The 23rd of April has come to be officially designated as United Nations’ World Book and Copyright Day. This year’s event falls on a Thursday and there are several events lined up across the world to celebrate the culture of the written word. From the month of March however, literary communities in Nations of the World begin the build-up by celebrating events in line with books, literature and the culture of reading to cultivate and deepen the mind. Authors, publishers, schools, libraries and reading clubs and other critical stakeholders often get actively involved, engaging with the targeted members of the public on the need to revive and deepen the waning reading culture. That the culture of reading has steadily been on the decline remains an underlying fault line that now defines contemporary Nigerian society. In the face of gruesome poverty, survival, sometimes through brute instincts and mindless pursuit of materialism have become key to defining a successful life. Slowly therefore but steadily, reading as a cultivated lifestyle is becoming old fashioned. It is also not surprising that the refinement in character and disposition that comes with a cultivated reading culture is becoming a rare feature in our communities where reading has given way far streaming and fast paced browsing for information. What currently obtains can be tagged the erosion of refinement, compromise of discipline and debasement of humanity. Reading not only cultivates the mind, it distills the soul.
It is in that light that one will need to commend the timely initiative of LightRay Media Books and Creative Society with its president and founder Lady Ejiro Umukoro towards the celebration of World Book Day Festival 2026. The highly significant event which held, Friday last week was in buy-in partnership with the Delta State Government, office of the Head of Service. Themed “That Which Bends, Rises”, the event also witnessed the public presentation of Lady Umukoro’s award winning literary works, DISTORTION and HADASSAH. The event was spiced with literary presentations and adoption of Book Clubs in various schools across Delta State. Remarkable presentations on the enduring values of a cultivated reading culture were made by the Functioning Permanent Secretary, Delta State Ministry of Information, Mrs Stella Macaulay, the Deputy Clerk, Delta State House of Assembly Smart Edoge and the Director, State Library Board, Mrs Irikefe Edirin.
The lead presentation however came from the President of LightRay! Media Books and Creative Society, Lady Ejiro Umukoro who made it clear that the event of Friday was a flag off of a year long chain of events to promote the culture of reading and telling the story of African experiences in any language of documentation that is open to mutual intelligibility as this must not be limited to the English Language.
Lady Ejiro Umukoro used the event to call on stakeholders to take some practical steps towards the revival of the waning reading culture. Some of such steps include building and maintenance of school and public libraries. The library culture, of a necessity promotes a healthy reading culture. Incidentally the library culture across States in Nigeria has witnessed a significant decline. Growing up years in defunct Bendel State with Prof Ambrose Ali as Governor remain remarkably significant as we had Mobile Libraries or library on wheels connecting communities and ensuring that those in such communities outside the State Capital and local government headquarters were served. The libraries were active with registered members who could be allowed to borrow books within a specified time frame. Today, libraries across the State obviously require infrastructure upgrade and training of the attendants in line with service codes of modern libraries across the country. Teachers in our schools owe it a duty to inculcate enduring reading culture into the students to replace the current culture of ‘Miracle Centers’ which emphasises success in examinations above cultivated culture of reading for mind development and studying as pathway to excellence.
It is noteworthy that the reading culture campaign which was flagged off on Friday will be continuing on a wider scale on 23 April 2026 as the world celebrates World Book Day.
Speaker after speaker noted that Nigeria is facing an alarming decline in its reading culture. Reports have it that the average Nigerian reads less than one book per year. Some have said that if you truly want something hidden from an average Nigerian that piece of item or information can be safely hidden in a book. This crisis is driven by economic strain manifesting in rising poverty where daily survival has become an unending struggle, the rise of social media with the culture of breezy browsing rather than cultivated reading culture, poor state of library infrastructure, lack of access to affordable books, and a school system focused on passing exams rather than fostering a love for reading.
Governmental institutions therefore have significant roles to play towards reversing this trend which requires a collective effort to rebuild a culture of reading in homes, schools, and communities.
