THE Federal Government has lamented that the reading culture in the country is still very low in spite various programmes embarked upon in the past to address the challenge.
Government has therefore, launched a nationwide read campaign beginning from 1st June, 2017, 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 Olatokunbo Aina, who spoke while addressing newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja, said the theme of the 2017 reading promotion campaign is “Working together to build a virile Nation: Challenges and Strategies.”
He noted that some of the challenges of readership promotions in Nigeria were 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 has not been listed among 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, has shown that India has a score 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 the top 30 countries in the world only two African countries appeared in the list, Egypt (07.30 hours), 5th 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 said.
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 encourage reading among Nigerians, promote the increase of reading materials, identify obstacles which inhibits reading and ways of eliminating them.
He disclosed that while the National Library of Nigeria has branches in 26 states including the Federal Capital Territory, 10 state governments were yet to have branches of the National Library established in their states for indigenes to benefit from the national resource.
He said: “So far, the National Library has branches in 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. But due to obvious reasons, three of these branches have been shut down and are just about to reopen them again.
“Let me use this opportunity to urge the remaining ten states to provide us with temporary sites for the establishment of the state branches and land for permanent sites where the National Library of Nigeria can build and operate branches for the use of indigenes and residents of those states,” he said
and then