By Ngozi Nwankwo
The Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat, has advised school children to embrace the culture of reading to succeed.
Hazmat gave the advice on Saturday at a book reading programme for secondary school pupils in Lagos State, organised by TotalEnergies.
The event, held at the company’s office in Lagos, attracted pupils from more than ten secondary schools in the state.
According to TotalEnergies, the event was organised to promote a reading culture among the younger generation.
Hamzat, who was represented by the Lagos State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Tolani Alli-Balogun, expressed concerns that children nowadays are no longer interested in reading as they are distracted by social media.
According to him, many are no longer concerned about learning new things through the habit of reading.
“The key point to success is about reading, learning, and discovering. When you read, you learn, and through the course of learning, you discover many new things. In the process, you’re investing in yourself for the present and the future,” he stated.
Hamzat regretted that there is no longer much stimulation and encouragement for reading.
While commending TotalEnergies for inculcating the attitude of reading and writing in the younger generation, the Deputy Governor opined that more still needs to be done.
He charged the pupils to create an interest in reading, saying it must come naturally.
“When you read, you develop that logical ability to juxtapose negative from positive. When you read, you can at least analyse many things. In comprehension, you can process it and be able to provide answers.
“That is the power of reading every day. It also sharpens your reasoning ability to respond promptly. Over time, through reading, you gather so much information that in a real-life situation, you will be able to respond and give whatever answer you want to give. Practicality is about doing the right thing at the right time. Reading culture is where we champion values and respect and encourage ourselves so that we gain a lot of benefits,” he said.
Hamzat urged the pupils to return to their various schools and start reading, promising that the government would donate books to schools that need them.
“After today, I want you to go back to your favourite schools and get yourself involved. How do we revive the reading culture? Through your book reading clubs. And I’ll give you my number if you want us to donate books to you. It may not be on the largest scale, but we’ll make it happen because that’s the only avenue we can prepare you for the future. Most importantly, you will be learning soft skills and gradually building yourself from the present into the future,” he said.
Earlier, the Deputy Managing Director of Deep Water Assets, TotalEnergies EP Nigeria, Victor Bandele, said the book reading event is something the company holds dear to its heart because it promotes the culture of reading among students in Nigeria.
“Reading is one of the most essential habits we need to develop in life, for information, direction, and character development,” Bandele said.
He added that children are in a privileged age with the availability of electronic books.
“You are in a privileged age where you no longer have to sit in a library and turn the pages of a physical book. Now you have e-books; you can read conveniently on your mobile phones, tablets, and computers. We even have technological devices that have been developed and devoted to the art of reading.
“Interestingly, we know almost everything we do today because of books. History lessons, scientific developments, and survival stories of past civilisations were all passed down in books. Arts, recipes, medication, agricultural practices, exploration techniques, and so many other things are documented in books. Philosophers, lawyers, journalists, politicians, scientists, engineers, geologists, leaders, etc., can all attest to the role of books in their successes.
“As students, many of you will grow to be leaders, and leaders need a lot of information to stay relevant.
“I encourage you to join book clubs and attend book launches and reading events. If possible, write your own books, and I am sure you will discover many amazing things. At the end of today’s event, I expect you students to commit to a life of reading. I also expect that you will leave here with a clearer idea of the career path you want to pursue,” Bandele said.
At the event, the students reviewed a book, Give Us Each Day, by Samuel Monye.