ABUJA, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- All Nigerian libraries under the management of the National Library of Nigeria (NLN) will be linked to the Internet by 2008, a government official said here on Sunday.

    NLN Chief Executive Officer Linus Ikpaakindi told the official News Agency of Nigeria that this will allow Nigerians to access foreign journals and books in 20 libraries located in 20 states of the federation.

    "Linking the libraries to the Internet is the first step toward the actualization of the National Virtual Library project for the country," he said.

    Ikpaakindi promised that the Internet facility at the libraries would enable Nigerians of all walks of life to have access to information as cheaply as possible.

    He said that under the project, the nation's resources, potentials and capabilities would be digitalized, while local content would be created for on-line usage.