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Towards Enhancing Reading Culture in an Era of Social 

Media and Get-Rich-Quick Syndrome Distraction: the 

Nigerian Perspective 

 

By 

Nnaemeka Uchenna Ezeonyi, Udemezue Joseph Ogugua 

& Amarachi Jovita Ikeagwuani 

 

 

Abstract 

The paper seeks ways to enhance the reading culture among Nigerian youths in an era 

of social media and get-rich-quick syndrome distraction. At this crucial point in the 

nation’s history, there is need to enhance reading culture among Nigerian youths as this 

would translate to preparing them to take up leadership positions in the country. No 

doubt, the advent of social media has made deep inroads into the reading culture of 

Nigerian youths as they spend the largest chunk of their time glued to their various 

devices. In the same vein, the desire to make it early in life encroaches badly on the 

reading culture of Nigerian youths. Apart from discussing the effect of social media and 

the quest for materialism on the reading culture of Nigerian youths, the paper also looks 

at other factors, such as: poverty, poor value system, funding issues, corruption, poor 

parental upbringing, lack of incentives to outstanding scholars, poor remuneration of 

teachers, lack of libraries/poorly equipped libraries. In view of these identified 

challenges, the paper offers recommendations on how to enhance reading culture to wit: 

social media regulation, change of value system, adequate funding of the education 

sector and related agencies, tackling corruption in higher institutions, rewarding and 

celebrating outstanding scholars, provision of scholarship programmes, establishment of 

libraries, etc. The paper concludes that widespread reading culture among the youths 

would make a nation soar to greater heights in terms of quality of leadership, socio-

economic development, among others.  

Keywords: reading, reading culture, social media, get-rich-quick syndrome, Nigeria 

 

 

 



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Introduction 

Reading is an indispensable aspect of human life. It makes one mentally 

alive at all times and keeps one abreast of the latest developments in and 

around the world. Furthermore, reading is particularly important in that it 

opens one’s eyes to the magical world. Reading makes a man and that is 

why it is often said that a reader is a leader. In essence, a reader can stay 

in one spot and travel around the whole world. Reading motivates and 

inspires the reader to desire to attain lofty ambitions in life. Thus, a child 

who develops reading culture at an early age would probably go far in 

life as he may learn about famous personalities who influenced their 

world. Reading is a worthwhile venture and any person who makes 

reading a habit is likely to end up being a go-getter and an achiever. 

Olasehinde, Akanmode, Alaiyemola and Babatunde (2015) assert that 

reading is a basic building block of learning while the reading culture is 

the philosophy of developing a progressive reading attitude. They argue 

that reading hones the mind, making a person think logically and 

dispassionately.  

It appears that reading culture is on a rapid nosedive in Nigeria, 

especially among youths. The reason could be attributed to the fact that 

social media have taken over the reading space. Furthermore, the fact that 

our youths now desire to acquire wealth at an early age is a contributory 

factor. According to the World Culture Score Index (2017), Nigeria is 

one of the countries in the world with the lowest reading culture. In its 

2017 survey on hours of reading per week per person, India was leading 

in reading culture with a score of 10.42 hours per week followed by 

Thailand with 09.24 hours and China eight hours. In the survey, only two 

African countries, Egypt and South Africa, were listed. This situation 

paints a gloomy picture for the kind of leaders Nigeria produces.  

Furthermore, Akinfenwa (2019) points out that available statistics from 

the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal 

Education indicates that 38 per cent of Nigerians are non-literate as four 

in ten primary school children cannot read for comprehension. Apart 

from the fact that social media have blurred the minds of Nigerian 

youths, making them engage in all sorts of fake life, its counterpart which 

is the desire to get rich quick is even taking a heavier toll on reading 

culture. There is no gainsaying the fact that about 90 percent of Nigerian 

youths who should leverage their formative years for productive and 

useful ventures spend their time on social media and only think of how to 

get rich at an early age. This scenario has resulted in youths abandoning 

reading culture to engage in frivolous comparison and competition on 



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social media with severe and/or drastic consequences. They see reading 

as a waste of time and an unproductive venture. 

