It is no gainsaying that our reading culture is at a low ebb. There has been a major shift from traditional reading to digital platforms, where virtually any book can be accessed at our fingertips.
While this technological advancement offers convenience, it has also contributed to a steady decline in deep and sustained reading.
The decaying reading culture has taken a heavy toll on our society, with the education sector now struggling to breathe.
Reading culture on a decline
Digital growth has increasingly diverted our attention to more trivial pursuits such as cartoons, movies, pranks, short videos, live event streams, and endless social media content.
While these forms of entertainment have their place, excessive consumption has become a bane to personal development, critical thinking, academic excellence, and national progress.
It bears repeating that Nigeria is among the countries with the highest number of out-of-school and illiterate people, a concern consistently highlighted by international organisations, including UNESCO.
Low reading rates impede educational advancement, innovation, and international competitiveness. We must retrace our steps to an era when books were engaging, intellectually stimulating, and worthy of our undivided attention.
Beyond enhancing vocabulary and emotional intelligence, reading preserves our cultural heritage. It documents our national values, traditions, and collective history while exposing us to fresh ideas and broadening our horizons beyond our immediate environment.
To revive reading, access to quality books and other reading materials must be improved through comprehensive reforms in the education sector.
Reading periods should be formally incorporated into school timetables, while governments at all levels should establish and adequately equip public libraries with relevant and up-to-date collections.
There was a time when young people eagerly read children’s storybooks, the James Hadley Chase series, and numerous novels that enriched their vocabulary and sharpened their comprehension. Sadly, many bookshops, today, are merely struggling to survive.
In the late 1970s, the Pacesetters Series was introduced for young African readers. Published by Macmillan, the series provided affordable and accessible literature written by African authors and served as a reading guide across Nigeria and several African countries.
The Pacesetters featured about 130 titles by celebrated writers such as Kalu Okpi, Victor Thorpe, Mohammed Sule, Buchi Emecheta, Helen Ovbiagele, Dickson Ighavini, and Valentine Alily. Classics such as Evbu My Love, The Delinquent, Bloodbath at Lobster Close, Coup!, Cross-Fire, and Mark of the Cobra, among several others in the series, inspired a generation of enthusiastic readers.
On a lighter note, it is often said that if you want to hide something from a Nigerian, put it inside a book. Though humorous, the saying underscores a troubling reality: many people no longer read.
As the saying goes, a reader today is a leader tomorrow. Reading equips future leaders with reflective thinking, sound judgment, creativity, and a deeper understanding of society.
Unfortunately, the scarcity of quality reading materials and the declining interest in books have discouraged many people from cultivating this vital habit.
It is therefore time for governments, schools, publishers, parents, civil society organisations, and the private sector to collaborate in rebuilding a vibrant reading culture.
Reading clubs should be encouraged in every school, literary festivals should be supported, and contemporary authors should be celebrated to inspire younger generations.
Regrettably, many young people now prefer learning from screens, rather than building personal libraries filled with books and magazines.
Smartphones, tablets, televisions, YouTube, TikTok, and other digital platforms have become their primary sources of information and entertainment. While technology offers numerous educational opportunities, it should complement—not replace—the habit of reading books.
Parents also bear a significant responsibility. Many introduce smartphones and tablets to their children at very early ages, unintentionally encouraging dependence on games, videos, and cartoons, rather than books.
Consequently, many children now instinctively turn to Google or Artificial Intelligence to complete homework and conduct research, instead of developing independent reading and analytical skills.
To revive a healthy reading culture, every stakeholder has a role to play. Parents must cultivate reading habits at home; schools should prioritise literacy development; governments should invest in libraries and literacy campaigns; while the private sector should support book publishing, reading competitions, and educational initiatives.
As our society becomes increasingly digital, we must deliberately integrate technology with reading, rather than allowing technology to replace it.
Former United States President Ronald Reagan aptly observed that, “Education begins in the home.” Parents remain a child’s first teachers. In earlier generations, bedtime stories were cherished family traditions that stimulated children’s imagination and nurtured a lifelong love for books.
Today, however, many parents are understandably preoccupied with the economic realities of making ends meet, leaving little time for such invaluable interactions.
Governments should therefore intensify public enlightenment campaigns on the importance of reading while constructing more functional community libraries that are accessible to young people. Such investments will strengthen literacy, promote lifelong learning, and contribute to national development.
Perhaps, one of the saddest reflections of our misplaced priorities is that many hotels boast luxurious bars, swimming pools, and entertainment facilities, yet very few have even a modest library or reading corner. That speaks volumes about the value society currently places on reading.
If Nigeria is to produce innovative thinkers, responsible citizens, and transformational leaders, we must restore the culture of reading. A nation that reads is a nation that thinks, and a nation that thinks is a nation destined for sustainable development.
A nation that abandons books gradually abandons critical thinking. If we desire a knowledgeable, innovative, and prosperous Nigeria, we must once again make reading a way of life.
For every page we read today is an investment in the leaders, innovators, and responsible citizens of tomorrow. Therefore, one should read to provide a lead.