There are many today who will confess even openly that they were used to reading as books gave perspectives, widened horizons, cultivated patience and developed power.
Many have lost this culture to a new found addiction to the fad of social media.
Endless scrolling, quick laughs, instant replies have rewired how many think. Sitting to concentrate through the storyline of proven Authors, flowing freely in their thought pattern has become a struggle to many.
Nigeria is therefore witnessing a quiet epidemic: the death of deep reading and dearth of cultivated minds.
We are now saddled with youth who can scroll endlessly for hours but find it a herculean task focusing on a chapter of a well written book.
The absence of depth and concentration amongst our youth has therefore become an urgent national concern.
Recent JAMB results have reflected this missing link.
Comprehension is found to be weak. Critical thinking is proven to be shallow. And the nation has started paying the price.
Comic videos could come as fun. Yes, they do have their entertainment value but they are not substitutes for books. While they entertain us, books naturally transform us.
Worsening economic stress, broken education system, dying libraries, social media overload, lack of sustained national campaign for reading, all combine in the new culture where reading is taking the backstage. Sadly, this has left us with a shallow culture in quick- fix generation.
In the words of Carl Sagan, one glance at a book and you hear the voice, the working of the mind of another person, perhaps someone dead for 1,000 years. To read is therefore to voyage through time.
World Book and Copyright Day, otherwise known as World Book Day, comes up across nations of the world every year on 23 April. The events that are featured in the day are usually put together by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to promote reading, publishing, and copyright.
On this occasion, UNESCO and the international organisations representing the three major sectors of the book industry – publishers, booksellers and libraries, select the World Book Capital for a year to maintain, through its own initiatives, the impetus of the Day’s celebrations.
23 April, however remains a symbolic date in world literature. It is the date on which several prominent authors, William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died.
With the active involvement of all stakeholders, authors, publishers, teachers, librarians, public and private institutions, humanitarian non-governmental organisations and the mass media, and all those who feel motivated to work together in this world celebration of books and authors, World Book and Copyright Day have become a platform to rally together millions of people all around the world. The role Lady Ejiro Umukoro is playing in Delta with LightRay! Media Books and Creative Society therefore deserves not just commendation but support from individuals and organisations desirous of reviving the book and reading culture.
By championing books and copyright, UNESCO stands up for creativity, diversity and equal access to knowledge, with work across the board – from the Creative Cities of Literature network to promoting literacy and mobile learning and advancing Open Access to scientific knowledge and educational resources.
It has indeed become urgent for coordinated and sustained programs to be put in place in our schools and communities to restore the book and readership culture for cultivated readers often translate into celebrated leaders.
Reviving the reading culture in Nigeria requires a, multi-faceted, collaborative approach involving government, parents, and schools to combat declining literacy due to digital distractions and economic constraints. Key strategies include investing in public libraries, integrating reading into school curricula, establishing book clubs, and promoting digital reading alternatives.
A strong reading culture is essential for knowledge acquisition, career advancement, intellectual growth, and staying informed about global events. Some of the popular books of my growing up years included Eze Goes to School by Onuora Nzekwu, The Return of Shettima by Chukwuemeka Ike, The Slave Boy by Buchi Emecheta, Sugar Girl by Kola Onadipe, Arrow of God by Chinua Achebe, My Father’s Daughter by Mabel Segun, The Trials of Brother Jero by Wole Soyinka, No Longer at Ease by Chinua Achebe, and Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe among others.
Parents purchased these books, and children read them repeatedly, fostering a habit of extensive reading. They were also available in the public libraries. Today’s parents should encourage early reading habits in their children.
Introducing children to reading at an early age is crucial. Parents and teachers should actively nurture a reading culture by subscribing to newspapers, encouraging book ownership, and forming reading clubs. All hands critically need to be on deck in the urgent task of restoring the Book and reviving our waning reading culture.
