Oluchi Chibuzor
Education stakeholders at the official book launch of a book, ‘The Undergraduate’, have attributed the declining quality of education in the country to a lack of modern libraries and poor reading culture among citizens.
For them, the nation must return to the era of building public libraries while more families must adopt a deliberate position in teaching their wards to read books.
‘The Undergraduate’, a 23-chapter book forwarded by Aquila Njamah, follows the adventure of the fictional character Ifeanyi Uba as he navigates his way through the university.
It also draws heavily on the author’s experiences and presents the lighter and sometimes dark side of higher education in modern society.
For the author, Ifeanyi Uba, ‘The Undergraduate’ is not just a book that tells funny stories, it portrays the journey of an average youth in a Nigerian university.
“It is a journey to adulthood. It is a journey to maturity, and it is a journey of discovery of self as the book was based on many of my experiences,” Uba.
He regretted how successive governments have failed to invest heavily in education and youth development.
Drawing inference from the 273 pages book, former Special Adviser to the Governor of Enugu, Mr Anayo Agu, admonished parents to introduce and discipline their wards to read books at a tender age.
He maintained that until Nigeria revives its reading culture by building modern libraries across the country, it will not catch up with the rate of development globally.
“As we remove our bookshelves from living rooms and retire the books from our homes, things have not been the same again; and will not be the same again until we bring back books. The country cannot continue without having public libraries,” he said. “Our people are no longer reading books, and this remains a huge challenge for the educational sector.”
