The Nigerian Library Association (NLA) was founded in 1962 as the successor to the West African Library Association (WALA), established in 1954 following the UNESCO seminar on public library development in Africa held in Ibadan in 1953.
Since its inception, NLA has been led by several outstanding leaders, each contributing significantly to the advancement of library services in Nigeria. The first president of the association was K. K. Okorie, who served from 1962 to 1964. He was followed by W. J. Plumb (1964–1965), E. B. Bankole (1965–1966), S. K. Nwoe (1966–1967), and Mrs. F. A. Ogunseye (1967–1970), who became the first female president of the association.
In the following years, NLA continued to grow and develop under the leadership of presidents such as S. B. Ajayi (1971–1973), J. O. Dipeolu (1973–1975), A. Mohammed (1976–1978), O. O. Ogundipe (1978–1980), and A. H. Ningi (1980–1983). Each of them contributed to strengthening library infrastructure and promoting professional standards in the country.
More recently, the association has been led by James O. Daniel (2000–2005), Victoria Okoye (2005–2010), Professor Lenrie Olatokunbo Aina (2010–2012), Rilwanu Abdulsalami (2012–2016), Dr. Umunna Opara (2016–2019), Innocent Issa Ekoya (2019–2022), and Dominic Omokaro, who has been serving as the current president since 2022.
Under the guidance of these leaders, NLA continues to unite individuals interested in libraries and information services, advocate for the professional interests of librarians, promote the establishment and development of libraries and information centers, and encourage research and library cooperation in Nigeria.