A veteran journalist and a public relations expert, Chief Femi Ajayi has donated a multi-million naira library complex to the Ekiti State government to further encourage reading culture among youths in the state.
The library built on two plots of land was handed over to the officials of the government with the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) after the tripartite agreement was signed between the State Library Board, Oye local government and the donor.
The community leader while handing over the complex in Ire-Ekiti, Oye local government area of the state on Monday for management and sustainability by the government said that the library which he built in 2005 was furnished with over 7,000 volumes of up-to-date books across all disciplines,” making it the biggest private-public library in Ekiti State.”
He explained that he embarked on the library project to help raise educated future leaders who might not have the opportunity to full-time educational training instructions.
While urging the state government to ensure maximum maintenance of the complex, he solicited support from the government to bring about more community based private-public library in every local government area of the state.
According to him, “I am living example of the beneficiary of public library education due to abject poverty when all hopes were lost when my mother advised me to combine library attendance with my menial jobs as was done by many successful people in Lagos to achieve their goals.
“It will encourage the culture of reading among our youths, help them to read outside their curricular, minimize their roaming the streets and joining bad groups, prevent drug abuse, alcoholism and smoking prevalent among our youths and building a peaceful and healthier society.”
The chairman of Oye council area, Mr Folusho Oso who received the edifice on behalf of the state government commended Ajayi for the gesture, assuring the donor of maximum utilization and sustainability of the library.
He added that the government would engage the management of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) for the students and other scholars in the university to make use of the well-equipped library.
Chairman of the event, Professor Joseph Oluwasanmi commended the donor for the gesture, describing the action as unprecedented in the history of the state, adding, “I number you among the heroes. Leaving personal comfort and aggrandizement for social advancement itself is great.”
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