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No nation can develop without reading – Kolawole
Oyeyemi
ON October 27, 2016 12:25 AM / IN Education ,
News / Comments
By Dayo Adesulu
IN a bid to shore up the nation’s learning deficit, revive
the flagging reading culture and boost Nigeria’s
leadership credentials across the world, Nigerian
youths have been urged to become lovers of books and
cultivate a sound reading culture for life.
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This clarion call was made at the 2016 edition of the
Ignite Africa Readers ‘R’ Leaders Destiny Walk, held
on Saturday, 22nd of October in Lagos.
The annual road walk, which had in attendance
artistes, comedians, actors, various professionals,
students and stakeholders within the educational
sector, was organized by the Ignite Africa Leadership
Foundation as a literary awareness campaign aimed at
promoting a reading culture in Nigeria especially
amongst young people.
The 6.4 km walk, which saw enthusiastic Nigerians
clad in bright orange shirts turned up in record
numbers at the Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu Park, Oregun,
Lagos, featured groundbreaking leadership content,
poetry and spoken word performances, rib cracking
comedy, dance, and live music by entertainers.
Kolawole Oyeyemi, Founder, Ignite Africa Leadership
Foundation and Convener of the Destiny Walk, said “We
must all come together to create awareness for the
youth of this nation to cultivate the habit of reading. No
nation can grow, develop and lead other nations, if it is
an ignorant nation.
Once upon a time, our graduates were being poached
by the super powers because we had the knowledge,
understanding and wisdom in our respective fields.
Today, we are no longer good enough in our own
country. Jobs which Nigerians should ordinarily
undertake are now being given to expatriates and if we
continue like this what kind of future is in store for our
youth and our nation?”
Dr. Larry Izamoje, chairman/CEO of Brila Group who
also lent his voice to the campaign, commended the
organizers for a job well done and challenged parents
to do more in deepening the reading culture among
young people.
“This exercise by Ignite Africa is a noble one that
should be extended by parents. Parents can start by
reading to their children on a daily basis and as the
children grow older, they also pick the habit of reading
and even pass it on to the next generation and before
we know it, it would become a national culture for
Nigerians to read,” Izamoje enthused.
Ignite Africa Leadership Foundation also used the
occasion to showcase the significant progress made in
its stated commitment to helping to get youths to
embrace learning as a way of life so that we can
guarantee our nation a great future and leadership
amongst the comity of nations. A first of its kind library
website, hosting over 4,000 books,
www.igniteafricalibrary.org, and its over 60 book
clubs across Lagos and Rivers states, are some of the
success stories shared with participants at the event.
Ignite Africa Leadership Foundation and its partners
invest significant resources into reviving reading
culture in Nigeria after witnessing the negative trend of
the high failure rate recorded in senior secondary
certificates examination in recent years.
SOURCE: VANGUARD
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