“LET US CULTIVATE READING CULTURE, TO DEVELOP OUR COUNTRY”, SAYS NATIONAL LIBRARIAN
The Professor, who was represented by Dr. Paul Momoh, added that the campaign has already taken place over the 36 States of the Federation, adding that, “this is the fifth of a series of six (6) simultaneously planned campaigns on weekly basis that would take place in the thirty-six (36) States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“The campaign has already taken place in twenty-three (23) states of the Federation. The campaign, which commenced in your State yesterday, is also to take place in Delta, Zamfara, Taraba, Kaduna and Nasarawa States respectively.
“Over the years, this campaign was carried out with a focus on the children and youths in Primary and Secondary Schools with the purpose of sensitising, informing and educating them on reading culture’,Momoh stated.
The Professor pointed out that, the poor reading culture is a social phenomenon that cuts across all the social strata of the Nigerian society, adding,”therefore, by the way of strategies, the 2018 campaign, that was extended to the early part of this year, covered hospitals and motor parks across the nation with a focus on pregnant women, drivers and passengers’.
“To keep the tempo going, the 2019 readership promotion campaign, in line with the present administrations’ policy of reaching out to the vulnerable and the poor, is covering semi-urban communities and custodial centres of the Nigerian Correctional Services across the country” He explained
The Keynote Speaker, Olalekan Shoyinka, in his own address urged the people to make every effort towards reading books as it makes one to prepare for the worldly examination, noting that,”many people will just come on radio and television, telling us to come and learn something’.
‘These people have been able to know these things because they have read and also make researches about it, so therefore they decided to make such venture a money-spinning avenue for themselves” he said
Penpushing also reports that, Shoyinka, said those who are into reading of books will also ensure that they publish a book someday, in order to leave their footprints on sands of time.
The Head, National Library of Nigeria, Ogun State Branch, John Ajayi, also enumerated the benefits of reading, “that it helps in reducing stress level, reading makes to sleep better, reading improves your vocabulary, reading improves your knowledge, increases your tolerance, reading improves your memory and concentration and it reduces the risk of dementia”
Penpushing further reports that there were performances by students of Exponent Educational Movement, Apete, Abeokuta and St. Michael Anglican Primary School, Apete, while those present at the event were; Baale of Oke-Odo, Chief Olusegun Ogunbona, Chairman, Adualere Community Development Committee, Chief Adewale Adekunle, Women Leader, Mrs Muibi, Head Mistress, Mrs Ajibona, among others.
