Peace Obi
The Lagos State Government has as part of its commitment to deliver education and increase Lagosians’ access to knowledge, recently reopened the upgraded Ilupeju Public Library.
The upgrade, which was carried out under a public private partnership between the state and the Custodian and Allied Insurance, had the library transformed into normal and digital library.
According to the Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Mr. Obafela Bank-Olemoh, the collaboration is one of such partnerships the state has opened up to the private sector that can assist it in delivering education to Lagosians.
Describing the upgraded library facility as a knowledge centre and a promise delivered, the aide said the state is committed to transforming library spaces in Lagos into conducive places for students and other library users.
“Lagos State Government is partnering Custodian and Allied Insurance to deliver this upgraded knowledge centre. It is something we are excited about. Our students now have access to over 83,000 books and millions of journals.”
While stating that the state is committed to sustaining the upgraded library, he said it is one of the many good things that would be happening in the state’s education sector. “We are committed to ensuring that whatever we do is sustainable. Now what we have done is to set up a PPP. This centre will be maintained by the company over the next five years.”
Bank-Olemoh said the state has mapped out a three-way strategy to make knowledge accessible to Lagosians said, adding, “we are upgrading our state libraries, we are upgrading our ICT centres and libraries in our secondary schools and we are working on Lagos State digital libraries.
“So, what you are seeing is first of many others things we are going to do in the next three to six months, we are going to be transforming the library spaces in Lagos State as never before.”
In his remarks, the Group Managing Director, Custodian and Allied Insurance, Mr. Oluwole Osin, said his company has its CSR focus on education, health and community development, adding that the library upgrade serves a dual purpose for the firm
“For us as a group, we have decided that we must intervene in the area of education, health and community development. So what we are doing here today serves a dual purpose, it serves the education as well as community development because the residents of this local council development area and the students will benefit from this library.”
He said the library was upgraded to meet the digital age’s demand, thereby giving room for more books than a traditional library would contain. “The upgrade is to the level of the millennia group. This is an e-library and because it is a digital library, it has 83,000 books, more than 10 million articles from over one thousand world leading publishers.”
In his address, the Executive Secretary, Odiolowo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Mr. Olusola Rasaq Ajala, said the library upgrade is a gesture well appreciated by all the residents of the area, adding that students and other library users would find it useful.
