By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, have called for stronger use of the National Assembly Library and parliamentary records to promote informed lawmaking, transparency and public accountability.
They made the call on Monday at the opening of the 2026 National Assembly Library Week, where speakers warned that the rapid spread of information, disinformation and misinformation through digital platforms posed a growing threat to democratic governance.
Akpabio said members of the National Assembly were not making adequate use of the wealth of information and knowledge resources available through the parliamentary library, urging the leadership to find ways of improving utilisation.
He said the library remained an important resource for lawmakers seeking reliable information and knowledge to strengthen legislative work.
The Senate President also directed the leadership of the National Assembly to intensify efforts to ensure that lawmakers and other stakeholders tapped into the resources and services provided by the library.
The event, organized with the theme “Parliamentary Memory: Connecting Records, Legislation and the People,” also highlighted the critical role of accurate and verifiable information in strengthening democracy.
In his remarks, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas stressed that the National Assembly could not be truly independent without the necessary knowledge resources to support evidence-based lawmaking.
He said parliamentary transparency would also be undermined if legislative records were not properly preserved, updated and made accessible.
According to him, reliable documentation enables citizens and researchers to establish what was produced, debated and ultimately enacted by parliament.
Abbas said the National Assembly Library should therefore be seen beyond a repository of books, describing it as a vital knowledge institution connecting parliamentary records, lawmakers and the public.
He noted that the library provides an avenue for lawmakers, staff, researchers, journalists, civil society organisations, students and other members of the public to access important parliamentary materials.
Earlier, Chairman of the National Assembly Library Week organising committee, Hon. Henry Nwawuba, said the event was designed to underscore the importance of preserving parliamentary memory and making legislative knowledge accessible.
Nwawuba emphasised the need for lawmakers and other stakeholders to take advantage of the library's resources in navigating the increasingly complex information environment.
The Clerk to the National Assembly , Hon. Kamoru Ogunlana also called for greater attention to the preservation, accessibility and responsible use of legislative records, noting that parliamentary institutions depend on credible documentation to sustain institutional memory and accountability.
He urged lawmakers to consider the broader implications of information management and the need to reconcile public access to information with legitimate institutional and national security considerations.
A representative of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) , Adebowale Olorunmola said the growing speed and scale of information dissemination had created new challenges for democratic institutions.
He warned that disinformation and foreign information manipulation could distort public discourse, undermine trust and weaken democratic accountability if citizens and institutions failed to scrutinise information effectively.
The speaker said access to accurate, verified and trustworthy information was fundamental to building public trust, strengthening social cohesion and making democracy more meaningful.
The 2026 Library Week coincides with the International Day for Universal Access to Information, placing emphasis on the connection between access to credible information, parliamentary records and effective democratic governance.
The speakers agreed that preserving legislative records is not merely an archival responsibility but a critical part of ensuring that the work of parliament remains accessible and accountable to present and future generations.
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