Benue ANA urges patronage of state’s library, Buratai renovates alma mater, donates 1,000 textbooks

Benue State chapter of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) has called on the general public to patronise the state’s library.

Chairman of the association, Dr. Charles Iornumbe, made the call yesterday when he led other executive members on a familiarisation visit to the state’s library board in Makurdi.

Iornumbe said though the library was in a deplorable condition, it could boast facilities such as operational computers for electronic library and books that could be useful to students and researchers at all levels of education.

He expressed the readiness of Benue ANA to establish its presence at the state library like other chapters in the country in the area of book exhibition, promotion and reading.

According to him, the chapter has received with joy moves by the state government to rehabilitate the library.

He said the association was in touch with the Commissioner for Information, Culture, and Tourism, Mrs. Ngunan Addingi, for approval to establish its presence at the library, expressing happiness with the warm reception accorded the literary body so far.

Earlier, the Director, Benue State Library Board, Mrs. Theresa Zamber, had expressed the readiness of the library board to partner ANA to promote books.

Mrs. Zamber particularly urged ANA members to help the board to sensitise the populace on the need to patronise the library, saying that the state government was aware of the deplorable condition of the facility and was working towards overhauling it for optimal use.

Meanwhile the Chief Of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai has renovated his alma mater, LEA Ungwan Sarki Primary School, and donated over 1,000 textbooks to the pupils.

The school established in 1953 was renovated by the COAS and handed over to the management.

According to the COAS, who started his primary education in the school in 1967, the books were donated to reawaken the reading culture among the pupils.

Represented by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maj-Gen. Farouq Yahya, the COAS noted that the school was in a deplorable condition before its renovation by the COAS.

He said, “The school produced the Chief of Army Staff of the Nigerian Army, Lt. Gen. Buratai, and as an avid reader, he knows that reading is very important to students. It is in furtherance of that and he, as a teacher, having known the essence of learning, donated about 1,000 copies of this book entitled ‘The Legend of Buratai’ to the school, to inculcate the culture of reading into the pupils.”

While receiving the books, Head Teacher of the school, Mrs. Saadatu Umar, commended Buratai for renovating the school and furnishing it with books. She urged other well-meaning Nigerians to always give back to their alma mater.