This paper discusses the need to enhance reading culture in an era of 

social media and get-rich-quick syndrome distraction in Nigeria. The 

effect of social media on the reading culture of Nigerians is much more 

pronounced among the youths though the adults are also affected.  

Reading culture and its role in national development 

It is an indisputable fact that a society’s reading culture is critical to its 

development. This is why it is important that reading culture should be 

inculcated in children from an early age. The National Library of Nigeria 

worries that the increasing drop in the interest of Nigerians to read and 

research is a big challenge that would affect the socio-economic 

development of the country. At an event to mark the 2022 Annual 

Readership Promotion Campaign with the theme “Reading as a panacea 

for societal problems,” NLN solicited the support of Nigerians towards 

correcting what it described as an “anomaly” and return Nigeria to the 

“good old days” where people read, learn, get informed and lead. 

Reading is an important aspect of nation building but the reading culture 

of any society, according to Fagbemi (2018), depends on the level of 

literacy of the people. She argues that where illiteracy is on the high side 

among the people, the orientation of the people to reading would be 

negative and this explains why Nigerians have poor reading culture. 

Also, Okebukola (2004) harps on the generational value of knowledge, 

emphasizing that reading provides the tools for transmitting ideas to 

succeeding generations as well as the opportunity of partaking of the 

wisdom of the past generations.  

Okpala (2019) avers that reading is to the mind what exercise is to the 

body in that it helps to stimulate the brain and improve its capacity and 

memory. She posits that apart from improving one’s analytical skills, 

reading can also catapult one from one’s immediate environment to a 

make-believe environment. In this way, it reduces stress and guarantees 

inner peace of mind. Moreso, she argues that through reading, an 

individual learns to empathize with fellow humans, which is an aspect of 

human intelligence. Reading helps one to become more understanding of 

other people’s problems and, in this way, one becomes more tolerant and 

less judgmental. In this regard, one learns to identify with others and 

show more love to them irrespective of their social status, health 

challenges, religion, tribe or family background. She further emphasizes 

the therapeutic effect of reading whereby it helps one to deal with some 



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health, psychological or social issues otherwise referred to as 

bibliotherapy. Indeed, the problem-solving advantages of reading have 

also been stressed. According to UNESCO, “a well-read mind is 

assertive, articulate and seeks information to help to solve daily 

challenges.” This is as a result of the fact that people who read are more 

alert and empowered. Equally, good reading culture improves the 

academic performance of children and also helps their mental 

development outside the classroom environment.  

Reading culture, literacy development and the role of the library 

There is no gainsaying the fact that reading culture aids in literacy 

development. In fact, reading constitutes the bedrock of education and a 

child’s educational journey starts with reading.  Literacy development is 

the process a child takes in learning letters, sounds, and comprehension 

of written language. The process starts from the preschool years of 

children and even when they are toddlers and goes into their teenage 

years. Thus a child navigates from being unable to connect sounds and 

letters to analyzing the plot and characters of a complex novel. Children 

who are confident readers see that the confidence translates to other 

subject areas and the learning process as a whole. Study.com states that 

children with strong literacy and reading skills who have undergone 

proper and successful literacy development are likely to succeed in many 

other areas of learning and life.  

At this juncture, it is important to state that the library plays a pivotal role 

in promoting reading culture. There is no doubt that children who make 

the library their second home are likely to develop reading culture and 

this helps them to become life-long learners. The poor reading culture of 

Nigerian youths is largely due to the fact that there are no libraries in 

rural areas and even the few ones available are not functional. Nigeria is 

a country that places a very low premium on education. This accounts for 

the low budgetary allocation to the education sector. Owing to this, there 

is lack of funds to establish libraries and equip them with state of the art 

resources for the educational and recreational well-being of the citizenry.  

On the role of the library in enhancing the reading culture of Nigerian 

youths, Alex-Nmecha and Horsfall (2019) opine that libraries offer us a 

depth and breadth of resources for us to read, learn, connect and play. In 

the same vein, Aina, Ogungbemi, Adigun, Akesode, & Ogundipe (2011) 

contend that libraries provide enabling environment and materials that 

offer more extensive and varied information than classroom study alone. 

