Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State has been billed for a National Eminence Service Award by the Nigerian Library Association during its forthcoming 58th and 59th National conference scheduled to hold in Kano from May 24 to 28, 2021.
The national president of the association, Professor Innocent Isa Ekoja, who disclosed this on Saturday during a pre-conference media briefing at the NUJ correspondent’s Chapel in Kano, said the state would also be honoured with the “Best Library Service Award” having been adjudged to be at the forefront in providing library services.
Ekoja lauded various interventions of Governor Ganduje in the library sector, stressing that the governor had distinguished himself among his peers in serving the needs of information seekers in the state for sustainable development.
“His Excellency is going to be the sixth person to receive the Eminence Service Award, that is to tell you about the rigorous nature of the process.
“We don’t just give him for giving sake. Definitely, there must be some evident outstanding performance that we have noted, the renovation of libraries, support even in secondary schools, the ICT infrastructure that he has completed and most importantly, the creation of the State Library Board.
“Kano State governor is not only renovating libraries but also building new ones. In 2013 there were 13 divisional libraries in Kano but today we have 26 libraries which is highly commendable,” he said.
The conference with the theme, “Libraries inspiring, engaging, enabling and connecting stakeholders for sustainable development” was meant to enlighten Nigerians on the role of the library in fostering sustainable development.
The 58 and 59 edition of the annual conference were combined to make up for the 2020 edition which was cancelled as a result of the outbreak of coronavirus in the country.
By Richard Ngbokai,
Daily Trust