The Library Raised Me. Who Is Raising the Children Now?

When I was about 10 years old, my mother started taking me to the Kwara State Library.

Every Saturday she would drive me there, drop me off, and come back to pick me up at 4 p.m. The librarian at the time, Mrs. Balogun, was my mother’s friend, so she kept an eye on me while I spent hours inside the library.

Later, when I was old enough to move around on my own, my mother would simply give me money for a taxi and I would go by myself. It was one of the most exciting experiences of my childhood.

Reading opened up my world in ways I did not fully understand at the time. It stretched my imagination, expanded my vocabulary, and sharpened my ability to express myself. I spoke better than many of my peers and read far ahead of my classmates, simply because I had access to books. I read everything I could find, from comic books and novels to encyclopedias. I loved the Macmillan English Readers series and the African Writers Series in particular.

Those books exposed me to different worlds and ideas, and they made me dream beyond the environment I was growing up in.

Looking back now, I can say confidently that those early reading experiences are foundational to who I am today. They shaped the way I think, the way I communicate, and the way I understand the world. That is why it is painful to look at the state of our public libraries today.

For children like me who grew up in lower middle class households, the public library system was often the only place where we could access books outside of school. It was a quiet space to explore ideas and develop curiosity.

Today, that access is disappearing. The average paperback in Nigeria now costs about ₦18,000. With the national minimum wage at ₦70,000, a Nigerian worker must spend about 25 percent of their entire monthly income just to buy a single book. At the same time, the country’s public library system has been allowed to decay.

Nigeria has roughly 290 public libraries serving a population of more than 230 million people. Many of these facilities are underfunded, poorly maintained, or simply non functional. That works out to roughly one library for every 800,000 citizens.

The state has killed public libraries and inflation is killing bookshops. It is difficult to describe the situation as anything other than a crime scene.

Yes, the world has changed and young people today have access to smartphones and social media. But access to digital platforms cannot replace the discipline and depth that come from reading books. Reading requires concentration, reflection, and imagination. It strengthens comprehension and helps people develop the ability to communicate clearly and think critically.

When you speak with many young people today, the difference is noticeable. Communication skills are weaker, comprehension is thinner, and emotional intelligence often feels underdeveloped. A culture that once encouraged sustained reading has been replaced by endless scrolling through short videos, memes, and social media skits. Those platforms entertain, but they do not cultivate the same depth of thought.

The responsibility for fixing this cannot rest on government alone, although the state clearly has a duty to rebuild and properly fund public libraries. There are also opportunities for private individuals and communities to step in. I remember discovering a tiny privately owned library in Tanke, Ilorin during my later secondary school years and the early part of my university education. It was a small shop space with shelves of books you could borrow for a minimal fee. There was no space to sit and read because the room was too small, but you could take books home and return them after a few days.

That small library made a difference because it created access where there otherwise would have been none. It showed that reading culture can be supported through small, community driven initiatives. Nigeria needs more of these spaces. We need private community libraries, neighborhood book lending systems, and reading hubs that give children and teenagers the opportunity to encounter books outside of the classroom.

If we do not deliberately rebuild a culture of reading, we risk raising a generation without the intellectual foundation that books help to build. Libraries are not just buildings filled with shelves. They are institutions that expand imagination, encourage curiosity, and create pathways for learning and opportunity.

The library played a significant role in raising me. It helped shape my worldview and gave me access to knowledge that my family alone could not have provided.

It is difficult not to wonder what happens to children growing up today if those spaces continue to disappear.