FG launches fresh nationwide ‘Read Campaign’

WORRIED by the poor reading culture in Nigeria, the Federal Government has launched a fresh nationwide read campaign to sensitise Nigerians on the need to embrace reading culture.

Government lamented that the reading culture in the country is still very low despite various programmes embarked upon in the past to address the challenge.

The nationwide read campaign, which begins today, June 1, 2017, is designed to stimulate and promote recreational and purposeful reading culture among all citizens and residents.

National librarian and chief executive of the National Library of Nigeria, Professor Lenrie Aina, who spoke while addressing newsmen in Abuja, said the theme of the 2017 reading promotion campaign is ‘Working Together to Build a Virile Nation: Challenges and Strategies’.

He identified some of the challenges of readership promotions in Nigeria to include inadequate budgets for libraries and limited powers of librarians to engage schools to participate in reading promotion activities.

Aina said it was unfortunate that Nigeria had not been listed among the top 30 countries in the world with good reading habits.

He revealed that a recent survey on hours of reading per week per person by the World Culture Score Index shows that India has a score of 10.45 hours per week followed by Thailand (09.24 hours), China (08.00 hours), Philippines (07.36 hours and Egypt (07.30 hours).

He added that out of the top 30 countries in the world, only two African countries appeared in the list: Egypt (07.30 hours), on the fifth position, and South Africa (06.18 hours), occupying the 15th position on the rating.

“Nigeria is not listed. It could be seen that four of the top five countries are developing countries – countries that are supposed to be in the same league with Nigeria.

“This is not surprising given the fact that the reading culture in Nigeria is very low. This is because no plans were made to consolidate the newly acquired skills of reading and numeracy and develop up to point where they can read on their own for pleasure or for profit,” he noted.

Aina, explained that all the 23 states where there are branches of the National Libraries would hold various sensitisation programmes culminating into the grand finale on 20th September,  2017 to be held International Conference Centre, Abuja.

He said the objectives of the readership promotion campaign with a slogan, ‘Catch Them Young; Read a Book to Your Baby Now’ include encouraging reading among Nigerians, promoting the increase of reading materials, identifying obstacles which inhibit reading and ways of eliminating them.