Features
Land Racketeering, Negligence Turns Murtala Muhammad Library into The State Of Comatose
Abbas Yushau Yusuf
The magnificent Murtala Muhammad Library located at Nassarawa GRA Kano is turning into a state of coma as alleged land racketeering and negligence has affected the library.
The Magnificent building sited along the elite choice area of Ahmadu Bello was formerly a hub of readers coming from all parts of Kano state to comfortably read, research, and digest ideas.
It is one of the monuments erected in memory of late Nigerian Head Of state General Murtala Ramat Muhammad.
Investigations depict that throughout Nigeria there is no public library as highly structured and magnificent as Murtala Muhammad Library.
Some Spaces which was allocated
As part of efforts by General Olusegun Obasanjo’s military administration to remember General Murtala Muhammad, huge funds were allocated for the construction of the Murtala Muhammad Library.
The Construction was started by Colonel Sani Bello who ruled the state from 1975 to 1978 and other successive administrations continued the project.
Late Governor Muhammad Abubakar Rimi committed funds to realize the project, but he too was not able to complete the project till the overthrow of the second republic.
In 1999 when Nigeria returned to civilian rule, the newly elected governor of Kano state Engineer Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso at his swearing-in ceremony mentioned Murtala Muhammad library among the projects he is set to complete.
some sides of the library where seats and shelves were dumped
Kwankwaso’s administration completed the edifice in less than two years after his assumption of office as Governor of Kano state.
During his state visit, former President Olusegun Obasanjo inaugurated the library on July 29, 2002.
Since then intellectuals, tertiary students visit the library for reading and research.
The library has from fifth to the fourth floor and readers choose sections to read, the library has a vast parking space, it was where the 40th anniversary of the ascension to the throne of Kano was celebrated by the late Emir of Kano Alhaji Ado Bayero.
The Government of Malam Ibrahim Shekarau did not touch a single space in the name of Land encroachment for the Murtala Muhammad library during his 8-year stay as Governor of Kano state.
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When he staged a comeback for the second time in 2011 Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso created the temporary site of Kano informatics institute inside the library before they move to their permanent site in Kura town Kura local government area of Kano.
With the coming of Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje’s administration in 2015, the governor and his family are allegedly involved in selling and allocating public spaces for sale.
NIGERIA TRACKER Investigations reveal that the alleged land racketeering did not leave the Murtala Muhammad library alone as its vast parking space was carved out and sold.
Apart from the spaces encroached and sold, a source told NIGERIAN TRACKER that the inner building of the library is not left behind as many sections were allocated as cafeteria, others turned into CBT centers.
The ever-busy reference section where readers and researchers go for reading is not in existence, Reserve section where special books are allocated has since been turned into a CBT center.
The Reserve section was also turned into a CBT center
Most of the books in the reserve section were dumped at the periodicals sections, the busy nature of the library is now low compared to the days when it was inaugurated in 2002 by President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Apart from that reserve section is a collection of books on Nigerian African History which can not be found online.
When contacted by the NIGERIAN TRACKER on the present situation of the library the state commissioner for education Alhaji Sunusi Kiru said the era of conducting library business with hard copies of books is over.
According to him, the world has now turned into an E-Library that is why they converted some sections of the library into Computer-based test centers where four hundred students can seat and write JAMB.
On Books, he said the library is now connected with the Internet where readers can sit, download books and read.