…Canvasses collective investment to preserve Nigeria’s knowledge heritage
…AI, digital revolution make library development more urgent, say Otti, Onwualu

The National Library of Nigeria (NLN), on Wednesday, launched an Endowment Foundation, seeking sustainable funding and stronger partnerships with the private sector, government, academia and philanthropists to preserve the country’s documentary and intellectual heritage.

The initiative, according to stakeholders at the launch in Abuja, is aimed at complementing government funding and addressing persistent challenges confronting the nation’s library system, including inadequate and unpredictable funding, ageing infrastructure, rising digitisation costs and limited access to information resources.

Speaking at the event, the National Librarian and Chief Executive Officer of the NLN and Chairperson of the National Library of Nigeria Endowment Foundation, Prof. Chinwe Veronica Anunobi, said the foundation was established against the backdrop of the growing financial demands of preserving Nigeria’s documentary heritage.

Anunobi said the National Library had, over the years, shouldered the responsibility of collecting, preserving and providing access to the country’s intellectual heritage, despite funding and infrastructure constraints.

She said: “The National Library of Nigeria cannot preserve the nation’s memory with the prevailing funding realities.”

According to her, the institution currently operates a network of 35 branches, all of which require sustained investment in infrastructure, power, information and communication technology (ICT) and service delivery.

She added that the National Library headquarters under construction in Abuja represented a major national investment that must not only be completed but also adequately maintained and sustained.

Anunobi recalled that philanthropy played a significant role in the emergence of the National Library, noting that the Ford Foundation supported foundational work leading to the establishment of the institution in the early 1960s.

She said the Endowment Foundation was designed to build on that tradition by creating a platform through which government, businesses, academia and public-spirited individuals could contribute to the development and sustainability of the library system.

“Our aspiration is clear: to ensure that no Nigerian generation inherits a library weakened by neglect, but rather a National Library strengthened by collective ownership, innovation and sustained investment,” she said.

Delivering the keynote address, President of the African University of Science and Technology (AUST), Abuja, Prof. Azikiwe Peter Onwualu, said functional libraries were critical to Nigeria’s technological advancement and knowledge economy.

Speaking on the theme, “Functional Library as Key to Securing the Future of Knowledge and Springboard for Technological Advancement,” Onwualu said libraries should no longer be viewed merely as repositories of books and journals, but as strategic infrastructure for research, innovation and technological development.

He said the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence (AI), big data, automation, advanced computing, biotechnology and other technologies had made access to credible and reliable knowledge more important.

“Technological advancement does not begin with machines. It begins with knowledge,” he said, stressing that engineers, medical researchers, entrepreneurs, universities and other institutions depended on accumulated knowledge to develop solutions.

Onwualu warned that the abundance of information in the digital age had created a new challenge, as access to information did not necessarily translate into knowledge.

He said modern libraries must help users distinguish credible knowledge from misinformation, evidence from assumption and scholarship from noise.

According to him, libraries should evolve into centres for knowledge discovery, digital literacy, research support, innovation and intellectual collaboration.

He also called for greater access to electronic journals, research databases, institutional repositories, e-books and digitised archives, as well as spaces where students, researchers, entrepreneurs and innovators could collaborate.

On the growing influence of AI, Onwualu said libraries had a responsibility to promote AI literacy and help users understand issues relating to accuracy, bias, intellectual property, privacy, authorship and academic integrity.

He also advocated continuous training for librarians and information professionals to equip them with the skills required to navigate the changing information environment.

The AUST president urged government, universities, private companies, development organisations and foundations to invest in library infrastructure and services.

“When we invest in a library, we are investing in students we may never meet. We are investing in researchers whose discoveries may save lives. We are investing in entrepreneurs who may create jobs,” he said.

He urged corporate bodies, ministries, departments and agencies, state governments and entrepreneurs to support the Endowment Foundation, describing collective funding as essential to the sustainability of the initiative.

In a goodwill message delivered on his behalf by his Special Adviser on Monitoring, Mr. Ugo Chukwurah, Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, said the importance of libraries had become more pronounced in the information age.

Otti, who congratulated the NLN and its Board of Trustees on the launch, said digitisation could no longer be treated as an optional modernisation project, particularly with the rapid development of AI.

He said Nigeria must preserve its documentary and intellectual heritage in forms that were secure, searchable and widely accessible.

“A nation that neglects its libraries weakens its memory. A nation that strengthens them gives its people the tools to think, to innovate, and to build,” he said.

The governor said government alone could not meet the demands of developing a vibrant library system, stressing the need for private-sector expertise, philanthropy and innovation.

He said the Endowment Foundation provided an important platform for government, business, academia and citizens to work together to expand access to knowledge and sustain library institutions.

Otti also highlighted his administration’s investment in education in Abia State, saying 20 per cent of the state’s budget had been committed to education since 2023.

He listed the recruitment of 5,394 teachers, renovation of school facilities and introduction of technology-enabled smart schools among initiatives undertaken by his administration.

The governor said the state had also introduced programmes, including the Leadership Academy, TechRise and AbiaFest, aimed at improving learning outcomes and preparing young people for the digital economy.

“Roads and power will remain essential, but the ultimate strength of our country will depend on the quality of minds we develop, the knowledge we preserve, and the opportunities we create for every child to learn,” he said.

The event attracted senior government officials, legislators, academics, business executives and representatives of development and philanthropic organisations.

Those in attendance included the member representing Aguata Federal Constituency and Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Delegated Legislation, Hon. Dominic Okafor, who represented the House Committee on Library, Research and Documentation; Deputy Commissioner of Police Idowu Owohunwa, who represented the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Olatunji Rilwan Disu; and Minister of Inter-Governmental Affairs and Special Duties, Rt. Hon. Bitrus Zephaniah Jisalo.

Others included the Chief Launcher and Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Synergy Infrastructure Development and Investment Limited, Alhaji Alhassan Amadu Dantata; Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Adiva Properties and board member of the Endowment Foundation, Olorogun Olorunfunmi Adesina; and Assistant Director, Library Services, Mrs. Olushola Olutokun, who represented the Statistician-General of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer of the National Bureau of Statistics.

Also present were Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Urban Transportation Studies, AUST, Engr. Chief Chris Ojobo, OON, and Mr. Chijioke James, representing the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation.

The launch, held at the TETFUND Auditorium, Maitama, Abuja, is expected to provide a new framework for mobilising resources towards the development of the National Library’s infrastructure, digitisation programmes, preservation of documentary heritage and expansion of access to knowledge across the country.