By Giwa SHILE
Librarian, Mrs Toyin Omotayo has called for the establishment of a functional public library in each of the local governments in the country to improve poor reading culture and literacy among Nigerians.
A Director of Library Services, Pyramid Educational Advancement (PEA) Foundation, an NGO and a certified counsellor, Omotayo also a made the call on Friday in Lagos.
“The public library in every community is an answer to improve poor reading culture and literacy. It is a school without walls where people go to read on their own and acquire knowledge. Abraham Lincoln did not go to school but he read, himself, to where he attained,’’ she said.
According to her, an average library should at least have librarians, counsellors and teachers on ground to help people with their various needs.
She said once this was achieved, government would be able to produce more literate citizens, adding that this would in-turn guarantee a peaceful nation.
“The more literatepeople you have in a society, the less violence because education gives people hope. When they have hope, they behave within the confines of the law but when they don’t, they restrain and do anything odd.
“It is until you work among the masses before you know what they are going through, their situation is really pathetic.”
Omotayo urged individuals, corporate organisations andNGOs to collaborate with the government toward enlightening more Nigerians and giving them hope.
According to her, government alone cannot do everything, hence her PEA, an NGO,has been partnering with some sponsors to create an avenue to help the grassroots.
“PEA Foundation has since 2009 set up reading clubs in some public libraries in the suburbs of Lagos State for teenagers and has been organising brain challenge competition, yearly, to encourage reading culture.
“We usually give the 24 finalists, gifts, cash prizes and some of them might be given scholarship, depending on the sponsors we have at that time. Some others would be taken for educational excursion and visit to tourist sites.”
The librarian urged parents and well and other Nigerians to stop seeing increased number of out-of-school pupils, illiteracy and poor reading culture as challenges but a motivation to contribute to ensure positive change.
According to her, the victory over the menace bedevilling the education sector in the country can only be attained through a collective fight.
