By Akpan David, Calabar
The Calabar Canaan City Lions Club, Region 5, Zone 5c, District 404A2 has constructed an ultramodern E-library in Calabar but will soon hand it over to the state government for a effective security.
It would be recalled that the E-Library has been burgled twice even though much furnishing has not been done yet.
Newly investitured ceremony Mrs Felicita Opata, the 40th President of the club disclosed this Saturday in Calabar.
She alongside her board of directors for the 2022/2023 were installed for service year held in the late hours of Saturday.
Speaking during the event, Opata said “We have built the structure of the library, what we just need is funds to furnish it and will hand it over to the state government to be accessible to all residents of Cross River.
“Handing it over to government will make it more secure given that twice the building was burgled twice.
“We will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the government to ensure that the library is sustained because in the course of construction, the place was burgled.”
She explained that part of their partnership with the government whom they said has a vested interest in the project is to ensure a perimeter fence is constructed, security lights are installed and 24 hours security is provided.
Opata said the E-library building was constructed in 2021 but was yet to be put to use because it was yet be furnished.
According to her, the library needed 60 computers, desktop tables chairs and a functional server room.
She said immediately those items were installed, the building would be ready for inauguration.
On his part, the Chairman of the occasion, Dr. Alfred Mboto, said as a club that believes in humanity, Lions Club has come to bridge a gap by contributing to make the world a better place.
“If you want to kill a nation, kill its education and what is education if you cannot have somewhere to gather knowledge and research.
“I have also seen the club undertake humanitarian gestures like health outreaches and helping street children too numerous to count,” he said.
He urged everyone to borrow a leaf from the club as it made no sense when some people had so much and others had nothing and they were not bothered
District Governor of District 404A2 of the club, Jide Bello, who officiated at the investiture of the new president, said although, they had their thematic areas, they carried-out assessments to discover the needs of their community.
The E-library is besides the State Library which has been in very deplorable state since the dying days of Gov Ben Ayade’s predecessor, Senator Liyel Imoke.
