Cross River State Library

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The Cross River State Library is a public library in central Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. It opened on 17 April 1989 and holds about 4,000 items. The site it sits on used to be Bricksfield Prison, the first maximum‑security prison in Nigeria, built in 1890. The prison was destroyed during the Nigerian Civil War in the late 1960s and relocated, but the Bricksfield Prison Wall remains as part of the library’s boundary.

Construction began under Udokaha Esuene, the military governor at the time, and it was completed under Paul Omu. The opening was delayed until the administration of Babatunde Elegbede, and the library began serving the public under Clement Ebri.

Today, the library faces serious challenges:
- Very poor infrastructure with no reliable electricity or water and no working toilets
- A badly damaged building with shattered windows and a leaking roof, worsened by a 2016 explosion and fire at a nearby bank
- An outdated collection and problems with pests like rodents and reptiles
- Frequent misuse of the space for weddings and other non-library activities

Reports say the state government has not taken adequate action to fix these problems, focusing more on other projects.