Furthermore, Itsekor and Nwokeoma (2017) argue that libraries play 



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invaluable role in the educational set-up of any institution or country and 

could be seen as the national treasures where knowledge, both in print 

and non-print formats, is acquired, preserved and disseminated to the 

reading public. Citing Busayo (2011), Itsekor and Nwokeoma believe 

that the role libraries play cannot be over-emphasized in the provision of 

the much-needed facilities for the development of good reading habits 

and interest, as it caters for different reading interests at various stages of 

our intellectual development and for pleasurable reading. In their 

opinion, the library could be seen as an agent of educational and social 

change. 

In the same breath, libraries contribute greatly to the enhancement of 

reading culture by supporting schools. In this regard, the National Policy 

on Education of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004) as cited by Aina, 

et al (2011) states that libraries especially school libraries are 

fundamental and basic to the design, implementation and attainment of 

educational excellence. It adds that libraries are an integral part of the 

educational development of school children and youth. The goals of 

education as contained in the National Policy on Education of the Federal 

Republic of Nigeria (2004) as cited by Aina, et al (2011) include the 

inculcation of national consciousness and national unity; the inculcation 

of the right type of values and attitudes of the individual and the Nigerian 

society; the training of the mind in the understanding of the world 

around; and the acquisition of appropriate skills and social abilities and 

competence as equipment for the individual to live and contribute to the 

development of the society. Aina, et al (2011) believe that without the 

support of efficient libraries, schools on their own cannot successfully 

achieve the afore-mentioned goals. They further argue that libraries 

provide access to enjoyable information-rich reading materials through 

which children and youths can gain and improve their skills.  

Equally, libraries help introduce the use of reading for information, 

pleasure, passing examinations (learning in school) and personal growth 

through life-long learning. Libraries provide materials that offer more 

extensive and varied information than classroom study alone. Voluntary 

reading helps develop reading skills and mastery of language, extends 

students’ knowledge and assists them in their academic work (Aina, et 

al., 2011). On their own, Odunewu and Odeyemi (2019) opine that 

libraries extend services beyond the physical walls of a building, by 

providing materials accessible by electronic means, and by assisting the 

librarians in navigating and analyzing very large amounts of information 

with a variety of digital tools. 



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Reading culture and social media incursion 

Essentially, the advent of web 2.0 tools otherwise known as social media 

has done more harm than good to the reading culture of Nigerian youths. 

Social media platforms include Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, 

Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, etc. Youths are now so addicted to these 

platforms that they abandon reading and stay all day long on social 

media, doing all sorts of frivolities. On account of this, reading is 

relegated to the background as they only read to pass their exams. 

However, this does not mean that social media do not have positive uses. 

Kojo, Agyekum and Arthur (2018) have enumerated both the academic 

and non-academic uses of social media by students. According to them, 

the academic uses of social media by students include collaborating with 

classmates on assignments, accessing literature, discussing content with 

instructors, being up-to-date with current news and events while the non-

academic reasons include keeping in touch with friends, sharing 

opinions, filling up spare time, entertainment, etc. 

Still on the positive effect of social media, Daluba and Maxwell (2013) 

as cited by Kojo et al (2018) see social media as the latest technological 

explosion in the information world. They assert that it is an online 

platform that focuses on building and reflecting on social relation among 

people who share common interests or activities. They further point out 

that since the universalisation of the internet in the 1990s and the 

emergence of social networking sites in 1994 and beyond, there is 

abundant evidence that millions of people across the world use social 

media on a regular basis for various reasons. Also, Onuoha and Saheed 

(2011) as cited by Oji and Erubami (2020) argue that among many 

Nigerians using the web 2.0 based platforms it is not merely a fad but an 

integral aspect of daily life that pervades all age groups and social 

classes. They contend that the use of social media has become an integral 

part of daily routine of most Nigerian youths and this has made them the 

most technology-savvy group in the country. In their view, the need for 

social interaction, relationship building and sharing of multimedia/digital 

contents are the principal purposes for which the Nigerian youths deploy 

the social media whereas other reasons, as leisure reading, may only 

come as a second fiddle.  

