Nigeria was given a very low rating in human development by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for the year 2002. This is due partly to the patriarchal nature of Nigeria, which emphasizes male education more than that of the female. The result is that fewer educated women than men are available to contribute to national development activities. The recent introduction of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme by the Federal Government is seen as a catalyst which will result in greater female participation in national development. The scheme sets out specifically to redress the gender imbalance which has been evident in the Nigerian educational landscape. The provision of standard multimedia school libraries will help schools to produce a more educated citizenry in Nigeria. This will enable Nigeria to achieve a more balanced contribution of both men and women to national development activities and hence improve the country’s human development rating internationally.