Stakeholders Decry Poor State Of Public Library

By Anthony Ekpo-Bassey

Stakeholders have decried the deplorable state of the Cross River State Library throughout the eight years of the outgoing Benedict Ayade-led administration.

The stakeholders cutting across members of the academia, books sellers and public servants expressed dismay that a state like Cross River does not have a functional library.

In separate interviews with our reporter, the stakeholders said, even amid the advent of the internet and social media, public libraries are imperative to learning and research as libraries are going digital to meet with the demand of time.

 An erudite scholar and a  professor of development communication and a former chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Uyo chapter, Ashong Ashong, lamented over the decrepit condition of the Cross River State Library, saying it is our heritage and should be revived.

Also lamenting over the poor state of the library, Mr. Kenneth Ikpeme, said: "We can only take the state government for what it is. The leadership is made up of professors yet the state library wears such looks. Indeed, it is sad.

“Back in the days, especially, during the administrations of former Governors Donald Duke and Liyel Imoke, the state library was not only a beautiful edifice that is situated in the heart of the city, which made it a cynosure of all eyes, but was also stocked with books across various disciplines and the newspaper rackets had all the Nigerian dailies and news magazines that were in circulation at the time.”

"The apparent condition of the state library is very bad and shameful. I remember those times I used to go there and read and even borrow books and later return them," according to  Anso Okon, a Maritime officer,  

Also, an indigene of the state, Mr. Michael Etim, said: "I can recall vividly that it was in that state library that I studied and prepared my project when I was undergoing my Ordinary National Diploma (OND) programme. There was hardly no discipline in any human endeavour that any one could think of reading or conducting a research upon, and did not find a material to do so at the Cross River State Library.

“It was not only a beautiful edifice but a reference point for research and learning. The environment was spacious and serene. It was so clean and convenient for reading. Sadly, this description seems not to depict the current realities of the Cross River State Library,” he stated.

Disturbed by the decrepit condition of the State Library, a legal practitioner,  Enome Amatey, said: "It is unfortunate and incomprehensible for any government to allow the infrastructure to deteriorate to this level, let alone a state library. I weep for the teenagers and youths who have been deprived of a convenient space to study. It is my prayer that never again shall Cross River State be plagued with a government as insensitive as the outgoing administration."

Also reacting, Mr. John Azuma, said: "It is very pathetic. I can’t believe that a once revered academic edifice is now a free home for rodents. I hope the next government will see the need to rebrand it to meet modern standard."

One of the staff who preferred anonymity because they were not authourised to speak to the press said: "I have been working here for so many years and will be retiring soon. The library has never been in this deplorable state.

“Many times, we have called the attention of the government yet nothing has been done about it. We do not have cleaners. The toilets have been permanently locked because there is no water to flush them. Most of them are bad. Many of the tables, chairs and cubicles need replacements. The fans are bad. We do not even have light here," the library staff lamented.

Inside the library, even from a distance, it was obvious that the book shelves were covered with cobwebs and dust. The few books that were found on some of the shelves were covered with dusts and many of them were rough and worn out. The shelves, chairs and cubicles are covered by dust and dirt and the terrazzo floor is dirty. Outside, the grasses and entire surrounding is littered with waste. 

For Benedict Iwatt, a public affairs commentator, "this is not about just Cross River State but almost everything across most libraries in Nigeria. It speaks a lot about our educational system in the country where people go through school but come out as illiterates who carry only a certificate without any ability to help solve problems. It speaks about the culture of reading in our society where many imagine that wealth cannot be found in books. I expect the new administration to look into it and restore  the library.”

Recall that the foundation stone of the Cross River State library was laid by His Excellency, Mobolaji O. Johnson, Military Administrator of Lagos State on the invitation of Brigadier-General U. J. Esuene, the Military Governor of South-Eastern State on November 3, 1974. It was later commissioned on April 17, 1989 by Vice Admiral Augustus Aikhomu, then Chief of General Staff on state visit to Cross River State on the invitation of Navy Capt. Ibim Princewill, former Military Governor of Cross River State.