By Paul Effiong, Abuja
A group known as the Nigerian Library Association, NLA, has called on the Federal Government to fashion out ways of resuscitating and upgrading Libraries across the country.
President and Chairman of the Council, Dr. Dominic Omokaro made this known at a press conference in Abuja, yesterday.
The group further lamented current state of library across the country adding that such man made condition could spell doom for the upcoming generations.
He also listed several benefits of reading books in hard copies rather than becoming mentally lazy by following social media platforms.
According to the group, when students read hard copies of books, they could mark it, or fold it and keep it for easy retrieval and references purposes maintaining that such practices could enhance their learning skill and capacity with no health risks attached even as argued that students who read books through other means such as computers, phones platform are seriously jeopardising their health due to radiation emitted through those electronics devices.
Omokaro, while speaking also urged media practitioners in the country to join his association to propagate the doctrine of book reading among Nigerians specially the those who are students.
He, however maintained that the ugly trend of students reading book on social media through their phones and computers are very dangerous to the development of the nation, as there is no way Nigeria as a country will develop without a thorough reading culture among her citizens.
He also urged federal government to restore good old days habit of reading by updating books that could teach students good moral lesson and virtues.
He also blamed high moral break down in Nigeria on lack of good reading habit submitting that readers are leaders.
Nigerians jettisoning the reading culture had contributed to the nation’s low level of development.
He also described as very unfortunate that the level of reading among Nigerians irrespective of age, has drastically dropped leading to all forms of social breakdown like yahoo, yahoo, killing for ritual purposes as well as scheming to get rich quick syndromes.
He maintained that the advent of the social media and cable television network has been substituted by Nigerians noting that many Nigerians are busy thinking of what they will do to get quick money.
