The Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library is a library owned by Chief

Olusegun Obasanjo Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo, , ( ; yo, Olúṣẹ́gun Ọbásanjọ́ ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian political and military leader who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its pres ...

, a former

President of Nigeria The president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is the head of state and head of government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the Niger ...

. It is a historic, tourist and academic centre established as a national archive for the preservation of documents and materials used by the president during his tenure as the president of

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. The library is located at Oke Mosan

Abeokuta Abeokuta is the capital city of Ogun State in southwest Nigeria. It is situated on the east bank of the Ogun River, near a group of rocky outcrops in a wooded savanna; north of Lagos by railway, or by water. , Abeokuta and the surrounding are ...

Ogun State Ogun State is a state in southwestern Nigeria. Created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. Ogun State borders Lagos State to the south, Oyo State and Osun State to the north, Ondo State to the east, and the Republic of Benin to the ...

History

The library is a resemblance of the

presidential library system In the United States, the presidential library system is a nationwide network of 15 libraries administered by the Office of Presidential Libraries, which is part of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). These are repositories ...

from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The concept of Presidential Library started in 1939 by

President Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

of America who donated his official documents for national use. The country passed into law in 1955, the Presidential Libraries Act to formalize this project for national archive of all American Presidential documents and materials in office. The Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library was conceived in 1988 to immortalize him and it was actualized after he became the president of the Federal Republic of

. The idea to establish the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library remained just an idea until 10 years later when Chief Olusegun Obasanjo rose from prison to the State House as Nigeria’s second elected Executive President. He soon established the Office of Presidential Libraries (Libraries, Research and Documentation) with a stated mission to see the OOPL idea translated into reality. On November 12, 2002, the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library Foundation was incorporated as a not-profit organisation to advise, promote and encourage the establishment, growth and development of the Library, to coordinate its activities and provide support for its programmes. The Foundation’s Board of Trustees was charged with mobilising private sector interest and funding to construct, furnish, maintain, and protect the Library complex’s buildings and its holdings.

Facilities

The Presidential Library complex comprises 32 hectares. The

archives An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials – in any medium – or the physical facility in which they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or ...

proper house 15 million documents, two million books and 4,000 artifacts relating to Obasanjo's two stints in power, and contemporary Nigerian and African history more generally. The complex also includes an open air amphitheater, a 1000-seat auditorium, a 153-room hotel, several restaurants and bars, a small

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

, a

wildlife Wildlife refers to domestication, undomesticated animal species (biology), species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wilderness, wild in an area without being species, introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous ...

park, and an observation point.

Structure

The presidential library complex is strategically located at the intersection of two major roads that lead into the city of Abeokuta from two different directions, namely, The Presidential Boulevard and The MKO Abiola Way. The first leads to Lagos, and the second leads to Ibadan. The complex’s 32 hectares lie in the immediate vicinity of the Federal High Court, the City Stadium, the Federal and State Governments’ Secretariats, a golf course and several high-brow residential estates. The construction of the complex presented a lot of environmental and physical challenges because of the site’s unique topographical formation. Almost 47 per cent of the site is covered with outcrops of igneous granite rock formation. The shape and outlook of the rock formations are impressive and interesting. A plateau-like formation serves as a natural helipad. Others form hillocks that create an excellent view of the entire complex and major areas of the surrounding cityscape. The site is not all rock. A swift stream empties into a small swamp and was dammed to provide water and electricity. The dam is one of the highlights of any visit to the library complex.

Opening Hours

* Mondays - Saturdays: 9am - 5pm * Sundays: 10am - 5pm

References

External links

Official website

Obasanjo Foundation
on Facebook {{Authority control Public libraries in Nigeria Obasanjo family Tourist attractions in Abeokuta Ogun State