GCI LIBRARY COMPLEX

The Library complex is situated between the old HSC Block (now called the 'Duplex') and the Central Dining Hall. Its design and construction were handled and financed by the Government College Ibadan Old Boys Association, GCIOBA.

It is an edifice that is second to none in any Secondary School in Nigeria and probably better than the library buildings of some tertiary institutions in Nigeria. It has a floor space of 1,286 sqm and was built at a cost of One Million Naira (#1,000,000:00) at the time of its completion in 1987.

It was the single highest donation made to the College by the Old Boys during the Third Generation (1980 - 2004) of the School.

Mr. Adesoji became Principal in 1978 and in his first Prize-Giving Day Speech, he threw the bombshell that GCI had no library among other essential facilities befitting the College!

It caused such a stir that almost immediately after the statement, the media, through the Ministry of Information, made it a news item and repeated it every 30 minutes on that day.

Within a short time, the then President of the GCIOBA, C.S.O. Akande (1941), in company of Ogundepo (1930) and some other Old Boys stormed the Principal's office to find out why Adesoji had the "audacity" (using GCI slang) to make the assertion that GCI had no library. The Old Boys told Adesoji (1955), in clear terms, that his statement was not only an embarrassment to the GCIOBA and GCI, but also not true. Adesoji stood his grounds, that GCI had no library!

The 'Ancient' Old Boys could not believe what they heard from the 'Modern' Old Boy. Adesoji went further to state that since he spent 7 years as a student, 2 years as a member of the academic staff in the classroom, and was then sitting on the Principal's chair, no one was 'more GCI' than himself.

The 'Ancient' Old Boys directed Adesoji to come up with a proposal on 'his own type of library'! So, Adesoji contacted Adedeji (1956), who was his successor as Head of Carr House in 1963 and an Architect, and requested from him, a design for a library building with a seating capacity of 2,000. The GCIOBA agreed to construct the modern library.

Every Old Boy was levied two hundred naira (#200.00) while the specially selected, 'successful' Old Boys were made to pay two thousand naira (#2,000.00) each towards the 'Library Construction Fund'.

Lekan Are swung into action and took it upon himself to collect the levy from each and every Old Boy he knew. That singular action earned Are the nick-name 'A gbowo ipa' - (one who collects money forcefully) for a long time. It is on record that Are was responsible for collecting approximately 90% of the funds spent on the library building project.

Under the supervision of Oladeji (1944) http://www.gcimuseum.org/content/interview-eo-oladeji-1944, the construction was handled by Messrs. Integrated Builders, a firm belonging to two Old Boys - Akin Orunmuyi (1960) and 'Doyin Adelekun (1965). The Library complex was commissioned for use and handed over to GCI authorities on Saturday, November 1987.

Since then, the Library has continued to be stocked with books, magazines, and other publications by the College, GCIOBA members, the PTA, and friends of GCI. The traditional donation to the Library of 5 copies of every book written (and published) by Old Boys has continued to be respected as a way of enriching and swelling the collection of books in the Library.

The 1948 Class Set adopted the library renovation, repairs, and upkeep as a project from 1987 till the end of the Third Generation (2004).

Culled from 'Built on the Rock III'

Please Note: The picture shows the newly renovated Library Complex and was taken in November, 2016.