NBRP Urges Nigerians To Support Intellectual Culture

The government, Nigerians, and stakeholders successful the publication manufacture person been urged to put successful the nation‘s intelligence culture.

The telephone was made by Dr Dominic Omenaghawon Omokaro, the keynote talker of the Network of Book Clubs and Reading Culture Promoters successful Nigeria (NBRP), astatine the network’s 2025 Conference connected Reading and Annual General Meeting (AGM), which was precocious held successful Abuja.

According to Omokaro, investing successful Nigeria‘s intelligence civilization is 1 mode to code the debased level of speechmaking civilization and harness the unifying benefits of speechmaking successful Nigerian society.

“Reading unifies america successful galore ways; it helps physique our nationalist individuality by signaling and preserving our shared practice and history. Reading opens the doors to dialogues – helping america recognize that though tribes and tongues whitethorn differ, we are each 1 humanity.”

However, the ex-Chairman of the Council of the Nigerian Library Association (NLA) bemoaned the nation‘s inability to reap the benefits of reading, owing to the lack of cardinal speechmaking foundations and structures. These see an inadequate oregon zero beingness of libraries successful schools and communities, the precocious outgo of books and constricted entree to divers speechmaking sources oregon materials, and insufficient availability of books that item our diverseness and similarities.

On the mode forward, Omokaro recommended strengthening speechmaking and publication clubs successful schools and communities, peculiarly successful the hinterland areas, revitalising the libraries successful each schoolhouse and assemblage by collaborating with nationalist and backstage institutions, and promoting indigenous literature.

In the meantime, the web awarded 2 individuals, the CEO of the National Library of Nigeria (NLN), Professor Chinwe V. Anunobi, and Awele Ilusanmi, President of Literary Authors Cooperative Multipurpose Society of Nigeria, with the Champions of Reading Award 2025.

Anunobi was awarded the prize for successfully digitising the National Library resources and services and promoting speechmaking amongst young Nigerians and successful hinterland areas with her eight-point docket strategy since her presumption of bureau successful 2021. This year, the National Library has been a large NBRP Abuja Book City Programme partner. Ilusanmi, connected the different hand, was awarded for her invaluable enactment and contributions to the Nigerian literate landscape.

Speaking astatine the event, Anunobi commended NBRP‘s resilient tone successful championing the promotion of a speechmaking civilization successful Nigeria contempt each odds.

“I convey the NBRP for not being discouraged adjacent erstwhile they person each close to be, peculiarly erstwhile publishers, authors, and speechmaking civilization critics neglect to respond to calls for support.

“I congratulate myself, too. If 10 per cent of Nigerians enactment with me, I volition beryllium the happiest due to the fact that it would bring astir alteration and unify our country.”

Besides the Poetry Reading Competition held astatine the event, participants- some student, teachers and publication stakeholders were besides privy to sheet discussions featuring publication publishers and publication store owners which explored the powerfulness of bookstores arsenic an interphase betwixt readers and publishers, and the cardinal strategies to processing a speechmaking assemblage for authors, and making books disposable astatine affordable prices to the Nigerian public.

Themed ‘Reading A Unifying Factor,’ the league and AGM are yearly events of the NBRP and signifier portion of its Book City project, of which Abuja is the publication metropolis for the twelvemonth 2025.