Publisher decries poor reading culture, seek establishment of more libraries

Chief Executive Officer of Quramo Publishing Limited, Mrs. Gbemi Shasore, with some participants at the Young Readers Literary Morning, which took place in Lagos State… recently

Worried by the poor reading culture among Nigerians students, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Quramo Publishing Limited, Mrs. Gbemi Shasore, has urged governments at all levels to take steps to reverse the trend in the country including the establishment of new libraries.

Speaking at the Young Readers Literary Morning in Lagos State recently, Shasore expressed serious concerns over the dwindling reading culture in the country adding that, “e- reading has come, but books should never be extinct. There is nothing like carrying a book. Even though you get the same information, you don’t stand the risk of the battery going off and you not being able to finish reading your book. Reading is to dwindling but we have to raise the campaign.”

She continued, “Government should also ensure that we have libraries in every institution and towns, and provide a comfortable atmosphere for learning to take place. It is important to have mobile libraries go into the rural areas. It is also not enough to just surf the web, we have to read.”

The publishing house executive, who informed of an ongoing campaign called, “Read More, Write More,” said with the campaign, “we always want to capture the writer in everybody.

We also encourage the younger generations to read more so that they can be valuable citizens to our nation.”

She explained that The Young Readers Literary Morning, was part of a “broader initiative to foster reading culture, and realise the extended benefits of improved literacy among children. This effort has the long-term objective of being part of the push to raise the 61 per cent literacy level of Nigerian adults by targeting children in primary and secondary schools.