Rt Hon Goodluck Nanah Opiah, Minister of State for Education has expressed that poor reading culture may be responsible for certain ills ravaging the society at the moment.
He disclosed that criminals acts related to suicide bombing, banditry, terrorism and other societal vices cannot be divorced from inadequate reading habit.
In this vein, the minister said that promotion of reading culture remains one of the top priorities of the education ministry.
This was part of his major revelations at the flag off ceremony of the National Library of Nigeria Readership Promotion Campaign at the conference hall of the federal ministry of education, Abuja, on Thursday, 15th September, 2022.
In his keynote address at the event, the minister said that against the backdrop of general notion that Nigerians are reading less than they used to, and that a worrying percentage of children have trouble reading comprehension, prompted the activation of various readership promotion campaigns by the National Library of Nigeria, and other stakeholders.
On the efforts of the federal government towards the project, the minister said that the promotion of a reading culture is reflected in the Pillar 10 (Library Services in Education) of the Ministry’s Education for Change! A Ministerial Strategic Plan (MSP) adding that “efforts are ongoing by the Nigerian government to entrench, stimulate and enhance the reading of books, newspapers and magazines and this is especially important at a time when an increasing number of people spend less time reading, and when reading skills are declining. This may have been the cause of suicide bombing, banditry, terrorism and other societal vices”
The minister who commended the management and staff of National Library of Nigeria for taking this year Readership Promotion Campaign to the grassroots said that the theme of this year’s campaign “Reading as a Panacea for Societal Problems is timely and appropriate considering the declining reading habit of the world today and in particular, Nigeria.
Said he, a reading culture enhances the development of a nation. A reading society no doubt is an informed and knowledgeable society that contributes positively to economic transformation and all-round development of its country.
“Reading adds quality to life, provides access to culture qns cultural heritage. Reading empowers and emancipates citizens and brings people together”
Kelechi Mejuobi
SA Media/Public Affairs to Hon Minister of State for Education
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