From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
To make academic and non-academic knowledge more accessible to the public, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, has called on institutions to urgently leverage Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to digitise their hard copy knowledge materials for the benefit of all.
Danbatta made the call recently when NCC joined the rest of the world to celebrate the 2021 Library Day themed: “Welcome to Your Library.”
At the event, Danbatta frowned at the declining reading culture among Nigerians, calling for a concerted effort to stem the tide.
According to him, while ICT has helped in digitizing a large number of hitherto hard-copy books available to people, efforts must be made to access these materials as well as other hard-copy books.
“This has become central because the knowledge economy being driven by ICT requires reading and intellectual development for further advancement”, the NCC boss noted.
Danbatta further underscored the importance of the library as a great resource hub with a variety of stocks reflecting the multi-functional structure of the Commission, the significance of which cannot be over-emphasized in the activities of the Commission as well as in a knowledge economy.
“As a regulator of a dynamic telecommunications industry, the Commission gives pride of place to library resources to ensure that it is abreast of current information, regulatory trends and international best practice in carrying out its mandate,” Danbatta added.
The EVC further noted that it is the first ‘Library Day’ celebration holding since the establishment of the Commission’s library in 2003, noting that as an administrator and a Professor with many years of experience in the academia, he fully appreciates the role of a modern library in enabling research and new knowledge for organisational success.
He added that the NCC’s library was established to provide the necessary literature and knowledge materials to facilitate access to learning and dissemination of information.
“The NCC library is 18 years old now and it is a cutting-edge repository of knowledge and information with over 1,000 technical books in hard and soft copies aside other materials serving both internal and external stakeholders.”
“It is a reflection of who we are, where we are and the library stock is an indication of the diverse areas of specialisation, expertise and operations of the Commission,” the EVC said.
While pointing out that various efforts have been made, over the years, to reposition the library to meet international standard, Danbatta noted that remarkable improvements have been made in uplifting the standard of the library not only in stocking it with latest useful books but also in terms of automation for easier accessibility.
“The NCC has leveraged the power of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to provide the electronic section to enhance the library information system by migrating from analogue to digital, thereby enabling access to remote databases electronically. It is a learning resource that has varieties, currency, quality and content of stock,” he added.
He emphasised the need to reinvigorate the passion for learning, which he said, will lead to new and better ways of doing things as well as better collaborations in carrying out assigned responsibilities.
Danabatta noted that the library is critical to realising his dream of sustaining the culture of the Nigerian Communications Commission as a respected learning organisation with best-in-class employees.