The Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has condemned the recent conversion of structures housing the Oyo State Library Board in Ibadan into shops, calling it unacceptable.
This declaration was made in a statement on Sunday by APC Publicity Secretary Wasiu Olawale Sadare.
Our reporter observed that some buildings at the headquarters of the Oyo State Library Board, which include a library and other public utilities, have been repurposed into commercial shops.
The APC criticized this move, describing it as shameful, ill-conceived, and grossly unacceptable. The party questioned the rationale behind converting a library into shops, expressing their disapproval of the state government’s actions under Governor Seyi Makinde.
“It is a sad reality that the buildings which used to serve as public libraries and archives in Dugbe axis of Ibadan have now paved the way for the development of commercial and business structures and the implication of this is that education and research development have been relegated to the background in the state by the same administration which has refused to address the issue of poor reading culture among young students.
“Without mincing words, the word ‘library’ is now strange to many students in public primary and secondary schools in Oyo State because the government does not care to build such facilities or fix the existing ones, which require good attention.
“How can a government wake up one day and convert public reading facilities and archives into lock-up shops in the name of making money and thereby subject the entire society to the danger of illiteracy and ignorance?”
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