is the more reason why knowledge-based societies today manage their sources of information very well which are primarily in books, journals, reports, policy documents and media (print and electronic). Heather Hudson of World Bank once said, “Information is critical to social economic activities that comprise the development process.” Making information very accessible to the population is the first phase of development of any nation.

However, Charles W. Eliot rightly describes books as the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers. In addition, Anna Quindlen stressed in the New York Times of 7 August 1991 that “I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves.” If books are therefore friends, as they are truly, libraries and bookshelves are by implication their comfortable homes. It is thus expected that such genial relationship can only be strengthened by providing that friend with a well conditioned environment; filling its shelves and paying visit to them or bring them closer to you.

Libraries are the encyclopedia of information waiting to be tapped. They are one of the important knowledge-breeding centres often described as the repository of a nation’s culture and wisdom, and an intellectual stimulant. It stores the cumulative experience, the collective wisdom and knowledge about the entire country and the rest of the world. For this reason, libraries were in the past first point of attack in a war by the opponent. For instance, Library of Congress built in 1800 was attacked and most of its original collection was destroyed during the US War with the British in 1812 and 1814. This destruction prompted Thomas Jefferson, the then US President to sale over 6000 books of his personal collection to the library in 1815 through a recovery scheme put in place at that time. It was built exclusively for the US Congress members for research purpose, and later opened to the public, but only congress members and judges can borrow books from it. Today, this library is the biggest library in the country and tagged, ‘library of last resort’ and has an annual budget of well above $600m today.

However, the development of libraries in Nigeria started aggressively from its birth, and that effort gained the support of foreign agencies and organizations who provided grants at different periods, but the major impact was championed by the regional leaders. A document that rightly mirrored the use of books and libraries in pre-colonial Nigeria was one by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) which was among the papers presented at the two-week regional seminal organized by the same world body between10th-22nd September 1962 held at Enugu entitled, “Present Situation of Public Library Development in the English Speaking African Countries.” On Nigeria, the document stressed that each region was responsible for the establishment and management of its public libraries where it compared their activities in the then three regions. It showed that operations of libraries in the regions predated our independence. On Eastern Nigeria, it stated that the region had a Central Library built in 1959 which was managed by Eastern Nigeria Library Board. It continued that the East had a ‘Five-year Development plan’ to provide ‘Divisional Libraries’ across the region, and hence, as part of the implementation of this rewarding plan, it inaugurated the Port Harcourt Division in 1962, and in addition, operated mobile libraries with over 1600 books borrowed by its readers through the scheme. 

In the Western Nigeria, the document pointed further that the Ministry of Education was in charge of the libraries and operated three mobile libraries among ‘fifty local communities’. It emphasized that the region had a committee on Library development in meeting its future aspirations. One could presume that the use of books in libraries in this region predated other regions since some institutions in that region were established before independence like the premier University, University of Ibadan founded in 1948.

The document further stressed that libraries were managed in the Northern region by its Education Department and stressed further that, “Northern Region was first in the federation (1952) to organize library services on a wide scale. The centre is Kaduna, the capital. Facilities are provided for the locality and the schools, native authorities and teachers training-centres. The service has the additional task of providing a centre for bibliographical information; ‘monthly lists’ are issued to all institutional borrowers.”

Consequently, in one of Nnamdi Azikiwe’s classical works entitled, Renascent Africa, he passionately remarked, “Universities have been responsible for shaping the destinies of races and nations and individuals. They are centres where things mater ial are made subservient to things intellectual in all shapes and forms. No matter in which field of learning at any university, there is an aristocracy of mind over matter — Black Africa has no intellectual centre where the raw materials of Africa humanity may be re–shaped into leaders in all the fields of human endeavor — with 12 million pounds there is no reason why the libraries, laboratories, professors cannot be produced right here, and continent (Africa) can become overnight ‘A Continent of Light.’” This is the more reason why when University of Nigeria, Nsukka came on board he personally donated about 12,000 books, including Journals to start its library in October 1960 which was later named after him. This single donation was very symbolic and re-affirming his conviction towards the development of his people through books.


