By Onche Odeh
The Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS) has inaugurated a science museum and library, which it has said would serve as a repository of science in Nigeria.
Launched on Monday January 20, 2025, the facility sits on a quarter of a 4.18-hectare land designated as the NAS Complex, the headquarters of the highest non-governmental body of scientists in Nigeria located at the serene Wasa District Cadastral Zone, Apo in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The facility which was initially valued at 128,966,956 million was wholly funded by Nigeria’s former military chief, General (rtd) Theophilus Danjuma, who has also promised to help the academy pursue further funding opportunities to enable the academy fit the museum and library with materials and resources that would make the facility useful to scientists and the community.
Apart from the science museum and library complex, the NAS complex is designed to accommodate an administrative block with offices, a conference centre and a guest house that could make it an international conference venue.
Outgoing President of NAS, Professor Ekanem Braide, who chronicled the history of the complex said the museum would serve as a useful resource for inspiring and strengthening Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) education in Nigeria.
She Said “The museum will also showcase Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage and civilisation that can produce cross-cultural understanding. It will be a source of knowledge and inspiration, while management of the museum will continue to collect, preserve, interpret and display objects of artistic, cultural and scientific significance for the education of the public, particularly students.”
Speaking in her remarks during the inauguration, Prof Ekanem said, “The library will provide access to authentic and reliable information required to support learning and development, it will house all sections in an ideal library, including an e- section and a repository.”
President, Network of African Science Academies (NASAC), Prof. Mahouton Hounkonno, also had some positive expectations to share on the science museum and library in his remarks.
He said the museum represented the interface between the science community and the general community, adding that it is a perfect meeting point where ideas are nurtured and curiosity transformed into discovery.
“Science does not exist in isolation, it thrives in the lives of the people it tends to outlive.
“This museum will not only preserve the heritage of Nigerian science, but also inspire the next generation of innovators and problem solvers who will continue to shape the future of the nation and continent at large,” Prof. Hounkonno said during the inauguration.
Meanwhile, Danjuma has said that the deployment of science and technology, it is possible to access resources that are currently not available in the facility.
“You need to have regular correspondence between the academy of science and prospective donors to know how you are progressing and to ensure you have what makes the building a museum,” Danjuma said.
The NAS President announced on the day that the NAS-TY Danjuma Science Museum and Library will be fully kitted and opened for public usage in June this year.
