Emir laments dying reading culture, literature studies

The Emir of Suleja, Malam Muhammad Ibrahim has lamented the dearth of traditional libraries where educational materials meant for the advancement of our youths could be accessed.

He said modern libraries, better known as E-libraries, have discouraged the learning culture amongst youths, who now spend a better part of their time browsing the internet and engaging in social media chats.

The emir stated this at the 11th edition of the International Conference on Northern Nigeria Literature, holding at the headquarters of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in Abuja.

The two-day conference, with the theme, “Literature and contemporary developments in Northern Nigeria”, attracted participants from across the country and are expected to discuss literary exploits and trends in the region.

The Emir, while underscoring the E- library modernity, recalled that in the 1950s, they used to learn a lot from literature including the history and culture of societies, where they drew inspiration.

He urged the participants to discuss ways of improving the reading culture of Nigerian youths if the country must replicate literary giants like Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, and Zaynab Alkali among others.

The vice chancellor of NOUN, Prof Abdalla Uba Adamu, explained that the conference was designed to draw attention to the rich literary heritage of the region, regardless of religion.

The event, he added, was also organised to “establish a focal interest in the development of indigenous scholarship in the region in all spheres of knowledge.”

On his part, the keynote speaker, Prof Graham Furniss of the University of London, took time to explain the “reflections on diversity and the task of literary and cultural study.”