Ahmed (2018) emphasizes that despite the negative use of the internet by 

most students, it can be used positively to facilitate online learning: the 

use of social media has helped students to learn through various online 

learning platforms available to them. The use of YouTube to watch 

educational videos has helped students to gain wider knowledge. He also 



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enumerates several groups students can join through online platforms 

which are related to their course of study, peer group, school, 

environment, etc. Such online platforms include WhatsApp, Twitter, 

Facebook, and others which would help the students to have access to 

quality information when needed. 

Nevertheless, it seems the negative effects of social media on the reading 

culture of youths outweigh the positive effects. Adesanya (2018) argues 

that the poor reading culture of youths could be attributed to the 

environment they find themselves in and the impact of social media on 

them. He further contends that the reading of relevant learning materials 

in most schools has been taken over by social media such that students 

prefer to spend more of their time on informal activities on the social 

media than on books. Similarly, Anyira and Udem (2020) carried out a 

study on the effect of social media addiction on the reading culture of 

Nigerian students in which it was established that social media have 

negative consequences on the reading culture of Nigerian students. In the 

same vein, Oji and Erubami (2020) conducted a study on social media 

use and reading culture of Nigerian youths in which it was found out that 

94.3% of these youths use social media and that there is a general poor 

culture of reading among Nigerians.  

Kabir and Jeromes (2022) posit that the rapid development of the internet 

is one of the most fascinating phenomena characterizing the information 

age and affecting the cultural, social and economic life of the modern 

world. However, they contend that young people who are termed “the 

digital generation” spend more time on surfing the internet, adding that 

this has become an addiction and that it causes many youths to view 

reading as an ordeal. According to them, children can only benefit largely 

from electronic technology when firmly established as readers. Also, 

Talaue, Alsaad, AlRushaidan, AlHugail and Altaha (2018) as cited in 

Ntakirutimana and Okoro (2021) believe that social media have a dual 

impact on student achievement and that it is necessary to approach 

adolescents’ use of social networks with utmost responsibility. In the 

same vein, Kojo et al (2018) argue that the advent of social media is a 

distraction to students because they are expected to read and keep abreast 

of the happenings around them but this is not the case. Ahmed (2019) 

opines that poor reading culture is one the most critical factors posing a 

threat to the development of education in Nigeria. This, he argues, could 

be attributed to a combination of many factors among which is the advent 

of social media. He cites a study conducted on “children’s reading habits 

and their use of media: suggestion on encouraging reading habits among 

children” which revealed that 40 per cent of Nigerian adults never finish 



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reading a fiction book from cover to cover after leaving school. The 

study also showed that about 30 million Nigerians have graduated from 

secondary schools with poor reading habits cultivated during their school 

days.  

In like manner, Sotiloye and Bodunde (2018) conducted a study on 

assessment of reading culture of students of the Federal University of 

Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) in which they concluded that most 

students read only to pass examinations as they scarcely engage in any 

reading outside school books owing to the influence of social media. 

Also, Kur and Olisah (2007) as cited by Kojo et al (2018) aver that social 

media encourage negative behavior among tertiary students as they are 

exposed to fraud, use of drugs, easy point of access to pornography and 

other obscenities which distract their reading culture. They are of the 

opinion that social media have become a vital component of daily life of 

tertiary students and is steadily taking over the consciousness of the 

youths thus affecting their reading culture. Adejumoh (2016) laments that 

reading which used to be widespread among Nigerian students, youths, 

and even adults, is fast eroding at a jet speed. He attributes this trend to 

the advent of the new media which he asserts has shifted the paradigm 

and discourages young men and even adults from reading for knowledge. 

According to him, people now devote more time to chatting, uploading 

photos and commenting on irrelevant posts on the social media than 

seeking for materials that would enhance their knowledge. 

