Parents, teachers, students and academic stakeholders have been charged to see reading as a tool for national development, while adding that dirge of good books, enabling environment and standard facilities to encourage reading culture have relegated the essence and effective reading culture to the background.
This charge was made recently by Oloye Lekan Alabi, the Ekefa Olubadan at the launching and public presentation of Sixthsense Reading Culture Magazine held at Iwe Iroyin Multipurpose Hall in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
While delivering his lecture titled, “Reading Culture: A tool for National Development”, Oloye Lekan Alabi noted that technology, e-books, e-mails, internet (google) have overtaken the good art of reading / writing in standard languages as it has created a circle of lazy writers, readers and the likes”.
“We cannot afford to sit idly by, and watch as all sorts of foreign social, cultural garbages go into our national ‘cooking pot’, enough of this creativity drought”.
In his opening speech at the formal launch and public presentation of the Sixth Sense Reading Culture Magazine, the Author and Publisher of SixthSense Initiative, Mr. Abiodun Lasile stated that the unveiling of “The tSSi Perspective was another milestone towards encouraging the act of reading and encouraged everyone to be part of the campaign to ensure that reading culture is maintained and sustained in the society.
He said, “Today, it’s a dream come true about the birth of “Sixthsense” which has given rise to huge awareness on everything we have touched”.
“At the present, our numerous concepts and programmes are towards one goal in an aspect of our advocacy which is “make our children read again, today”.
“This unveiling is premised by history and timing similarities together when uniqueness and innovation are combined like the event we are in its history”.
“Again, Abeokuta is making another history under the reign of HRM Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, CFR with the public presentation of “The Sixth Sense Reading Culture Magazine”.
“Once upon a time was Iwe Iroyin, established in 1859 under the administration of Henry Townsend (1815 to 1866). The newspaper was for the Egba people and Yorubaland by its name ‘Iwe Iroyin fun awon ara Egba ati Yoruba’ which served about eight years as veritable medium which birthed many newspapers”.
“The Sixthsense Initiative is saying reading can improve our national prosperity and increase human resources without spying into notes of Great Lecturer”.
Reading, I say, “It’s a total responsibility by all and it starts with the family to our governments, he concluded.
On her part, the representative of Ogun State First Lady, Mrs Bamidele Abiodun in person of Mrs. Oluomo, Wife of the Honourable Speaker encouraged parents to embrace the essence of books buying, proper monitoring and access of children to books to boost children’s reading culture.
She applauded the initiator of the programme, while enjoying education administrators, teachers, stakeholders, parents of their responsibilities to further ensure rapt reading culture.
She added that effective synergy between the conventional reading method, new technology and innovation should be maintained to help the sustainability of reading culture as a tool for national development.
