How much of a reading problem do we have in Nigeria today?

On the surface, it is not all too visible but in the course of interacting with people in the field, it is coming out quite well that there is indeed a very grave problem.

Another thing to note about the crisis of reading in Nigeria is that it is indeed diverse in its manifestation.

I will explain by reporting two meetings that I had in the first three weeks of the year 2012.

The first was with the Proprietress of Utol Schools, Arepo, Ogun State, Mrs. Oladeji and the other was with Dr. Supo Jegede of the Faculty of Education, University of Lagos.


For Oladeji, a lot of the reading difficulty she sees has to do with the fact that many schools and parents do not pay attention to the fact that reading and literacy by extension were creative activities that need to be addressed most creatively, particularly at the infant stage. 

She harps on the need for parents to find time to read to their children, buy additional reading materials for them, maintain home libraries and generally be involved in homework and curriculum support and tracking.


For schools, she counsels they should not just get children to learn alphabets and words but to ensure that the whole educational process builds on the natural inclinations of the children to music, symbolism and play. This she says will take away a lot of the tedium from the reading process and get the children to enjoy reading as a natural and delight-some experience. Equally she wants them to develop their own libraries, continue to stock it, and very importantly, get the children to use it and enjoy using it.

I will continue with Dr. Jegede's submissions in another post.

Meanwhile, in continuation of our arrangements for the Nigerian National Reading Week 2012 holding from April 23-29, we are calling on everyone out there who is already a reader and would want to be involved with helping to get others to read, continue to read and enjoy reading to stand up to be counted. 

In line with our desire to carry all along, we are actively encouraging such individuals and organisations to bring in their own inputs and programmes into the common pool for the Reading Week. 

A number of writers, libraries, reading promoters, publishers and booksellers are already signing up for our events, designing their own programmes and are in talks with us and you are welcome to join in too. We have such a reading crisis in the country that everyone that can should simply do his bit. 

And as you do this, please pass on all confirmed organisational details to us in time so we can also help publicize it for other people to attend your own session. 

A step-by-step and cost-effective guide to organising such an event will be published on these pages shortly.