By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A N1 billion e-library has been completed and opened in Port Harcourt by Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC).
The facility is one of the N2 billion social investment projects Shell exclusively sponsored in the Niger Delta to mark Nigeria’s centenary anniversary.
The e-library is expected to be used by book lovers and other literary enthusiasts in the region.
According to the Managing Director SPDC/Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria, Mr Osagie Okunbor, who spoke at the inauguration of the Port Harcourt Literary Society Library, “SPDC 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.”
He said further that, “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.”
Also speaking, 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.
On the part of Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Dr Ipalibo Banigo, she thanked SPDC for supporting the state government’s desire to provide sustainable and affordable education to the people. She was represented at the occasion by her Senior Special Assistant, Mrs Inegogo Fubara.
Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Port Harcourt Literary Society, Dr Chidi Amuta, said the library was designed to be the heart of the Port Harcourt Book Centre that was originally conceived to commemorate the recognition of Port Harcourt by UNESCO as the 2014 World Book Capital. He added: “Oher structures awaiting donor evaluation and sponsorship include a writers’ hostel, an event centre/exhibition hall and a theatre. The Book Centre, like the Muson Centre in Lagos along which it is modelled, is conceived as a centre of culture and enlightenment.”
An obviously elated Senator Magnus Abe said: “In everything Shell has done in the Niger Delta, today they have made a statement that will never go away. They have set us as a people as partners, in truth, because it is books that will develop the Niger Delta. So having associated themselves with books today in the lives of our children and in the lives of our youths, Shell has made an indelible contribution to the true development of this region. We will never forget you.”
The cynosure of all eyes at the event was 10-year old Shawn Ene who single-handedly raised over N250,000 for the donation of children’s books under the special support programme of Shell Nigeria staff’s volunteer group, Shell Employees Care. There were also poetry and drama performances at the commissioning of the library.
