Senator decries poor reading culture

The Senator representing Akwa Ibom Sout Senatorial District at the 10th Assembly, Senator Ekong Sampson, has decried the poor students’ attitude to reading in Nigeria, saying such has been the major missing link in the country.

The lawmaker has instituted a tradition of celebrating birthday ceremonies with students of schools within his constituency, where he meets with students every year to teach them various subject matters and also intervene in areas of need in the schools.

Speaking on Saturday while celebrating his 58th birthday with the students and management of Regina Coeliac Secondary School, Essene, in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area of the state, Senator Sampson expressed disappointment that students’ reading culture has diminished over the years.

He said he was there to encourage them to read more in order to brighten their chances of becoming future scholars and leaders, adding that without reading, they are likely to end up becoming a burden to themselves and society in general.

“We are here to inspire and encourage you about the fundamentals of reading. Last year, I went to St. Francis School, Eket, I taught the students in SS3 who were about writing their final year exams. Today, we are here to encourage you to read, because the more you read, the more your chances of becoming successful students, scholars and leaders.

“The missing link in this country has been our poor attitude to reading; our reading culture has diminished, so we are here to encourage you to read more.”

Sampson, who is the Senate Committee chairman on Solid Minerals and Vice chairman of the Committee on Education ( Basic and Secondary), said he was committed to the educational advancement of his constituency.

He disclosed that he has sponsored a bill that has passed through a second reading to give the Federal University of Technology, Ikot Abasi, legal backing and another one for the establishment of the Federal University of Medical Sciences in Eket.

According to him, “We are on break now. When we resume the law establishing FUTA, it will be passed into law. I have sponsored a bill which is going through a second reading, to give legal teeth to the establishment of the University.

“There is a Bill that i have also sponsored for the establishment of a Federal University of Medical Sciences in Eket. The idea is that Akwa Ibom South should have at least three Federal Universities. There is one that we are pushing for, Oron,” he said.

The senator who announced an N1m donation to the management of the school also pledged to carry out an electrification project for the school/

In his remarks, the Convener of Uyo Book Club, Dr Udeme Nana, while commending the senator for instituting a tradition to teach and interact with students during his birthdays, urged them to devote their time to reading and learning.

Nana, a former special adviser on media and publicity to former governor Victor Attah, told the students that reading is the only way to achieve academic excellence and success in life.

He said, “We are here to encourage you to read because reading is the password to academic excellence and success. There is no human being who has excelled in life and who has not been a product of hard work, study, comprehension and practicalising the information gathered from books. This is the time for you to build your future. Your future begins today when you begin to apply yourself to reading”.

Highlights of the event were the spelling dictation by the senator to the students, some of whom won various cash prizes and the presentation of exercise books and blackboards to the institution.