National Librarian and Chief Executive Officer of the National Library of Nigeria, Professor Chinwe Anunobi, has lamented that poor reading culture among Nigerians, especially the youths, is responsible for the high rate of examination malpractice perpetrated by students and candidates in schools and public examinations in the country.

Anunobi spoke in an exclusive interview with  the Nigerian Tribune, immediately after she handed over the project site for the construction of a multi-million naira state prototype library building in Ilorin, Kwara State, to the contractor, Cagewox.Net Limited at a brief ceremony in Ilorin.

She said the multi-million naira library building in Ilorin was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) as part of the ongoing efforts of the current administration to boost research as well as deepen reading culture in Nigeria.

Anunobi insisted that the only way to address the challenge of examination malpractice and the havoc it has done to the society is to encourage Nigerians to read.

She also commended President Muhammadu-led administration for prioritising the development of libraries in Nigeria.

Anuobi explained that the mandate of the National Library is to have a branch of  the library in all the states of the Federation, saying currently NLN has 33 branches and that out this number, 12 are running as prototypes while 22 are being operated on temporary office accommodations.

She disclosed that the National Library had no presence in four states: Anambra, Zamfara, Kebbi and Delta because the states have not indicated interest, just as she commended the Government of Kwara State for providing land for the construction of the national library edifice in the state with a minimal cost.

Anunobi warned the project consultant and contractor to ensure value for money, saying the approval of the project by the government did not come easily.

“It was like another thesis defence after my Ph.D, especially when it came to defending the competence and capability of the consultant and contractor to deliver on the mandate,” she said.

She insisted that she would not accept any shoddy construction, urging the contractors to justify the confidence reposed in them.

She also tasked NLN officials in Kwara State to closely monitor the project to ensure that a befitting edifice is constructed in the state.

On poor reading culture among Nigerians, Anunobi said: “I want to emphasise that this is an issue of the value system. We cannot only blame the youths; we should also blame the parents and the society.

“If the society changes its ways by placing value on knowledge which is hidden in written documents either on paper or in the electronic form, the youths will gravitate along that direction.”

Anunobi said findings had proven that many people develop dementia (a usually progressive condition marked by the development of multiple cognitive deficits such as memory impairment) very quickly because they do not read to widen their horizon.

She said it was unfortunate that even some parents encourage their children to commit examination fraud, stating that “to such people, graduating with a Third Class grade from the university is not a big deal,” she added.

She added that the national library had embarked on a re-orientation exercise and had been visiting schools to inform them about the importance of having a library time during the school hours to arouse the interest the pupils/students in going to the library to read.

A deputy director and head of the Kwara State branch of the National Library, Mrs Olabimpe Olani, said she thanked God for the commencement of the project, noting that the journey to the handing over of the site to the contractor for the commencement of the project had been cumbersome and a very frightful one.

“I have been praying the land would not be taken over again like the previous ones that were revoked,” she said.

She noted the location of the new library edifice in the state located in the new GRA (Government Reserve Area), would be more accessible to members of the public and surrounding communities to make maximum use of it.

The project manager, Yazid Umar, of Cagewox Net Ltd, promised to deliver a quality work and keep to the terms of agreement including the completion of the project within two years and hand it over to the government.