Kano emir decries dearth of reading culture

The Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, has decried the dearth of reading culture in Nigeria.

He spoke in Abuja weekend at the launch of a book, The Audacity of an African Girl, authored by Khuraira Musa.  

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The emir, who was the Royal Father of the Day, said: “Our youths now read books for the purpose of passing exams only, they instead prepare to spend hours browsing the internet and chatting on social media where they end up consuming a lot of junks and unverified information. 

 “This, without gainsaying, will not augur well for the future of our youths and their intellectual development. We, therefore, call on all and sundry to realize this unacceptable scenario and then do everything humanly possible to reverse the ugly trend.’’

 On the book, the emir said: “Though it’s not proper to judge a book by its cover, yet from the title of the book, we can understand that the theme is a departure from the usual narrative that portrays African girls, especially from the northern part of Nigeria, as complacent, uneducated and even primitive.”

   According to him, there is no doubt that the book will be a subject of critical inquiry among students and scholars of African literature, especially after a long period of silence from female English writers in the North since Zainab Alkali.