Reading culture and get-rich-quick syndrome 

Strange as it may sound, the quest for materialism has made deep inroads 

into the reading culture of Nigerian youths. This situation cannot be 

divorced from the influence of social media on the youths. The youths 

are more interested in browsing online videos that teach them how to 

make it early in life. In the same vein, the competition over who would 

post better photos on social media is among the factors leading to the 

abandonment of reading by the youths in their quest for materialism. In 

this regard, Adejumoh (2016) argues that the pursuit of material fame 

and fortune among Nigerian youths and paying lip-service to education 

have contributed to the decline in reading culture. He maintains that our 

youths now attach undue importance to fame and wealth thereby 

relegating the place of reading. He further contends that youths now 

prefer to venture into the lucrative world of entertainment where their 

intelligence quotient would hardly be tested and parents are even 

encouraging them to toe the path because they want to be the parents of 

super stars or celebrities. In his words, people now celebrate mediocrity 



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in their quest for materialism. He decries that many Nigerians have 

abandoned their educational careers in pursuit of “quick money” which 

they believe could be faster through business, entertainment and politics.  

Moreso, in an interview she granted to Vanguard, the Chief Executive 

Officer, National Library of Nigeria, Professor Chinwe Anunobi blames 

the poor reading culture in the country on a change of value system. She 

argues that people have shifted their emphasis from reading and 

acquisition of knowledge to materialism, maintaining that it is dangerous 

to the growth and development of Nigeria. She blames the society for the 

quest for materialism, arguing that people have no iota of respect for the 

learned “because they have no money and cannot call the shots.” 

Similarly, Akinfenwa (2019) contends that our socio-economic 

environment is not reading-friendly, noting that the struggle for 

economic survival provides little or no time for people to cultivate a good 

reading habit. Also, Esheu (2020) opines that many youths have the 

conviction that reading may not be of benefit to them. This accounts for 

why they go after ventures that would offer them immediate pecuniary 

benefits.  

Akande (2017) is of the view that very few Nigerians read and those who 

read do so out of duty rather than desire. In her words, “young people in 

Nigeria prefer to watch movies, chat with their friends or play games. 

Older people prefer to chase money or worry about not having money 

rather than read. The few adults who read have a sense of duty to read for 

knowledge and continuous self-improvement.” According to her, 

younger people who read do so mostly out of compulsion such as the 

necessity to pass examinations and obtain certificates. She argues that 

very few students read out of genuine interest to know more. In the same 

vein, Madu (2017) contends that people are actually looking for books 

that would enhance their operations and earning capacity. That is, people 

read books that would enhance their capacity to earn across board.  

Furthermore, Ehiosu (2017) asserts that instead of reading, youths are 

eager to make money at all costs in order to cover their knowledge 

deficiencies, adding that they (the youths) would rather engage in 

examination malpractices, cult and criminal activities. He says: “the 

number of people that read today is quite few; those who have the natural 

instinct to study and be successful. Others have a drive to crime and 

corruption; penchant to make it fast, thus turning a blind eye to books 

that can bring about mental rebirth.” He maintains that this explains why 

many people do not find reading fanciful because they see it as a waste of 

time and this attitude does not better the lot of those who read. In his 



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view, on account of the fact that people want the easy way out, there is a 

high incidence of cultism, kidnapping, armed robbery and terrorism in 

the land. In the same regard, he further argues that young people want to 

make it quick today to the neglect of reading where they can be fed 

intellectually. In his submission, this has affected the quality of 

leadership we are producing as it is often said that “a reader is a leader.” 

Similarly, Aina et al (2011) contend that the undue importance Nigerians 

attach to wealth is a major factor affecting reading culture. They maintain 

that people usually rush for material things, noting that many have 

abandoned their educational careers in pursuit of money. 

Other factors affecting reading culture in the 21st century 

Apart from the influence of social media and the quest for materialism on 

the reading culture of Nigerian youths, other factors which have been 

identified to hamper reading culture include: poverty, poor funding, 

corruption, poor parental upbringing, poor value system, lack of libraries, 

neglect of the educational sector, etc. 

