Continuous deterioration of reading culture is a source of worry to National Library of Nigeria and stakeholders in education, who commenced a campaign in Bauchi, on ways to arrest the trend and promote reading culture. NAJIB SANI reports
Importance of reading
Reading is an important activity that broadens person’s knowledge and experience. It plays a vital role in the development of an individual and the society at large.
Aside that, reading helps to improve comprehension, writing style, vocabulary and grammatical developments of reader.
By way of reading books, magazines, newspapers, journals and other educational or research works, people can acquire new ideas, relax their minds, improve their command of language as well as improve their self-esteem.
However, it is observed that many Nigerians now have apathy towards reading after they finish schools.
It seems majority of them read hard only while at school to pass examinations thereby making some to be tagged ‘educated illiterates’ because they are bereft of ideas.
Blueprint also observed that youth and children of nowadays spend more of their time on watching television, social media and doing games than in libraries to read which has became a source of concern to educationists that have been pondering on the deteriorating standard of education in the nation.
National Library of Nigeria on reading campaign
Worried by the waning zeal and lack of enthusiasm of the young Nigerians to read, the National Library of Nigeria had within the past couple of years embarked on persistent campaigns to promote reading culture among the citizens. The campaign tagged ‘ ‘Readership Promotion Campaign’ had been conducted in several states of the federation last year.
In Bauchi State, this year’s campaign was conducted with series of activities such as public lectures and reading competitions among students organized by the state branch of the National Library of Nigeria.
The official opening ceremony of the campaign took place last Tuesday at the National library complex, under the chairmanship of the permanent secretary Bauchi State Ministry of Education, Musa Wadata, who represented Governor Mohammed Abubakar, and was also attended by relevant stakeholders who discussed extensively on major obstacles hindering Nigerians from reading books and the ways of addressing the problems.
Speakers lament poor reading culture
A guest Speaker at the event and Chief Librarian of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) Bauchi, Dr Musa Bello, has lamented the poor reading habits among the compatriots saying recent surveys indicated that ‘only about one percent endures to finish a book per year’.
Delivering a paper entitled ‘ Sustaining life-long reading for positive change’, the university librarian decried that an average Nigerian rarely read novel or non-fiction books even at leisure times.
Bello who decried that Nigeria was missing in the ranking table of the reading nations of the world, challenged parents to not only inculcate but sustain reading habit in their children in order for them to be ‘great minds’.
According to him, 40 percent of adult Nigerians rarely ever completely read even a non-fiction book after they finish school.
“The average Nigerian was observed reads less than one book per year and only one percent successfully read one non-fiction book per month”.
“The development of life-long reading interest and habit is a constant process which begins at home, improves systematically in school and is carried on in later life through the influences of the general cultural atmosphere and the conscious efforts of public education and public libraries. Reading generally makes us to become knowledgeable and enhances our constructive contributions to a democratic and cohesive society “. He said.
The academic claimed that reading as an activity has lost its appeal as other forms and types of media surpassed and dominates the reading ream.
He said the widespread use of social media like Google Plus, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Whatsapp etc on the internet, smart phones and other Information Technology gadgets have tremendously overshadowed reading as an activity for funs as well as time engagements.
Social media as drawback
“The social media have not only surpassed traditional modes of reading but created the general idea that reading is fundamentally monotonous uninteresting activity”.
Bello who enumerated benefits of reading to include, pleasure, opportunities to understand things better, improving social relations, developing people cognitively and academically said researches on reading literature revealed that women read more than men.
“The survey by Sharon (2013) indicated that greater percentage of females read more relative to males. While youth do dip reading compared to strengthened reading in the middle ages. In general, research suggests that females use literature to explore and understand relationship (behaviors associated gender). In addition, Sharon pointed out that readers may be deliberately building on and seeking out specific emotional experiences through literature to further their understandings of themselves “.
Sustaining reading habit
On how to sustain reading habit, the university librarian explained that some of the factors that encourage perpetual reading habits in man include, access to texts, home environment that is supportive of reading, motivation and being able to exercise choice in selecting materials.
He said library has role on the provision of reading materials adding that home plays more positive roles in the acquisition of suitable materials to all age group in the family such as the home library.
According to the library expert, one may start with a small daily reading by reading about three to five pages of an interesting book in a day which may take just about 30 minutes.
Other strategies to sustain life-long reading he pointed out include, making book a companion by carrying it to wherever one goes, finding a quiet place, reducing internet and television time.
Also speaking, the National Librarian and Chief Executive Officer of the National Library of Nigeria, Professor Lenre Aina, represented by a deputy director legal department of the library Mrs Idonesgist Akpabio, suggested that to maintain life-long reading culture, there is need to develop interest right from childhood.
She said as part of this year’s campaign, books would be distributed to expectant mothers in selected hospitals during ante-natal days to read to their unborn babies.
Reading during pregnancy increase baby’s intelligence
The National Librarian quoted a renowned writer and child psychologist M. M Sabah Karini, to have stipulated in her book titled ‘How Does Reading During Pregnancy Increase Baby’s Intelligence ‘ that reading by pregnant women provides auditory stimulation for baby’s growing brain and can acclimate children to the sound of their parent’s voices, improves baby’s cognitive intelligence with a variety of stimuli and increases baby’s intelligence.
“While our target this year is primary, secondary schools and pregnant women, I will want to make clear that our objective is to cover the whole strata of the Nigerian society. Our next target after school children and pregnant women in schools and maternity homes would be those who work at motor parks and travellers”. She revealed.
Earlier, the head of the National library of Nigeria in the state Malam Abubakar Hussaini, explained that the campaign was aimed at encouraging reading among Nigerians, promoting the increase of reading materials in the country as well as identifying major obstacles that inhibit reading and ways of addressing them.
Highlight of the event was reading competition among students of selected secondary schools in the state.
