‘World Book Capital’ll Boost Tourism In Rivers’ …RSG To Build Eight Libraries In PH

The Executive Director of Rainbow Book Cub, Mrs Koko Kalango says the emergency of Port Harcourt as UNESCO World Book Capital will boost tourism in the state.
Kalango, who said this at a press briefing in Port Harcourt, said that the event will attract visitors from across the world.
She said that the programme, which will commence on April 22, 2014, will run for one year, stressing that to ensure the success of the programme, the organization has set up 200 book clubs and trained 300 teachers.
Kalango also said that the committee was working with unity colleges as well as set  up libraries in all orphanages across the city, while efforts are on to set up libraries in the prisons.
She said that the event will mark the beginning of a rewarding revolution in the state as children and pupils will be kept busy during the period through a well-packaged reading programme.
Kalango said that to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of the programme, the team will implement baseline survey at the take off of the programme, and conduct measurements for the duration as well as evaluate the impact.
According to her, the year-long activities of the Port Harcourt World Book Capital are designed to enlist the participation of stakeholders in the book industry and the general public with the overall impact being an improvement in literacy rate and the reading habit of the people in Port Harcourt, with a rippling effect on the Niger Delta, Nigeria and indeed, Sub-Sahara Africa.
Kalango said that prominent citizens and role models will be invited to read to students periodically and at different locations in the course of the year.
About 500 participants comprising students and guests in Port Harcourt are expected to participate in the reading events.
Primary school students from 50 schools will participate in the Reading Tree (RT), which is graded on a weekly basis, she said.
Meanwhile, as part of preparation to mark the forthcoming 2014 World Book Capital event, the Rivers State Government has concluded plans for the building of eight more libraries in Port Harcourt.
The libraries are to be sited at Rumuomasi, Mgbuoba, Borokiri, Woji, Diobu, Trans-Amadi, Elelenwo and Rumuokrushi, all in the Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor local government areas of the state.
Speaking to The Tide in his office in Port Harcourt, yesterday, the acting Director, Rivers State Library Board, Elder Lucky Welekwe said the state government had already acquired lands for the projects, adding that several other plans were in place for the commencement of the building.
Welekwe maintained that the effort was an extension of the government’s declaration of a state of emergency on the education sector in the state and reawaken the reading habit of its people.
While noting that people from all walks of life in the city had been zealous to read, Welekwe said, however, that such zealousness had been hampered by the congestion of the two libraries in the city of Port Harcourt, and lauded the state government for the initiative.
According to him, “education and library go side-by-side. There cannot be any meaningful education without a standard, well-equipped library, and the state government is rising to this challenge for the readership of its people”.
The Rivers State Library Board boss also expressed delight that Port Harcourt, in recognition of its giant strides in the development of education, had been chosen as the World Book Capital by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

L-R: Vice Chairman, National Conference, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, Chairman, Retired Justice Idris Kutigi and Secretary, Dr Valerie Azinge, at the conference in Abuja, yesterday

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