Poverty 

Poverty is one of the major factors affecting the enhancement of reading 

culture among Nigerian youths. In this regard, Aina et al (2011) have 

pointed out that only a few people live above poverty line in sub-Saharan 

Africa. They argue that as a result of poverty, most Nigerian families 

cannot afford to send their children to school and they do not have money 

for tuition fees and textbooks. According to Chukwudera (2022), reading 

culture flourishes in countries where the people are prosperous and 

diminishes in countries where poverty seems to be on the increase. He 

notes that extra-curricular reading could be factored as one of the 

attributes and symptoms of a high standard of living, adding that 

wealthier people who spend a large chunk of their earnings on groceries 

and other basic amenities are as likely to spend money on buying books 

or visiting the library. 

Funding issues/lack of funds 

Lack of funds is one of the factors affecting reading culture in Nigeria. 

Budgetary allocation to the education sector is poor. In this case, there is 

dearth of fund to establish libraries and equip them with adequate 

relevant resources. Similarly, the readership promotion campaign 

sponsored by the National library of Nigeria has been seriously hampered 

by lack of funds. Aina et al (2011) argue that the readership promotion 



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campaign which is aimed at encouraging more Nigerians to read lacks 

national spread as it is restricted to Abuja, Lagos and few state capitals. 

According to them, the impact has not been felt in other parts of the 

country as the National Library has not been adequately funded to put the 

campaign in print or electronic media. 

Corruption  

Corruption is endemic in the Nigerian society such that it has permeated 

every facet of our life. Most Nigerian students, for instance, see reading 

as a waste of time because they believe they can “sort” themselves out 

after examinations. In the same vein, the high rate of immorality in 

tertiary institutions is such that students use sex to buy grades. Most 

students go after money because they believe that with it, they can even 

buy certificates. In this case, reading culture is relegated to the 

background. 

Poor parental upbringing 

The issue of poor parental upbringing is one of the problems hampering 

the promotion of reading culture among Nigerian youths. Nigerian 

parents do not inculcate reading culture in their children. This is as a 

result of the fact that they themselves have poor reading culture. They 

would rather push their children to go into trade or any other gainful 

venture that would yield quick money.  

Lack of incentives to outstanding scholars 

In Nigeria, outstanding scholars are not rewarded or honoured like their 

counterparts in entertainment, politics or sports. For instance, outstanding 

musicians and footballers are celebrated by the government and society 

while first-class students are often poorly rewarded or not rewarded at 

all. This has really hampered the promotion of reading culture in the 

country as youths see reading as a waste of time and/or something that is 

not worthwhile. 

Poor remuneration of teachers 

Teachers help a lot in promoting reading culture among youths. 

However, in Nigeria, they are poorly paid. As a result, they lack the 

inspiration to inculcate reading culture in the youths. 



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Lack of libraries/poorly equipped libraries 

Lack of libraries or poorly equipped libraries is one of the factors 

hindering the enhancement of reading culture in Nigeria. Most schools do 

not have libraries and even those that have, the libraries are often poorly 

equipped. The situation is worse in rural areas which are often neglected 

by the government. 

Poor value system 

The value system we have in Nigeria today hampers reading culture. 

Youths and adults alike do not believe education is the right way to go. 

Wealthy people, politicians, entertainers and sports stars are highly 

celebrated while scholars are not even recognized. As a result of this, the 

youths place a low premium on reading, believing it is not worthwhile. 

This has led to a drastic decline in the reading culture of our youths. 

Recommendations 

The decline in reading culture among the youths is not without solution. 

In view of the identified challenges facing the enhancement of reading 

culture among Nigerian youths in an era of social media and get-rich-

quick syndrome distraction, the following recommendations are made: 

Social media regulation 

There is need to regulate social media to tame the youths who have 

become addicted to it. Recently, the Nigerian government embarked on 

the regulation of the social media though it was based on hate speech. 

The government needs to take decisive steps to regulate the use of social 

media so as to tame the youths who are already addicted to it. 

