DEMOLITION OF IMO STATE LIBRARY
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Toyin Falola
Oct 9, 2013, 10:06:01 AM10/9/13
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Toyin Falola
Department of History
The University of Texas at Austin
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512 475 7222 (fax)
From: tunji okegbola <tunjio...@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: "FOIcoa...@yahoogroups.com" <FOIcoa...@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Wednesday, October 9, 2013 8:25 AM
To: "FOIcoa...@yahoogroups.com" <FOIcoa...@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: Re: [FOIcoalition] PPDC drags NNPC to court over disregard for FOI Act - Nigerian Tribune
Reply-To: "FOIcoa...@yahoogroups.com" <FOIcoa...@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Wednesday, October 9, 2013 8:25 AM
To: "FOIcoa...@yahoogroups.com" <FOIcoa...@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: Re: [FOIcoalition] PPDC drags NNPC to court over disregard for FOI Act - Nigerian Tribune
DEMOLITION OF IMO STATE LIBRARY
Dear Colleagues,
Pleased be informed that the Governor of Imo state, is set to demolish the only library serving the entire state in the state Capital, Owerri.
The newly refurbished Library was built in 1976 by the then Military Administrator of the state; Rear Admiral (retired) Ndubuisi Godwin Kanu.
The governor who is building a government house chapel, just outside the government house is demolishing the library to make space to create a car park for worshippers at the chapel when completed.
Okorocha had earlier this year taken over the library recreation park where he is presently constructing a mini mall of sort.
For an alternative however, the governor relocated the library to a remote area near Nekede village, into an uncompleted one-unit residential home without doors and windows.
Library staff complains that even the shelves of the library cannot enter the building without first being dismantled and rebuilt.
The Imo state library is made up of about five units of one-storey buildings fenced in and structured for effective library services.
The Library has over twelve specialized department that conforms to the building design of the state library which include the...
1] Public Library,
2] Children Library,
3] Research Library,
4] School Library,
5] Library for the handicapped (the only existing one in W/Africa).
6] Administration department,
7] Accounts department,
8] ICT unit.
9] department for Library Support Service.
10] Printing department.
The library workers who took to the street rescenly insist that the new location is not suitable for readership and not accessible to the reading public. Imo state residence noted that standard of education in the state under the watch of Governor Rochas Okorocha has crashed beyond words.
The angry state Library workers recalled that during the Gov Achike Udenwa administration, government upgraded and strengthened the pillars of the library and also painted it; Gov Ikedi Ohakim also gave the library a befitting face lift during his tenure, but Okorocha assumed office only to take over their recreation park, fence-in the library and now is planning to demolish and take over the library land.
Pleased be informed that the Governor of Imo state, is set to demolish the only library serving the entire state in the state Capital, Owerri.
The newly refurbished Library was built in 1976 by the then Military Administrator of the state; Rear Admiral (retired) Ndubuisi Godwin Kanu.
The governor who is building a government house chapel, just outside the government house is demolishing the library to make space to create a car park for worshippers at the chapel when completed.
Okorocha had earlier this year taken over the library recreation park where he is presently constructing a mini mall of sort.
For an alternative however, the governor relocated the library to a remote area near Nekede village, into an uncompleted one-unit residential home without doors and windows.
Library staff complains that even the shelves of the library cannot enter the building without first being dismantled and rebuilt.
The Imo state library is made up of about five units of one-storey buildings fenced in and structured for effective library services.
The Library has over twelve specialized department that conforms to the building design of the state library which include the...
1] Public Library,
2] Children Library,
3] Research Library,
4] School Library,
5] Library for the handicapped (the only existing one in W/Africa).
6] Administration department,
7] Accounts department,
8] ICT unit.
9] department for Library Support Service.
10] Printing department.
The library workers who took to the street rescenly insist that the new location is not suitable for readership and not accessible to the reading public. Imo state residence noted that standard of education in the state under the watch of Governor Rochas Okorocha has crashed beyond words.
The angry state Library workers recalled that during the Gov Achike Udenwa administration, government upgraded and strengthened the pillars of the library and also painted it; Gov Ikedi Ohakim also gave the library a befitting face lift during his tenure, but Okorocha assumed office only to take over their recreation park, fence-in the library and now is planning to demolish and take over the library land.
Just this morning, I was watching a documentary on the positive changes Gov. Okorocha has brought to education
in Imo State. It is commendable to transform the lives of teachers and refurbish classrooms among others but can meaningful teaching and learning process take place without the Library?
Tunji Okegbola
On Monday, October 7, 2013 5:16 AM, Edetaen Ojo <ede...@gmail.com> wrote:
PPDC drags NNPC to court over disregard for FOI Act
A civil society organisation, Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC), has dragged the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to court over non-disclosure
of information and disregarding the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act.
The case was filed at an Abuja High Court in a suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/279/2013, and the next hearing has been fixed for October 23, 2013. The PPDC had approached
the court for an injunction seeking to compel the NNPC to obey the FOI law and make available necessary information that was supposed to be in public domain regarding procurement of contract.
Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune on the sideline of a workshop organised for journalists by the Media Rights Agenda in Lagos, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
of PPDC, Ms Seember Nyager, stated that the NNPC as a public institution entrusted with public funds should be accountable and transparent.
According to her, “we decided to drag NNPC to court due to its disregard for the FOI Act after several attempts to get information on contract procurement by
it.”
The NNPC was rated by Transparency International (TI) in 2011 as the most corrupt state-owned oil firm.
NNPC was the only company to score zero on organisational information disclosure, which included the provision of details of deals agreed with governments and
partners on energy projects.
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dijiaina
Oct 9, 2013, 11:32:38 AM10/9/13
to usaafric...@googlegroups.com, dialogue
This report, if confirmed, is quite disturbing. Mr Tunji Okegbola is a respected voice in the Library profession. He was the Librarian in Charge of the famous Daily Times Library in Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos. When I enrolled for my PhD a little over two decades ago, he was of great assistance providing me useful materials in the highly resourceful DTN library. The DTN Library is now history after the media house was sold by spineless individuals. No wonder Okegbola is championing the fight against this worrisome development in Imo state.
However, I want to caution that we must have the government side to the story. This is more so that Mr Okegbola's report mentioned a documentary he watched this morning indicating "positive changes" to the educational sector in Imo state by Governor Rochas Okorocha who has "transform(ed) the lives of teachers and refurbish classrooms among others". There appears to be a contradiction here. Also, a past government (of Gov Achike Udenwa) strengthened the pillars of the library building! This is suggesting that the building that is expected to carry weighty objects (book and human beings) appears structurally unfit, defective or old?
Whoever knows the officials of the government in Imo should drag them to this court to answer query for being anti-knowledge in this age when even the Bible says knowledge shall increase.
Professor Ayandiji Daniel AINA, PhD
Dean, Babcock Business School,
Babcock University,
Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State,
Nigeria.
Main email: ain...@babcock.edu.ng
Alternate email: diji...@yahoo.com
"Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less” - Rick Warren.
dijiaina
Oct 15, 2013, 5:31:09 PM10/15/13
to usaafric...@googlegroups.com
Oro pesi je!
I have followed with interest the views of my distinguished colleagues on the above subject. It is quite unfortunate that such an act is coming from our very own governor whom many see as 'a crusader of education'. In as much as the governor has not provided a befitting place for the new public library, we need to reappraise the library's location. First, the location of the public library is not SUITABLE. The library is located in a noisy area near the government house. The constant siren from governors convoy, police and bank bullion vans are more than enough distraction for readers in a building bereft of sound proof. The library may have been built at a time when there was less activity around that area but the place is no longer conducive for reading and research. If the governor wants to demolish the state public library, we as seasoned librarians (who should know better) have a responsibility in our hands. It is for us to advocate for a more conducive and accessible area for the new library building. Personally, each time i visit that library i am discouraged by the constant noise from drivers blasting their horns and siren from every where (govt house, police, bank, hospital). For crying out loud, a library should be located in a tranquil environment if reading must take place and 'SILENCE' our watch word! So, instead of bemoaning the demolition of that library (though it is still standing as at today), let us rather explore ways to liaise with authorities concerned to ensure that the library is replaced with an architectural edifice befitting of a STATE PUBLIC LIBRARY and located in a CONDUCIVE and accessible place. Moving the library to a place i believe is temporary, will give librarians/NLA the opportunity to rub minds with the governor or his education commissioner on issues confronting the state library since reading and education are synonymous. Maybe the governor is not aware that we have seasoned librarians in the country and NLA as a body. This could be an opportunity to prove our worth :-). Afterall, as the saying goes, the wind that will blow someone to his/her right place may not be pleasant at the beginning. So, the wind blowing Imo state public library may not be pleasant now but if we strive hard with the 'education guru' in a diplomatic style, this wind by God's grace will blow that library to an ENVIABLE place. AMEN somebody!!!!Nkeiru EmezieFUTO library, Owerri.
Okechukwu Ukaga
Oct 16, 2013, 11:45:30 AM10/16/13
to usaafric...@googlegroups.com
"Moving the library to a place i believe is temporary, will give librarians/NLA the opportunity to rub minds with the governor" -Nkeiru Emezie
This is naive, illogical, risky, and dubious. The librarians/NLA should "rub minds" with the governor NOW while the library remains functional where it currently is and not wait till the current facility is confiscated for some narrow interest. Why move from the existing library to a yet undetermined temporary place before rubbing minds with the governor towards a questionable and possibly phantom outcome?. No change should be made until and unless a better facility is provided at a better location. If and when the governor provides a better facility at a better location, it might make sense to close the old facility after opening the new and better library. But even then, we should still be vigilant and boldly stand against the tendency (among recent political leaders in Nigeria) to confiscate juicy public resources for private use (if that is what is happening here, which I sincerely hope is not the case).
-Okey Ukaga
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