By 1967, the Eastern Nigeria Library Board had over 156,000 volumes in its system of divisional and branch libraries which were strategically positioned at Ikot-Ekpene, Onitsha, Port-Harcourt and Umuahia, and the Central Library at Enugu which positively indicated that the ‘Five-year development plan’ pointed out earlier in the UNESCO document had achieved some of its main objectives.


Today, libraries, Museums, Archives have helped developed countries intellectually to achieve successes because almost everything in the past have been documented and preserved which challenge the present in its leap for the future. These countries are competing among themselves to keep space with their developmental processes and agendas. Below are the ten biggest libraries in the world:

1.    Library of Congress, Washington, DC with about 30 million books in stock built in 1800.

2.    National Library of China stocks 22 million books built since 1909.

3.    Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences collects more than 20 million books since 1714 when the library was completely built.

4.    National Library of Canada 18.8million collections built in 1953.

5.    German National Library standing in the area since 1990 and it stocks 18.5m books.

6.    British Library built in 1753 and it stocks 16m collections of books.

7.    Institute for Scientific Information Russian Academy of Sciences stocks 13.5million books constructed in 1969

8.    Harvard University Library and stocks 13.1m collections built since 1638

9.    Vernadsky National Scientific Library of Ukraine collected 13million books since 1919

10. New York Public Library has 11million books built in 1895.

It is not surprising to see U.S. libraries occupying positions 1, 8, and 10 from their innovative and responsive educational system which is among the best in the world and this is the more reason why they are leaders in almost every field of knowledge i.e. science, arts, technology, management etc. One cannot achieve this with ignorant or illiterate demography. The development of the human element is the key here.

In Africa, the largest libraries are: the Johannesburg Public Library, with more than 1.6 million volumes in South Africa followed by Ahmadu Bello University (Kashim Ibrahim) Library in Nigeria with a collection of about 1.2million volumes, then The National Library of Nigeria which has about 1.054 million volumes. The National Library of Algeria has over 950,000 volumes, the University of Algiers’ library has about 800,000 volumes. Other biggest libraries in Nigeria includes: the University of Nigeria, Nsukka has 717,000 volumes, The High Court of Lagos State holds a collection of 600,000 volumes, and University of Ibadan library contains 450,000 volumes. Other sizable university collections are University of Ife 401,000 volumes, University of Lagos 375,000 volumes. Also the largest Libraries in Ghana are: University of Ghana (Balme Library) in Legon has around 362,000 volumes and is the largest research library in the country, followed by University of Science and Technology Library with 310,000 volumes. The problem with Nigeria’s volumes is that we have the largest population on the continent and by implication we should have the largest libraries in the continent aiming at between 5-10 million volumes of books each considering the number of prospective readers in the country.

Going digital is another challenge libraries around the world face, most especially in Nigeria. Computerizations through digitalization of documents, books, journals into electronic format in libraries in the country have become a major problem. Only few institutions today have successfully digitalized their library operations worldwide. But only a few institutions have incorporated electronic library (e-Library) system in their day-to-day operations in the country such as: Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, University of Nigeria, Nsuka, National Open University of Nigeria, University of Benin etc. This allow for quicker access and retrieval of information when compared with the time-consuming way of getting it on the shelves. Though, the evolution of the internet has to a large extent contributed to the declined in the influx of readers into the libraries in the country. Though, this is a topic to be discussed in another time.

However, the sharp decline in the use of books and libraries in Nigeria generally has reached ‘a state of emergency’ status awaiting declaration. This is also connected to the lack of concrete book and library policies in the country, what ought to serve as a pointer towards the country’s development. The National Library Act of 1964 that established the National Library of Nigeria, and the National Library Decree, 1970 which improved considerably on the 1964 Act requires serious and innovative amendment that should repositioned the libraries into 21st century book collection outfit.

It is part of history that the final draft of the National Book Policy in 1992 failed to take effect and all effort to come up with it in 2008 failed for the second time. The present book policy of the Federal Government which is presently beset with about 20 percent import duty and other hindrances are the problems seeking attention.

