At exactly 2 pm on Monday, Nigerian marathoner reader, Mr. John Obot reached his 145-hour target for the longest marathon reading aloud by an individual.
If the time is confirmed by the Guinness Book of Records, Obot would have broken the record set last September by Rysbai Isakov in Bursa, Turkey last September.
Obot performed the feat while reading Echoes of the Traditional Society, authored by former Managing Editor of Daily Independent newspapers, Mr. Akpandem James.
The book talks about the unique traditions and culture of the then Eastern Region of Nigeria.
A professional teacher from Akwa Ibom State, Obot has been reading aloud from several books, mainly Nigerian literature, in a small hall in a hotel in Uyo since 9th September.
The audience in the hall stood up, cheered and clapped for him as soon as the timing device conspicuously displayed in the front of the hall indicated he had successfully clocked 145 hours.
Obot paused the reading, and rushed down excitedly, stared at the timing device, threw both hands into the air and screamed, “We did it! We did it! Yes, we did it”!
“Glory! Glory! Glory”! the audience shouted and clapped.
Some dignitaries, including the Secretary to the Akwa Ibom State Government, Enobong Uwah, and the Senator representing Akwa Ibom South District, Ekong Sampson, quickly walked to the front for a group photograph with the marathoner reader.
They were led by the founder of the Uyo Book Club, Udeme Nana, who is also Chief Programme Director for the reading exercise.
Obot hugged Nana and Sampson and thanked them for their support.
“We are not ending now, we are continuing. We are ending by 10 pm tonight”, Obot said, as the audience kept clapping to him.
Among a variety of books – mostly Nigerian literature – which Obot is reading The Letterman: Inside the ‘Secret’ Letters of former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, authored by PREMIUM TIMES’ Editor-in-Chief, Musikilu Mojeed.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe; Civil War Child by Nestor Udoh; Ibibio Nation: History and Culture by Oto-Obong Uwah; Eze Goes to School by Michael Crowder and Onuora Nzekwu; The Crumb Eaters by Martin Akpan, and Animal Farm by George Orwell are among the books Obot had read aloud so far.
Credit: PREMIUM TIMES
