The Fast-eroding Reading Culture

By Ken Adejumoh

Back in the days of our fathers, reading was part and parcel of the learned such that those who were not learned strove towards the college order to get acquainted with. Reading then was bedrock to greatness in every single individual regardless of age and gender.

It is alarming how this practice, which used to be wide spread among Nigerian students, youths and even adults, is fast eroding in our society at a jet speed.

It is a known fact that reading stimulates imagination, encourages quick learning, curiosity and expands horizons. It also enhances acquisition of skills for handling complex ideas or issues. Every piece of write-up is the manifestation of experience garnered by a writer over time.

The sharp fall in our reading culture is attributed to a number of factors in our society.

Poverty is a great challenge to the poor reading culture in Nigeria. In a country of about 70% of the population living under $1 per day, it automatically means that a larger proportion of the population cannot afford the basic educational foundation that will enable them read and write. Also, these categories of people are more interested in what to eat than seeking after materials to read and get knowledge.

A good learning environment calls for quiet study centre. Most of our schools are associated with noisy environment and full of distractions that are impediments to the smooth flow of learning and reading to understand.

Illiteracy is yet another bane to a successful reading culture.  The high rate of this syndrome has contributed greatly to the poor reading culture of Nigerians.

The pursuit for fortune has made Nigerian youths to attach undue importance to fame and wealth. The path to greatness no longer lies in acquiring knowledge from reading materials rather; they prefer to venture into the lucrative entertainment industry that does not require a test of your intelligence quotient.

The society is not helping matter in this regard as people now celebrate mediocrity at the expense of intellectualism. This is manifest in our rush for material things. Some people abandon their educational careers for pursuit of money. Many have abandoned their educational career in the quest for ‘quick money’, which they believe can be gotten in business, entertainment and politic.

The advent of the new media has become a ‘devil’ that has diverted the attention of young ones and even adults from reading to acquire knowledge. People have devoted more time chatting, uploading photos and commenting on irrelevant things on the social media than seeking for materials that will enhance their personality.

The new media has shifted the interest of our students from reading. The periods that they would have used to read, they spend it on the internet. The effect of this is examination malpractices during examination periods and it propels some of them to register for examinations in miracle centres where malpractice is legalized.

If all these are not checked, the present and future generations in Nigeria are at risk of going straight from an oral to a digital culture, skipping the writing and reading culture in the process.

Reading culture needs to be restored back into our educational system and this can only be achieved when all hands are on deck. Schools should inculcate library periods into their timetable and also ensure that the timetable is followed accordingly.

Government should ensure that every school is equipped with a good library even from nursery school. Little children have picture books and if their interest in books could be captured at that stage, reading culture could easily be developed in them.

Government should also re-invent the readership campaign programme organized by the National libraries to sensitise both young and old on the gains of cultivating a healthy reading culture.

In the past, people read at leisure times by spending time in the libraries. The government should make libraries comfortable and conducive for reading thereby motivating people from all walks of life. They should reposition the libraries with internet facilities to enhance the reading culture.

Reading is the supreme light-giver that opens the eyes to the past and then gives an insight to the future.  Reading adds quality to life, provides access to culture and cultural heritage, empowers and emancipates citizens as well as bringing people together. We need to re-incorporate the reading culture in our people as the gains in reading cannot be over emphasized.