APC Condemns Conversion of Libraries to Shopping Malls in Oyo State

Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has vehemently criticized the conversion of structures housing the Oyo State Library Board in Ibadan into commercial shops.

This decision, executed by the state government under Governor Seyi Makinde, has been described by the APC as both "shameful and ill-conceived."

The APC's Publicity Secretary, Wasiu Olawale Sadare, issued a statement expressing the party's disapproval,

highlighting the detrimental impact this move could have on education and research within the region.

The statement emphasized, "It is a sad reality that the buildings which used to serve as public libraries and archives in Dugbe axis of Ibadan have now paved the way for the development of commercial and business structures."

The party further criticized the government's apparent neglect of educational infrastructure, noting that "the word ‘library’ is now strange to many students in public primary and secondary schools in Oyo State because the government does not care to build such facilities or fix the existing ones."

This transformation of public reading facilities into commercial spaces, according to the APC, risks increasing illiteracy and ignorance in the society.