What are the goals of a presidential library?

By Kunle Oyewole,

A library is a collection of information resources made available to a people with the objective of enlightenment educationally, culturally, historically and so on. The Presidential Library Act of 1955 encouraged former Presidents to donate their historical materials to the government for preservation of Presidential papers and their availability to the American people, most importantly a presidential library is dedicated to honor the life, service and preserve the legacy of the President. A good example is the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and museum and many more across America, the latest on the list is the George W Bush Presidential Library & Museum in Dallas TX.

Leaders are defined by the convictions they hold and the character of a great leader is determined by how he endures and responds to critics. Arguably the most criticized and ridiculed president of the United States, George W. Bush rallied the world to a cause greater than himself and upheld the commitments and principles of the founding fathers during one of the most trying times in history by defending freedom and taking the tough decisions to keep the American people safe. He wrote, “The most profound decision any President could make is send his people to war”. Even the coldest of hearts would melt at the sight of mothers grieving over sons lost in battle, or a kid weeping over the loss of a parent, and as commander in chief it was his duty to give condolences to families of the victims.

The recession hit after the invasions and he became more unpopular as millions of Americans lost their jobs, his domestic and foreign policies were castigated and they became talking points in campaigns and presidential debates. It is only fair to say he deserved to be criticized after all he convinced the American people he would do a good job and they voted for him in light of that. Decision Points was published after his administration, also he dedicated the George W Bush presidential library as an act of unshakeable faith to his country so that the people will come to learn about the options he weighed and ideologies he followed throughout his presidency.

Suffice to say, the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential library Ogun State Nigeria is being built in good faith with the story of how he rose from incarceration to the second elected Executive President of Nigeria. But one can only wonder the kind of convictions he held or principles he stood by when his deputy and himself decided to air their dirty laundry in public over the third term controversy which by the way depicted a grand ridicule of the highest office in the country or the fact that his presidency marked the beginning of a new era that so many died and millions were repressed for.

Looking at the nightmare Nigeria has become to the citizens and a caricature in the international community draws the conclusion, the country is a spitting image of our former leaders while the present walk along the same lines. What lies ahead for the unborn generation?

Yet it brings back the question, what is the objective of a Presidential Library? One can only hope that Goodluck E. Jonathan does not donate one to the Nigerian people after his administration.

Oyewole lives in the United States