Educationist Decries Poor Reading Habit

A renowned educationist and entrepreneur, Mr. Charles Egwuba, has decried the low appetite for reading by Nigerians, particularly youths, saying the worrisome growing trend posed serious threat to the educational advancement of the country. Mr.Egwuba who made his feelings known while reviewing a book entitled “Communication and African Integration, the Foundation for a United Africa”, during its presentation at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), lamented that a situation where young people preferred watching movies without meaningful messages and European football to reading, was also dangerous to the nation’s technological growth. While praising the provision of world class stadia in parts of the country, Mr. Egwuba called on government to replicate such in the establishment of research institutes and engineering departments in tertiary institutions with adequate budgetary provisions. According to him, Nigerians would benefit ten folds when most goods, electronics or even cars are manufactured locally, adding that “when this is achieved, poverty will go, jobs created and our foreign earnings would go up and thereby stabilize the economy.” He said that the book, “Communication and African Integration, The Foundation for a United Africa”, written by a veteran communicator, Mr. Desmond Tobechi Orjiako, of the African Union, Nairobi Kenya, was a wonderful work which provided the reader the unique African culture and background which are missing in books written by foreign authors. The writer, he further reasoned, seems to tow the line of agenda- setting theorists and went further to suggest the implications for African integration. According to him, “His wealth of experience working with the former Organization of African Unity [OAU], now Africa Union [AU], has broadened his horizon on issues central to Africa and the role of communication in achieving Africa’s integration agenda, pointing out that the book is a good companion and a great relief to both students of communication, lecturers and researchers. The book reviewer further remarked that Desmond Orjiako’s communication and Africa integration and efficacy work was based on research carried out at the African Union Commission and borders on the media’s ability to inform, entertain, and influence general perception and orientation in all spheres of human endeavor. Continuing Mr. Egwuba further said: “the historical overview reads like an abridged narrative of Africa, going back to the initiation of the pan – Africanist movement, the transformation of the OAU to AU and the attendant issues which remind us that the vision of the Africa Union is integration, so much so that former south African president, Nelson Mandela, referred to the birth of the AU as the start of a more coordinated effort by African people to realize their dreams of achieving economic, political and social integration.”