Godknows Igali, a former Nigerian ambassador to Scandinavia, has bemoaned Nigerians’ low reading habits.
In his view, modernism was costing the nation ground and was losing this.
Speaking at a reading colloquium with the title “Appraising the Aesthetics of Reading Culture in Nigeria” on Wednesday in Abuja, Amb. Igali made this statement.
Igali was the previous ambassador of Nigeria to Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Norway, according to OBASANJO NEWS24.
He added that reading went beyond simply understanding concepts that were inscribed ink on paper and that reading was something that people had always done before technology.
“Reading has been a part of human culture since the dawn of time. Those who hold the opinion that reading only occurs when ideas are transferred to pen and paper are not supported by me.
“While reading has been a part of human culture for centuries, modern society has increasingly embraced it.
“Reading used to be something we valued highly, but with the rise of technology, reading is becoming obsolete.
While some other countries are also losing the tradition of reading, he claimed that most individuals in sub-Saharan Africa do not read as much as they should.
As a result, Igali counselled Nigerians to develop a reading habit, noting that doing so would advance society’s knowledge and history.
The book “GASP,” written by Mrs. Theresa Tobuyei, is a description of the terrible consequences of years of ethnic unrest in Warri, Delta.
An attorney from Bayelsa named Tobuyei claimed that the crisis claimed lives between 1997 and 2003, grabbing the attention of international peacekeeping and human rights organisations all over the world.
The goal of the book “GASP” was to highlight the crisis’s terrible effects and the enduringly horrific memories it left behind in the lives of both victims and witnesses.
I authored GASP in an effort to assess the detrimental effects of the violence in light of the ongoing active and passive conflicts that continue to plague the Nigerian state, Africa, and the rest of the world.
“This literary work focuses on the effects and psychological problems brought on by the wounds inflicted on people, particularly marginalised populations.
When there are crises, wars, or armed conflicts anywhere in the world, such groups—which include children, young people, and women—are particularly vulnerable.
“GASP is a piece of literature that exposed the harsh realities of how, even decades after the cessation of active violence, the victims still struggle to accept their now-tainted lives,” she said.
According to the author, GASP is a fictional account of some young girls who actually experienced the atrocities of the Warri crisis and each of whom lost a significant family member.
According to her, the tale as it appeared in the book accurately depicted how the girls’ separation due to external factors.
“The book also showed how each of the girls dealt with the scars that the crisis left behind as they negotiated their way through life.
The work “considered other societal vices, like electoral and domestic violence, bullying, sexual assault, and child abandonment, while displaying the struggles and triumphs of her characters,” she continued.
