Ajayi enjoins Nigerian students to inculcate reading culture

The Vice Chancellor of Crawford University, Igbesa, Ogun State, Professor Isaac Rotimi Ajayi, has appealed to pupils, students and adults regardless of their callings to imbibe reading culture.

The call was made at this year’s celebration of World Book Day, which was organised by the institution’s librarians, purposely to celebrate accomplished authors and their works, the book, enjoyment it offers, prospects and reading culture.

While saying, “our lives have been shaped by the types of books we read,” Ajayi stressed the importance of “active reading or a life dedicated to reading to include acquisition of knowledge, better understanding of events, people and places; building of self-confidence and inter-personal skills; enhancement of professional and academic capacity.”

In the same vein, the acting Librarian of Crawford, Elizabeth Bukunola Lateef (Chartered), nostalgically enumerated the books her age groups read in their days were popular authors’ series like, Enid Blyton, Pacesetters and African authors.

In her words, “nowadays students know more about celebrities than they know popular novels and their authors.” Consequently, she advised pupils, students and teachers in attendance, as well as the general public, “to develop, encourage and promote reading habits, by making proper use of resources in schools libraries and various places.”

Lateef went further to say that the dream to become lawyers, doctors, architects, accountants, pilots, editors and others by students could only be attained through books and reading. Highlights of the event include, recitation of authors and their works by Crawford University Nursery and Primary School pupils, which excited the audience, inter school debating competition between Saso College and Vital Link College with the topic, ‘The social media is more important to students’ academic performance than books.’ Saso College won the contest. To crown the event, talks in support of books and readers were given by Professor Alaba Simpson and Professor James Oludotun. The occasion came to a close with awards of prizes and certificates to the participating schools.