What would have become a fanfare on Wednesday turned solemn as former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka and Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi turned the Port Harcourt World Book Capital celebrations to address the country’s worrisome security challenges.
Gen. Abubakar, who was chairman of the occasion, reiterated the call for peace and co-existence and among Nigerians.
“ Without peace, there will be no security to read books, without peace, there won’t be any opportunity for political and economic advancement. Therefore, it is the collective responsibility of all Nigerians to fight this scourge called terrorism to an end,” he said.
He added, “ We need to work together to ensure peace in the country. All Nigerians must put hands on deck to maintain peace in this country.’’
On his part, Prof. Soyinka challenged Nigerians to rise up against terrorism, noting that the members of Boko Haram sect were in the people’s mindsets.
“They are not Muslims, for the Koran does not preach killing of innocent children. We must rise up to condemn the Nyanya bomb blast and abduction of our daughters. We cannot fold our hands to watch our innocent daughters become sex slaves to hoodlums and terrorists”.
The Nobel laureate enjoined Nigerians to stand up and face the horror that confronts them, pointing out that the country’s leaders must also rise to the challenge by emulating Algeria, adding that  “bring back the pupils must replace bring back the book’’.
He criticised President Jonathan for embarking on a political campaign two days after the Nyanya blast at Abuja, reasoning that such attitude was a display of levity and concern for lives of Nigerians.
For Governor Amaechi, the solution to the menace of Boko Haram is in agriculture and education,” one thing that will change the Boko Haram people who are paid to shoot is to give them a different mindset…turn their vast land into farms which will give them economic mindset and also push the Boko Haram people far off,’’ Amaechi said.
Against this backdrop, he promised to admit any of the rescued girls from the Boko Haram into any of the new model secondary schools, noting that the state government had commenced a free education policy as part of measures to tackle the militancy in the state.
He attributed the hosting of the World Book Capital to the success recorded in the literary festivals organised by the state government in the past six years, and commended the Rainbow Book Club for their hard work and initiative.
He thanked all dignitaries, especially Gen Abdulsalami for honouring the invitation, while disclosing that already, plans have begun to build 23 libraries and a writers’ village as part of activities to promote reading and book culture in the state.
Former Minister of Education and World Bank deputy chief for Africa, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, who spoke onbehalf of Rainbow Book Club, used the occasion to call for replacement of oil economy with intellectual capital.
The highpoint of the occasion was the official handover of a scroll book from Banghok to Port Harcourt by the Deputy Governor of the Asian city to Governor Amaechi.