The Kano State House of Assembly KNHA has called on the state government to urgently rehabilitate, renovate and modernise the Murtala Muhammad State Library to restore the facility as a functional centre of learning and research.
This was sequel to a motion moved by member representing Kano Municipal Constituency,Nabil Aliyu Daneji, during plenary.
According to Daneji the library, established to promote knowledge, research and lifelong learning, had suffered years of infrastructural decay, inadequate reading materials, poor digital facilities and unreliable power supply.
He said rehabilitating the facility would promote reading among students and young people, support the state government’s free and compulsory basic education policy, and provide a conducive environment for research and self-development.
The lawmaker urged the state government and relevant ministries, particularly the Ministries of Education and Information, Culture and Tourism, to embark on comprehensive rehabilitation and modernisation of the library.
After careful deliberations,the house unanimously adopted the motion.
He called for adequate budgetary provision for structural repairs, procurement of current books and journals, installation of digital learning facilities, reliable electricity, including solar backup, as well as the recruitment and training of professional library staff.
During deliberations, an amendment was proposed to reflect the current institutional status of the library, with a call for government offices and other occupants within the premises to vacate the facility to enable Northwest University, Kano, to take full control of the site.
The House also urged the state government to explore partnerships with development organisations, corporate bodies and philanthropists to ensure the sustainable development and maintenance of the library.