Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has expressed concern over the growing poor reading culture among young Nigerians, saying the trend could erode the nation’s literary heritage.

He stated this in his speech at the monthly ‘Reading/Writers Dialogue’ of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), FCT chapter, on Saturday in Abuja.

The two-time Nigerian leader and prolific writer appeared as the guest writer for the February edition of the dialogue, with the theme,” The Writers’ Role in Nation-Building and Africa’s First Presidential Library.”

According to Mr Obasanjo, Nigeria has, over the years, paraded arrays of literary giants whose works are celebrated globally, and there is need to raise young writers to bridge generational gaps in the literary space.

He noted that reading was the sure pathway to becoming a writer, but many youths of today were not avid readers despite easy access to information and materials the internet offers.

Mr Obasanjo lamented that the trend would affect Nigeria’s literary landmark if left unchecked and lead to the emergence of uninformed and incompetent leaders.

“If you want to have writers, you must also have readers, and one of the things that you have to pay attention to is how to make our children readers, especially in this internet age.

“Many of them no longer do serious reading, and reading makes an effective and productive human being.

“A reader is a leader; a leader must not necessarily be a writer, but a leader must be a reader to be informed and know what to do.

“Nigeria is blessed with good writers who have used their craft in nation building, and one of such most distinguished authors is Chinua Achebe.

“He exposed Nigeria to the world and used his writings to elevate Nigeria’s culture, particularly his own culture,” he said.

The ex-president commended the ANA FCT chapter for championing initiatives that inspire young Nigerians to become readers and writers.

He used the opportunity to give a synopsis of some his books presented at the dialogue, including “My Command”, “This Animal Called Man”, “Not My Will”, “A New Dawn”, “Democracy Works”, and “Making Africa Work”, among others.

In an interview with NAN on the sideline, author and human rights activist Shehu Sani lauded Nigerian authors for using their creative prowess to drive positive change and ensure an egalitarian nation.

“Unfortunately, we live in times today where people do not read as much as the older generation, and this could be attributed to the laziness the internet culture brought.

“The internet is a technology that provides information, teaches, and enlightens, but it has also discouraged people from researching and reading as they are supposed to,” he said.

In his speech, Chukwudi Eze, chairman of ANA Abuja, said the association was committed to engaging young scholars through mentorship programmes that encourage them to embrace reading and writing.

(NAN)