It said this is imperative as it determines the productivity level of youths which contributes to national development.
The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, stated this in Abuja at the 2017 National Readership Promotion Campaign themed: “Working together to build a virile reading nation: Challenges and Strategies” which was organised by the National Library of Nigeria.
He said the drop-in reading culture was a contributing factor to the fallen standard of education stressing the need to: “mobilize the citizenry to read, write, learn and contribute to the rejuvenation and actualization of total literacy culture in Nigeria.”
He assured that the government would ensure provision of adequate funds to revive libraries in the country.
His words: “…government will strive to provide adequate funds to acquire sufficient, current and relevant library materials for schools and libraries.
“Acquiring a reading habit is essential to our career development and growth. It helps an individual and indeed students to build very high cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains.”
In his keynote address, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed stressed the need for Public Private Partnership in the development of e-libraries in Nigeria.
According to him, reading has been simplified through technological advancement adding that: “several e-books can now be found online and with advancement in technology, one must not be in the library to read books.”
Mohammed, who spoke through the Acting Director, Entertainment and Creativity, Makan Sallahu, lamented the fading reading culture among children as well as the youths even as he noted the need for parents to inculcate reading habit in their children.
“It is disheartening that today most of our children and youths have lost interest in reading books and this is affecting our reading culture negatively. It is time for us all to rise up to these challenges from the home-front and play our key roles as parents in inculcating the importance and the habits of reading in our children.
“The home is the basic unit of agents of socialization, therefore, we are to stand firm and provide our children with basic educational materials and resources and as well, coach them at home and monitor their progress in school.”
Earlier, the National Librarian, Professor Lenrie Aina explained that the National Readership Promotion Campaign is aimed at promoting the increase of reading materials and identify obstacles which inhibits reading and ways to eliminate them.
He said although the current campaign is targeted at primary and secondary school children, the next focus would be targeted at pregnant mothers.
According to him: “we want to make them aware of the importance of reading books to their children before and when they are born. Studies have proven that in the later stage of pregnancy, unborn babies are aware of the vibrations that the voices have and can recognise them with ease.”
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