Excitement as Obasanjo Presidential Library Exposes Secondary School Students to Civil War Experience

The Obasanjo Presidential Library is exposing young secondary school students to the horrors of the Nigerian civil war.

Students on a tour of OOPL 

As part of efforts to mark the international world museum day, the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, OOPL, on May 18,2017 assembled Primary and Secondary school students from various parts of the State and played video and audio clips of the Civil war for them with a view to teaching them the effects of  the civil war on Nigeria .

Vangaurd reports that, the International Museum Day is the brain child of the International Council of Museums , an international non-governmental organisation maintaining formal relations with UNESCO.

It was further gathered that the Presidential Library is serving as Resident Curator currently doubles as the Secretary General of the Museums Association of Nigeria and International Council of Museums, National Committee.

Following its official commissioning on 5th March, 2017, the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library has joined the league of museums the world over to organise her maiden edition to mark the “2017 International Museums Day.”

Some Speakers who included, Dr. Edet Abu Solomon of the University of Calabar, Dr. Philip Akpen, Mr. Martins Oloja of The Guardian and Mr. Ayodele Aderinwale spoke on various topics and stressed that it was regrettable that due to the neglect of History in the school curriculum, the young generation know very little about the Nigerian Civil war.

Others who spoke were, Mr. Chijioke Iwuamadi, lead speaker, Mrs. Constance Omawunmi Kola, Mr. Hamzat Lawal and Comrade Daminabo Alali Daniel. They all called for the establishment of a National War Museum, another Presidential Library in the country and the re-introduction of history into the school curriculum from the Primary to the University level.

According to the management of the Obasanjo Presidential Library , the theme for this year’s celebration is “Museums and Contested Histories: Saying the Unspeakable in Museums”.

For us, the unspeakable history we have chosen is the Nigerian Civil War which ravaged this country for 30 months with its untold consequences, and which as a nation, we are unwilling to speak about.