The Art Of Reading Is Not Dead

“If you want to hide something from a black man, put it in a book and he will never find it” is a very popular saying, but how true is it?

According to Globaldate.com, 77.62% of Nigerians are literate. While this percentage cannot be compared to countries that have a 100% literacy rate, it would be wrong to assume that Nigerians are bibliophiles or illiterates.

Unfortunately, this misconception has eaten deep into the fabric of the Nigerian educational and recreational fabric. Educators now treat students like a bunch of truants who would rather party than go to school and in response, students no longer count reading as a recreational activity. The limitation of this mindset is seen in our lack of confidence when pursuing global and ground-breaking opportunities. The average Nigerian thinks that he/she is not learned enough to compete on a global platform. Let’s not forget that the current educational standard and system are not indigenous. It was borrowed but even on a borrowed platform, it is still upsetting to misrepresent a people.

In the midst of all this, people are still pursuing education acquiring information and conforming to literature. We actually want to be as learned and informed as possible without any stigma or sneer from foreign society. Nigeria has different adult education centers across the 36 states. More kids are added to schools daily and there is a rise in the demand for educational gadgets and materials. It is no longer a wonder to see a child of 5 years or less, reading. Books, magazines and literary materials are churned out of publishing houses faster than people can even buy them. In fact, the publishing industry is booming in Nigeria.

Books always have and will always be our greatest treasures, and most successful people in our society are a product of the books they read. Our society isn’t made up of people who are totally uninterested in books. We love reading, and that’s why different reading materials are produced on a daily basis. The greatest proof of this is social media. A lot of people spend their time on social media reading posts, blogs and novels so much that they lose track of time. You reading this post right now is proof that the act of reading is far from being lost in our society

The art of reading is not dead. You are living proof. So there is no limitation for us globally. Education and information are lifetime events. The secret to success lies in knowledge. The world is an ever-changing globe catalyzed by new information and fresh knowledge. This information is always documented via different platforms and mediums.

So why does it seem like the act of reading is dead? Why does it seem like nobody is reading again? Have our writers given up or are they conforming to the status quo hence duplicating information to the point that there is nothing new in the system to write about? Let us know your view on this matter in the comment section.