Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library

Private library in Nigeria

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Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library

Front of the library

7°07′34″N 3°21′53″E﻿ / ﻿7.126024306081321°N 3.364701179964038°E﻿ / 7.126024306081321; 3.364701179964038
Location| Presidential Boulevard Way, Oke Mosan, Abeokuta , Ogun State, Nigeria
Type| Presidential library
Established| 2017[1][2]
Collection
Items collected| Books, journals, newspapers, magazines, sound and music recordings, patents, databases, maps, stamps, prints, drawings and manuscripts
Access and use
Access requirements| Open to students, researchers, and the general public
Other information
Director| Ayo Aderinwale (Deputy Chief Coordinator)
Website| oopl.org.ng

The Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library is a library owned by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, a former President of Nigeria.[3] It is a historic, tourist and academic centre established as a national archive for the preservation of documents and materials used by the president during his tenure as the president of Nigeria.[4] The library is located at Oke Mosan Abeokuta, Ogun State in Nigeria.[5]

## History[edit]

The library resembles the presidential library system from the United States. The concept of Presidential Library started in 1939 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt of America who donated his official documents for national use. The country passed into law in 1955, the Presidential Libraries Act to formalize this project for national archive of all American Presidential documents and materials in office.[6][7]

The Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library was conceived by Nyaknno Osso[8] in 1988 to immortalize him, and it was actualized after he became the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The idea to establish the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library remained just an idea until 10 years later when Chief Olusegun Obasanjo rose from prison to the State House as Nigeria's second elected Executive President. He soon established the Office of Presidential Libraries (Libraries, Research and Documentation) with a stated mission to see the OOPL idea translated into reality.[9][10][11]

On November 12, 2002, the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library Foundation was incorporated as a not-profit organisation to advise, promote and encourage the establishment, growth and development of the Library, to coordinate its activities and provide support for its programmes. The Foundation's board of trustees was charged with mobilising private sector interest and funding to construct, furnish, maintain, and protect the Library complex's buildings and its holdings.

## Facilities[edit]

The Presidential Library complex comprises 32 hectares. The archives proper house 15 million documents, two million books and 4,000 artifacts relating to Obasanjo's two stints in power, and contemporary Nigerian and African history more generally.[12][13] The complex also includes an open air amphitheater, a 1,000-seat auditorium, a 153-room hotel, several restaurants and bars, a small amusement park, a wildlife park, and an observation point.[12][14]

## Structure[edit]

The presidential library complex is strategically located at the intersection of two major roads that lead into the city of Abeokuta from two different directions, namely, The Presidential Boulevard and The MKO Abiola Way. The first leads to Lagos, and the second leads to Ibadan. The complex's 32 hectares lie in the immediate vicinity of the Federal High Court, the City Stadium, the Federal and State Governments’ Secretariats, a golf course and several high-brow residential estates.

The construction of the complex presented many environmental and physical challenges due to the site's unique topographical formation. Almost 47 per cent of the site is covered with outcrops of igneous granite rock formation.

The shape and outlook of the rock formations are impressive and interesting. A plateau-like formation serves as a natural helipad. Others form hillocks that create an excellent view of the entire complex and major areas of the surrounding cityscape. The site is not all rock. A swift stream empties into a small swamp and was dammed to provide water and electricity. The dam is one of the highlights of any visit to the library complex.[15]

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Nigeria's Olusegun Obasanjo launches presidential library". BBC News. 3 March 2017. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
2. ^ "Obasanjo and the first built presidential library in Africa". guardian.ng. 3 March 2017. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
3. ^ "Obasanjo Presidential Library: Expanding Nigeria's Knowledge-base". www.thisdaylive.com. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
4. ^ "Inside Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 2017-03-03. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
5. ^ Wale Okediran (10 August 2015). "Wale Okediran, Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library". Sahara Report. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
6. ^ Ginsberg, Wendy R. (2010). Presidential Libraries Act and the Establishment of Presidential Libraries. DIANE Publishing. ISBN 9781437943801. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
7. ^ Wale Okediran. "A Day at Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library". PM News Nigeria. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
8. ^ "Nyaknno Osso : The king of archives". Media Career Services. 2021-09-02. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
9. ^ Great, Dennis (2021-08-08). "Olusegun Obansajo Presidential Library". BTATnT - Big Time Africa Travels & Tours Company. Retrieved 2022-05-02.
10. ^ Adeboyejo, Adejoke (2018-07-05). "This Is The Story Behind Nigeria's New Presidential Library". Culture Trip. Retrieved 2022-05-02.
11. ^ "Visiting olusegun obansajo presidential library was splendid - Review of Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, Nigeria". Tripadvisor. Retrieved 2022-05-02.
12. ^ a b Akinwande, Ayo (22 June 2017). "Inside the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library". Livin Spaces. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
13. ^ "OOPL: Africa's first Presidential Library". Vanguard News. 2017-03-10. Retrieved 2022-05-02.
14. ^ Nwibana, Emmanuel (2019-04-02). "Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library Complex, What We Know". ArcticReporters.com. Retrieved 2022-05-02.
15. ^ "A brief history of OOPL- Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library".

## External links[edit]

* Official website
* Obasanjo Foundation on Facebook