Appropriate legislations should be put in place to regulate the use of 

social media. The government should not only observe those who are 

critical of their policies but should strive to have a holistic regulation of 

social media. Popular author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie opines that 

youths should give up social media and read books. According to her, the 

best ways to counter what seems to be an ugly tsunami of book banning 

going around the world is to read. She further notes that the only way to 

answer to censorship of books is to read. 



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Change of value system  

The value system in the country should be geared towards inculcating 

reading habits in the youths. This should start with the parents and then 

the government. Scholars should be celebrated just like politicians, 

entertainers and sports stars. 

Establishment of libraries 

Libraries should be established across the length and breadth of the 

country. The libraries should also be adequately equipped with up-to-date 

information resources to meet the needs of the clientele. Both school and 

public libraries should be stocked with fiction materials, biographies and 

autobiographies. Also, Aina et al (2011) advocate the resuscitation of 

mobile library services. They are of the opinion that promotion of 

reading habits should not be confined to students in the classroom or 

physical library alone, noting that consideration and extension of library 

services should be given to children and youths who, for one reason or 

the other are out of the normal school or library environment. However, 

mobile library services require the establishment of public libraries as it 

is their sole responsibility to carry out this type of services. 

Provision of scholarship programmes 

The government should roll out scholarship programmes that do not 

require stringent procedures. This would address the issue of millions of 

out-of-school children in the country and in turn enhance reading culture 

among Nigerian youths. 

Tackling corruption in tertiary institutions 

The management of various tertiary institutions should take decisive 

steps to tackle corruption in their institutions. Students who engage in 

examination malpractices as well as staff who aid and abet same should 

be made to face the full weight of the law. In the same vein, the 

government should clamp down on the so-called “miracle centres” across 

the country. When these are done, reading culture would receive a big 

boost. 

Adequate funding of the education sector and related agencies  

The government should provide enough budgetary allocation to the 

education sector and other related agencies. The National Library of 



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Nigeria, for instance, should be adequately funded to enable it spread its 

readership promotion campaign which is aimed at promoting reading 

culture among youths to all the states of the federation. As has been 

pointed out before, the readership promotion campaign lacks national 

spread owing to dearth of funds. 

Rewarding and celebration of outstanding scholars/teachers 

Outstanding scholars and/or teachers should be adequately rewarded and 

celebrated. This would send a clear signal to the youths that reading is 

not a waste of time. In this way, they would see reading as a worthwhile 

venture. Similarly, teachers should be highly remunerated to enable them 

discharge their duties effectively. This would enhance reading culture as 

it would make the teaching profession an attractive and a noble one. 

Conclusion 

A nation that possesses reading culture can soar to greater heights in 

terms of leadership, socio-economic development and otherwise. In 

Nigeria as well as other developing nations, reading culture seems to be 

on a rapid decline. The advent of social media has largely contributed to 

this development as youths and adults have been overtaken by the frenzy 

or craze associated with it. Similarly, the get-rich-quick syndrome that is 

prevalent in the society today constitutes a big distraction to the youths as 

regards imbibing or developing reading culture. Everybody wants to 

make it by hook or by crook hence reading culture is relegated to the 

background. The youths see reading as a waste of time since they believe 

it is not a worthwhile venture. It is the hope of the authors that the 

reading culture of Nigerian youths can be enhanced through the various 

ways advocated in this paper. This would restore the lost glory of the 

nation and prepare the youths to take critical leadership roles which the 

country is in dire need of.   

 

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Author Information: Nnaemeka Uchenna Ezeonyi is a system 

analyst, University Library, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu 

University, Igbariam, Anambra State, Nigeria.  

Email: nu.ezeonyi@gmail.com 

 

 

Udemezue Joseph Ogugua is Librarian/Lecturer, Chukwuemeka 

Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, Anambra State, 

Nigeria. Email: joeogugs2095@yahoo.com 

 

 

 

Amarachi Jovita Ikeagwuani is Assistant Librarian, University 

Library, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, 

Anambra State, Nigeria. Email: jovitaikeagwuani@gmail.com 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/234641415.pdf

