Shell donates e-library to Port Harcourt Literary Society

A modern e-library donated by Shell Petroleum and Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC), to the Port Harcourt Literary Society, has opened its doors to book lovers and other literary enthusiasts.

The N1.03b library, is one of the N2b social investment projects the firm exclusively sponsored, in the Niger Delta to mark Nigeria’s Centenary Anniversary. The others are a hospital and sports centre in Bayelsa and Delta states respectively.

The company spent N790m on the project that was implemented via a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with the society, which contributed an additional N240 million.

Managing Director of the Shell Petroleum and Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC), and Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria, Osagie Okunbor, said that the company invested exclusively on this library project because of its strong conviction that it will deliver significant benefits, and positively impact the lives of the people.

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Okunbor said: “We are pleased to deliver an ultra-modern public library that would rank as one of the biggest and most IT-driven in the country. The feedback we’re receiving shows that the literary scene in the Garden City has already changed.”

Nigeria’s National Librarian, Prof Lenrie Aina, told journalists that the facility, named Port Harcourt Literary Society Library, is the “first complete public library in Nigeria,” because, aside from Shell ensuring supply of power, books and cooling, every comfort of book lovers was considered in the design and construction of the library.