Kunle Adelabu
After about four decades since its construction and commissioning, the Igbogbo Reading Room is set to be rehabilitated to be in conformity with the modern standard library to serve the teeming students and youths of Igbogbo.
According to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Igbogbo/Bayeku Local Council Development Area represented by the Council Chairman, Builder Sesan Daini, during his first term in office, and the Lagos State Government through the Lagos State Library Board represented by the Special Adviser on Education, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, the ownership, supervision and management of the library is now vested in the Lagos Library Board.
THE IMPACT gathered that the library will be an automated library with full internet and other facilities when completed.
We also gathered that the reading room will be known as the ‘Lagos State library Board, Igbogbo Library’.
The Reading Room was unveiled by the former governor of Lagos State, late Alhaji Lateef Jakande, on Wednesday, December 1, 1982 and the facility served many years before its abandonment due to lack of maintenance and poor condition of the road in the axis where it is located.
Mr Lawal, the site engineer, confirmed that the project is being undertaken by the Lagos State Government and that the reconstruction will be completed within two months.
“We are contracted for this project by the Lagos State Government”, said Mr Lawal who was leaving the site when our reporter visited the ongoing project for the second time on Friday, August 13, 2021.
“It is going to be completed within two months”, he told our reporter.
The state of the Reading Room has for a long time been a major source of disagreement between the Igbogbo Students’ Union (ISU) and other youths’ groups in Igbogbo and the management of the Igbogbo/Bayeku Local Council Development Area since the creation of the council about 20 years ago before the administration of Builder Daini signed the MoU with the Lagos State Government through the Office of the Special Adviser on Education (OSAE), for its resuscitation.
After the signing of the MoU, THE IMPACT gathered that the Ministry of Works carried out inspection on the abandoned library and made recommendation to the governor through the OSAE.
Subsequently, the governor gave approval for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the library and also released funds for the project.
The Adeboruwa of Igbogbo, His Royal Majesty,Oba (Barr.) Semiudeen Orimadegun Kasali, commended the Lagos State Government for deeming it fit to rehabilitate the library, while stating that the expectation of Igbogbo people is for the government to do a complete rebuilding of the library and not rehabilitate the existing structure.
“It is a very good development and we are thankful to the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo – Olu, for the intervention after many years that the structure had been abandoned” Oba Kasali said.
“We are actually expecting a complete reconstruction, whereby, the structure would be demolished and raised to accommodate the envisaged population of students that would utilise the facility and not rehabilitation of the existing structure”, Kabiyesi added.
“We hope that the place will be fully upgraded with internet and other facilities and also makes it conform with modern standards”, the Adeboruwa added.
Many youths across the Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA have also commended the rehabilitation work that is going on at the library.
The President of the Igbogbo Students’ Union (ISU), Comrade Clinton Olusegun Adeniji, speaking with THE IMPACT, said that the rehabilitation of the Reading Room into a library will further assist in developing students’ knowledge.
“It’s a welcome development as this would further help in developing the insightful knowledge of students in the community”, he said.
He was also full of thanks to some individuals in the community who, according to him, assisted in making the state government take over the facility for upgrading.
“I would like to appreciate some distinguished personalities who have helped us pushed this after submitting and registering our displeasure as a union regarding the dilapidated condition of the Igbogbo reading room”, he said.
“After speaking to the newly appointed Permanent Secretary on Education, he informed us that our file has been pushed through necessary quarters and that soon,they would begin work on it. And today, the promise is fulfilled.
“We expect that the takeover and rehabilitation of this Igbogbo reading room to a library will be of great help to the students in the community as the majority of them do not have textbooks or research materials to aid their studies.
“We believe that when the library is completed, it will help the students greatly. Its rehabilitation will help in encouraging more students to cultivate the habit of using the library.
“We expect that the rehabilitation of this reading room will make it a modern library that will be ICT based and equipped with more recent library materials, textbooks, research works”, the ISU President stated while corroborating the Adeboruwa.
“Lastly, this will finally be a dream come true for all book lovers in this world class community”, he stated.
