I feel it is wrong move by a president who trying to campaign against anti-corruption to launch a fund for a library, knowing fully well that the office would be used as an advantage to raise money

I support the idea of a library. In Nigeria today it's very hard to get the latest books on Technology or Business if you don't have a hefty budget. Wite the millions that the President has been able to raise for this library, they will be able to get so many books.

And you know what? I live in the President's town, so the library is very welcome!

yeah yeah..., the idea of a library is welcome.But what do you have to say as per using his executive powers to source funds(executive extortion- quting soyinka?)

The Obasanjo's Library is a good idea, but the timing of the launching is bad.

To me, and to some other, OBJ is just using his executive position to gather support for his pet projects. Why can't he wait till when re retired. What's the hurry about?

This is another instance of abuse of office and position. I am sure if OBJ had waited till July 2007, he couldn't have gathered as much support or raised half as much funds as he had done.

Yes, but the library is a good thing and President Obasanjo is not going to be the only person reading the books. I have not been able to satisfy my appetite for books for many years, so I say "thank you" to anyone who decides to bring books into the country!

Seun you're assuming that the library will actually get built and function properly. But still he should have waited till when he is out of office. American presidents he is trying to immitate don't build library or source funds for it until they are out of office.

I will not be surprise if future presidents use this Obasanjo example as precedent to graft and to quote Soyinka "extortion."

Of course, the idea of a library is good, but the way the president is going about this one is WRONG! Let him ensure first, that our secondary schools and universities have good libraries. You cannot throw away millions in one place while other places are left behind! Let the launch be a national idea, after our schools are equipped. The money raised can help in many more places than just one.

Gani has decided that we are not the only one who feels the idea is wrong.He has sued President Obasanjo for misuse of office

http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/headline/f124052005.html

I think Chief Gani Fawehinmi his wasting his time. But since I live in the president's town, I might be biased: I wish the library was at Obasanjo farm and not in Abeokuta ...

Why Obasanjo farm Seun? I just like the fact that the library is very close to my office . But really, this is rubbish. The rich are getting richer everyday while the poor man mourns. The idea of the library is not a bad one but I think things are not being done the right way. What do we call this - Show of Money?

How many universities and other higher institutions of learnings in Nigeria have well-equipped library? Why should we throw away so much money on one library that will not end up benefitting majority of Nigerians?

The OBJ library is just what the Prof has called it. It is the highest of all fraud by the executive.
Imagine if all the funds raised at the launch is going to our public schools, imagine how helpful it will be to the students and the individual institutions. Imagine if Dangote donates the amount he donated to Unilag for the hostle problem or any other school facing accomodation problems. Imagine our Globalcom/Conoil man donating that type of money to Osu(OOU), imgine him taking tractors and other equipments to upgrade the bad (only), tiny and dengerious road that leads to the institution.
I see this as corruption, which our dear OBJ is campaigning against. Na wa for Niger ooo.May God help us in this country

I think the library project is a right move in the wrong direction and at a wrong time. The nobel laureate termed it "executive extortion". Our government really need to think and do the right things at the right time. Is the EFCC aware of the outrageous donations by individuals,corporate bodies and even government agencies? what is the EFCC waiting for? begin to investigate their purses

The library project in itself is good but that launching shows that even Obasanjo is corrupt despite his anti-corruption campaign. Dangote donated 200million naira Femi Otedola 200million naira Mike Adenuga 250 million naira A consortium of Banks 622 million naira and many other whopping donations like that. Governors donated their states' money to the project. Obasanjo holdings also donated 100 million naira. This launching has been highly criticised by the international community as simply "corruption". All the donors know, for sure, that the money donated would yield fast returns from the President in contracts. That is the corruption cycle. Even Gani Fawehinmi has taken the case to court to challenge the corrupt players.

well i think its a great idea, if its not based on corruption. take for instance the library of congress. things like that should be in nigeria.

wonders shall never end

The Library issue baffles me. I wonder how u'll see it if it happens that sea water which is meant to produce salt water starts bringing out spring water.
If Obasanjo has good purpose/intention  for Nigeria, he shouldn't have hiked fuel, diesel and kerosine price. What of banning importers (minus his cohort----DANGOTE) when he knows that we've not got independent enough to survive in the absence of some importations.
In our institutions, what year has gone without strike action?
If he has good intention, I will advice him to deploy those lorry-loads of money he has acquired for the library into restructuring our schools, reconstructing roads, and even seeing that he reduces the price of  crude oil.
I don't want to even talk of the pentioneers who are dying everyday as a result of accumulation of their salaries.
After all these major sectors have been settled, I'll personally campaign for his project.

government in nigeria be it political or military type is synonymous with corrupt practices so am not surprised. With more time it will become more coded as it exists in United States, Great Britain, the Far and Middle East countries.

OBJ should have waited until hes out of office before this launching. Launching this while in office is rather seen as "arm twisting" by the donors who must have felt compelled to give, whatever the odds. If you give, you are criticized, if you dont, you might feel at disfavour with OBJ. What an irony for the donors.

list of books inhis library

1 . How to ridge elections

2 . stealing money with no trac 1 and 2

3. How to witchhunt ur enemies

4. Spread the money and the hate

5, It wasnt me

6. U can always have it your way

More books:

1. Taking vindictiveness and greediness to the next level

2. Killing the career of your enemies

3. Tarnishing images of good names and good people just because!

4. Womanising at a very old age

5. Turning 20,000 (thousand) Naira into 10,000000000 (billion) Dollars in just 8 years

whether in his farm or in Egba (Abeokuta) the project has failed because for one;
most Presidential Libaries are located within Academic eniviroment (Universities),
were the student that need the space,books and probally internet service, get it,
so my question is this why locate the project close to a mega station (not as if its bad).

so i ask myself, was the project a personal project for Oga OBJ or the public stand to
benefit from the place and will the libary be will run.

Its insulting to hear yewa-mann say the project is a failure beocs its located in abeokuta, that aint right, Abeokuta has 2-3 univeristies, 2 polys(if they stil exist) and many colleges of education, ,

@MP007

Your last post is incorrect. There is a University in Abeokuta, UNAAB with (recently established Crescent University by OBJ bossom friend- Bola Ajibola)a Polytechnic MAPOLY one college of education FCE.

To me, I don't really know the purpose the library will serve apart from Corruption. There are many Universities with no adequate books, poly and colleges of education. I remember when I was in the secondary school my school had one of the best libraries in Nigeria, well equiped laboratories I doubt if I can say same for my former school not even to talk of many schools with no books and librabries. Here is a President whose innate being is greed and corruption built most expensive library for himself, most expensive university for himself and his cronies and etc. A visit to the Library will reveal to most of you the real picture of corruption, the building must have been designed at ota farm, so ugly a structure, this also depicts corruption.

The Library project as commendable as it seems, it is obvious that
OBJ used his influence when in power to garner the huge sum to
facilitate such gigantic project,nevertheless that action is far better
than people like abacha, babngida and others that stole this country
dry with nothing to show for it other than their personal inexplicable
fabulous wealth.