Things That Matter Shouldn't Come With A Price Tag!!!

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Growing up, I never really had the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of a library. Unfortunately, libraries were just one of those things that governments were not really bothered about, regardless of how important they were, not just for developing kids, but for adults as well. So, I never really had access to one.

Until my teenage years, when I was in SS3, that was when the library in my secondary school was completed and stocked full of books. We had textbooks and a lot of notable novels there. And with the short amount of time that I had left in school, I made sure that I maximized the library to the fullest. And in this case, it meant reading novels, of course. Back then, you wouldn’t catch me dead reading a textbook unless I was working on an assignment or preparing for an exam that was close at hand.

Anyway, I spent a lot of break periods in the library. I didn’t play football, and most of my friends were footballers. So, while they were on the field running around chasing a ball, I was in the bliss and quiet of the library, getting lost in some world crafted by a mind other than mine. It was beautiful.

When I left the school, I lost access to the library, and the next time I found myself in one was when I gained admission into Nekede. I lived in the school hostel, which was also close to the library, so it made for easy movement for me. However, there were not a lot of novels at the time, mostly textbooks. And the librarian at that time was quite strict; she refused to allow anyone to go to sections that were not in line with their course of study.

So, as an electrical engineering student, I wasn’t allowed to go to where the few novels and other works of art were. Can you imagine? Anyway, I still kept looking for reasons to go there because it had AC and there was always light there. And by the time I was done with ND 1, things had changed drastically!

When I returned for ND2, I moved off campus. And the library fees had increased more than 10X the initial cost. And there was now so much red tape between payment and actual access to the library. When I learned all that it entailed, I turned my back on it and never went back.

Now, years later, I’m done with school, but I still don’t have any library that I frequent. I’ve been looking for one, though, but they’re all too far away from me. And many times, I see how many of them are now more focused on making money. So many things that should have just been focused on giving people a good time are now centered on making money. Yeah, people will pay small fees, but the main goal should be the service that’s rendered, not the money they stand to make.

And that’s why so many things suffer here in my corner of the world. Beaches that should be free, people pay heavily to access them. Parks and recreational centers: you’d have to save for months before you can take your family there. Even to live in a conducive environment where you won’t be scared for your or your child’s safety, you must be willing to cough up millions in rent.

Little by little, the things that used to make life worth living and fun have been heavily monetized, and that has sucked the joy and humanity from them all. We still go there, we still enjoy them… but the access is strictly limited.

Well, it is what it is…

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_{Thank you for reading. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below, I would love to know what you’re thinking. Till we meet in the next post.}

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_{N.B: All images used in this post are mine. The thumbnail was designed using Canva.}

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