Several Initiatives and campaigns were developed to address this decline in reading-culture, but not much have been achieved. These includes:  the 1973 Ife Conference on publishing and Book Development; the 1983 First Nigerian National Congress on Books” held in Lagos; 1983 Nigerian National Congress on Books; 1984 Task Force on the Scarcity of Books and Stationery; 1987 Panel on a Book Policy for Nigeria; 1989 ODA/ World Bank Books Sector Study; 1990 National Council on Education Committee Report on the Rationalization of Textbooks in Primary and Secondary Schools; 1990 British Council-sponsored Conference to debate the Books Sector Study; August- September 1990 Ministerial Committee on Provision of Books to Schools and Colleges; August 1993 Nigerian Educational Research & Development Council Review Workshop on Preferred Recommendations for solving the problems of the Nigerian Book Industry and Formation of Implementation Strategies; April 1994 National Conference on Book Development organized by the Nigerian Book Foundation on the theme "Making Books Readily and Affordable”; “Get Nigeria Reading again!” since 2005; National Action Committee of the Federal Ministry of Education’s “Read Project”; and the current President Jonathan’s “Bring back the Book” initiative inaugurated in December 2010. All these ended up as mere rhetoric, and hoping the most recent one by the president will not fall into the same ditch.

Nigeria is today growing a generation of empty IQs. It is regrettable to point out that at the personal and family levels things have deteriorated.  People these days will build mansions and put everything in place including pets’ house but forget rooms for mini-libraries or corners for bookshelves. Today, parents have become enemies of themselves and their children by refusing to take responsibility of growing bright children. They no longer challenge them on the number of books they can read in a month, and thereafter ask relevant questions on the lessons learnt from such intellectual exercise, instead electronic/video games, cable cartoons and  football were allowed to takeover their homes. The biting fact is this country cannot achieve its vision with obtuse population.

The primary and post-primary schools are the biggest hit where libraries at these levels of education are in unforgivable state of disrepair both in private and public schools, and in most cases they do not even exist. Hardly will one come across a school with library containing 1,000 different books nowadays, not forgetting that providing qualitative education at this level goes beyond just providing blocks of classrooms through the various local interventions i.e. UBEC, MDGs, ETF etc. which authorities at all levels are guilty of. The process must be married with provision of competent teachers, excellent instructional materials, and relevant textbooks. There are also pitiful and countless experiences where a lot of students start from the primary through to the tertiary level but have never stepped into their schools’ libraries to read or borrow books. These accumulated negligence are costing Nigerians mass failure in examinations, growing number of ‘dropped outs,’ ‘educated illiterates’, incompetent graduates etc. translating into weak labour-force and economic developments generally. Though, most of the books in the shelves of these institutions have turned into archival material for lack of refurbishment over the years. Most of the libraries virtually lack contemporary books or editions that will motivate students to go into them and in their quest for new knowledge and innovative ideas.

However, successive leaders from these three regions that make up the current six geopolitical zones have abandoned these legacies, and have since developed lukewarm attitudes towards human development through books and libraries. The country is in this comatose state intellectually because the aggressive approach of these founding fathers had lost its steam long ago and the problem of lack of continuity, vision and foresight for growing people intellectually has been identified as the bent of our development. 

There is no doubt that these founding fathers were very practical in implementing their visions of empowering their people with the best education available then and to be candid and fair to them, they were actually visionary and hence planned and executed responsible administrations in their era, as they collectively saw human capital as the key to societal development.


For Nigeria to achieve vision 20:20:20, it must aggressively reposition its education sector most especially its library system in accordance with the best practices and global trend. Our institutions lack adequate and up to date books and libraries, this has to change because nineteenth or twentieth century knowledge alone cannot take us to the promise land as this is the case with most libraries across the country today. We must be seen to be competing with the rest of the world in the pursuit of functional knowledge for the citizenry. A holistic approach must be used to get the country to surpass its past glory on the use of libraries which may among other ways include: sustainable campaigns targeting all Nigerians from the family level to the community level through to the national level; the country must have all-inclusive and innovative national book and library policies that will strategically revive our decaying library system and improve on the dismal position of books in the public psyche; all schools must have at least a functional library supported by governments at all levels as done during the PTF intervention during late president Abacha’s regime and the private sector must also be involved; government at all levels must support writers through a national endowments for writers and literature; subsidizing of books to citizenry to make them affordable which the anticipated impact will be more than the ones given to petroleum products currently.


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