By Ruth Nnonyelu and Tumininu Owolabi
Reading, which is supposed to be the habit of every serious-minded person, has become a thing done during our leisure time or when we feel like there is nothing more to be done, especially among the youths. Some are even forced to read by their parents or perhaps for the sake of their exams, while others do not read at all; they see reading as a waste of time.
The popular sayings that “readers are leaders” and we are the leaders of tomorrow” can be argued that it is not prevalent in the lives of the youths of this generation. How, then, can a generation that does not read become leaders? However, we still have some good eggs among the bad ones, those who still uphold the standard of our reading habit, as we went out to the streets to find out what young people read.
Esther Adebiyi, a 300 level law student of Joseph Ayo Babalola University (JABU), said she reads textbooks related to her field of study, but aside that she also enjoys reading Christian literatures written by experienced ministers of the gospel like Gbile Akanni, Joyce Meyers, Pastor Kumuyi and others. According to her, “reading my textbooks as a student is what is expected of me, being studious, passing my examinations and making good grades; but, most of all, the society needs me to become a responsible individual in the nearest future, and that is what these Christian literatures shape me to become.
Amarachi Okeke, a JSS 1 student of Community Junior High School, Itire, Surulere, Lagos, loves reading short stories, novels or anything she finds interesting. According to her, “I read them to get more knowledge and to improve my grammar”. What catches her interest more is the short stories, because she loves acting, and she belongs to the dramatic club in her school. Hence, reading these books helps her create storylines easily. “I love reading those ones with pictures written by Ghanaian authors,” she added.
Chidera Esika, a “Jambite”, loves reading motivational and inspirational books. She noted that not all young people read these kind of books because they might not enjoy it the way she does. For her, these books shape her life, not just in Gods standards but in the societal standards at large. “It helps build my confidence and makes me believe I can make it only if I believe. She confessed that these books had created both positive and negative effects on her.
According to her, “The fact that these books has to do with the negative doesn’t mean I should push it aside completely, not paying attention to it; rather, they enlighten my knowledge about the ugly side of life, and makes me shut the door towards it (if necessary)”. Positively, she added, “I’ve learnt that it is not all about what the society expects, but what you have to offer to create a better atmosphere for the later generations.”
Ebube Daniel, a 300 level Mass Communication student of NOVENA University Delta State, reads anything that comes his way, but does so anytime he’s bored. “I don’t have specific kind of books, but I read anything when am bored or idle,” he stated. Although he confessed his hatred for reading novels, he mentioned that the only reason why he reads was to avoid being seen as ignorant or categtorised with those who don’t read at all. For him, reading is not a habit but something you do only when you are bored. “These books” he said, “have not influenced me in any way.”
Ebuka Ubah, a 300 level student of Abia State University (ABSU), reads a variety of inspirational books that touch every aspect of his life: career, relationship, family, and academic. He said, “These books repair my future, motivate and inspire; in fact, they are a citadel of experience for me; they influence me rightly.”
Remi Oluwoye, a 300 level student of Caleb University, Lagos, loves reading short stories, novels and inspirational books, though her textbooks are not left out since they are important requirement for soaring high in her field of study. She added that, of the three, short stories were her favourites, as they could easily be understood, irrespective of the point you started reading them. “They enlighten my personality.” The 3 Greedy Friends is one of such books she has devoured.
On the negative part of these stories, she said, “Some authors rarely portray God as the supreme being that settles problem; instead, they always use mermaids, native doctors and witches whom they present sometimes as being good over others.” For the novels and inspirational books, “Although they help my imaginations, these imaginations sometimes arouse my sexual organs and make me go wild.”
Olayemi Japheth, a 400 level law student of Lagos State University (LASU), reads law books and books on exposition sectors of unfamiliar sectors, whether they be legally inclined or not, and such books has affected and influenced him positively in his thought pattern, response to issues around him and valuation of people. He added, “I read such books to broaden my knowledge horizons and what really interests me in reading such books is the urge to enlarge my knowledge.”
Raheem Toheeb Solace, an ND2 Mass Communication student of Ogun State Institute Of Technology (OGITECH), loves reading romantic novels, because he is curious about what keeps the partner in the story and what makes the love grows stronger, especially how the guy treats the lady, but also to improve his love life. Such novels have influenced him positively in his communication skills and he also got to know that love exists, as well as learning to be bold, smart and courageous to approach any lady of his choice.
Besides, in reading them, he gets to know the true definition of love, with all its pains and happiness. “I so much love such novels, because I believe in learning from examples to get better. They, indeed, have helped me in case of changing my views of my wrong love life perspective to a right one; you can’t improve all alone.”
Ajayi Oluwakemi, a 200 level Mass Communication student of University of Ilorin, reads motivational and inspirational books aside from her course materials, and this is because they motivate her and also increase her level of thinking and reasoning. She also added, “What really interest me in reading motivational and inspirational stories is that it gives you a much broader and wider thought.”