A scholar, Dr Sam Agbogun, has decried the dearth of reading culture among youths in the country in spite of its importance to the development of education and other facets of life.
Agbogun, a chartered accountant, made the observation in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.
According to him, books are meant to enhance awareness, as such the dwindling reading culture among Nigerians poses great danger to national development.
He recalled that some years back, most youths in the country grew up with so much love for literature and newspaper reading.
This, he said, had vanished due to lack of interest and advent of technology, especially the internet.
Agbogun, therefore, urged schools, parents and government to adopt practical measures to encourage reading culture.
He also said that teachers and parents should create time for reading, in order to imbibe the habit.
“ I call on parents to share reading books with their kids.
“Parents should encourage their children and wards to learn and draw functional timetable for them,’’ he advised.
According to him, an improvement in the people’s reading culture would enhance quality life, democracy, education, economy as well as foster development and reduce social vices.
“We want to use events such as book launch to encourage and revive the moribund reading culture among Nigerians by way of promoting the availability of good reading materials.
“Collectively with other stakeholders, we shall proffer solutions to identified obstacles to reading culture in Nigeria,” he said.
Prof. Okpeh Okpeh, President of Historical Society of Nigeria called for more priority in the teaching of History, to enlighten the youths on their various cultures.
He said that History teaches people about their roots while culture is a way of life of the people, as such Nigerians should maintain, preserve and promote their culture, to enable them trace their background.
According to him, this should start early in children’s life to enable them cope and embrace it, both as a hobby and habit.
He commended government for restoring History as a subject in primary and secondary schools.
“ At a point history subject was yanked off from schools’ curriculum, it was buried into another subject and not taught in-depth.
“Over three decades past, and Nigerian youths had to live without knowing their history, the Historical Society of Nigeria took the fight up and it was restored back as a subject of its own,’’ he said.(NAN)
