Imported User:
President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday in Uyo inaugurated the e-library built by Akwa Ibom Government, and described by the governor as the first in Nigeria.
Jonathan said that the Federal Government was happy to be identified with the project which is in line with digital revolution in the world.
He commended Gov. Godswill Akpabio for his efforts at transforming the state and expressed the hope that the e-library would be used for the uplift of humanity.
The President is in the state to also declare open the Senate Retreat.
Speaking earlier, Gov. Akpabio, described the e-library as a knowledge-based centre, which according to him is the first in Nigeria and in West Africa.
He said the library has a conference centre with language translators, as he urged the president to bring most of ECOWAS meetings to the state.
Its cost was, however, not stated.
The governor said that the state had also embarked on the construction of Tropicana Entertainment and Conference Centre that could host international conferences of any magnitude.
The Commissioner for Housing and Urban Renewal, Mr Emmanuel Enoidem, said that the e-library project started in 2007.
He said that the initial idea was to have a headquarters for the State Library Board but the vision later changed to a state-of- the-art edifice.
NAN reports that the three-storey library complex has digital collections of 16.5 million e-documents which could be accessible to users simultaneously.
It also has two million electronic books that could be downloaded in addition to 14.5 million electronic research e-journals.
The facility has children multi-media resource centre, 1,260 educational games for children, 1,000 simulations and mathematics practice tools, as well as 80,000 question and answer series for tertiary examinations.
The Ibom e-library has a conference centre that could sit 1,000 participants, large external playground, board rooms, offices, open and private reading areas and children reading areas with story-telling/play facilities.
Other facilities are language learning devices, digital parenting counselling, digital teacher counselling and digital librarian to help develop e-literacy skills.(NAN)
The president also inaugurated the 15 km Uyo-Aka- Nung Udoe dual carriage-way constructed at the cost of N12.03 million. (NAN)
