Israel Umoh
The maiden Uyo Book Club Quiz competition Gold Cup must have enthralled students of four participating schools in Akwa Ibom in ransacking their brains and deftly defending points to grab the coveted prize.
The cup instituted by Uyo Book Club was in commemoration of the World Book/Copyright Day 2022 recognised by UNESCO and held on Saturday, April 23 on the theme: You are a reader.
The event culminated in the quiz competition that dwelt on The Lion and the Jewel by Professor Wole Soyinka; Unexpected Joy at Dawn by Alex Agyei-agyiri and Second Class Citizen by Buchi Emecheta including social studies.
Four schools in Akwa Ibom State- Notre Dame Girls Secondary School, Urua Edet Obo in Essien Udim; Adiaha Obong Secondary Commercial School, Eniong Offot in Uyo; Apostolic Faith Secondary School, Ikot Enwang in Ikot Ekpene and Nigerian Christian Institute, Uyo- actively participated in the competition.
Read also: Uyo Book Club To Celebrate Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka
The offer at stake did not allow students of the participating schools to blink their eyes on any wrong answer by the Quiz master.
A sprawling hall in Helemah Events Centre, Uyo, was almost turned to an academic gymnasium where the participants and students from the schools rummaged the 120 questions from the designated novels and from social studies to score more points.
In setting the tone, Udeme Nana, the founder of Uyo Book Club, challenged youths to nurture reading as a virus and help make that virus to spread like an epidemic in the society.
Usen who is also the National Media Officer to Maintain Peace Movement, a pan-Akwa Ibom movement for peace told the participants ”You have to read hard. If you do not read, you will not become a governor, deputy governor, commissioner, chairman or what you want to be in the society.
”In my age, I lived in the library. So, you have to do same. Take advantage of life from your formative age. Think big and act big. Do not look down on yourself, Aim at the moon and the sky will not be your limit,’’ he vivaciously enjoined.
A former Commissioner for Environment and Petroleum Resources, Akwa Ibom State, Rt. Hon. (Dr.) Ekong Sampson called for a fresh impetus to copyright protection and awareness in the country.
Sampson, who is an author of many law books and poems, called for a review of the country’s Copyright Laws to energise reading culture even in a competitive business environment.
The Eket Senatorial hopeful, who is also Patron of Uyo Book Club, described readers as the happiest people on earth.
“We are going to have a saner and better humanity if we read books,” the lawyer-journalist charged parents to encourage their children to read, adding ‘’Reading takes children outside danger zones.’’
The two-term State Assembly member for Mkpat Enin commended the founder of Uyo Book Club, Dr Nana and members of the club in the state for promoting reading culture and the public at large among students, pledging to continue supporting the book club culture.
The clock ticked, and the sun was setting. Unexpectedly, Inoyo was to make his speech and the excited audience waited with baited breath to hear from him.
Through zoom, cheerful-looking Inoyo thanked Dr Nana for asking him to be the Chief Reader on the occasion of celebrating World Book Day.
He remarked, ”…For those who read, it is a good reminder of the benefits of reading. But for those who do not, it is a call to action; a plea that one must not be prompted, pressured, persuaded, orincentivized to read.
‘’Unfortunately, today, there are many who do not read. This was not the case when I was growing up as I recall how we used to take turns to read novels either purchased by a friend or found in the school or public libraries.
”There was a recognized community of readers, and each member was assigned a deadline within which a borrowed book had to be returned. There was also a commitment to keep the book in good condition. In secondary school, most found themselves savvy in current affairs and active in the debating society.”
According to him, ”Times have changed, and we now have young ones who seem unconcerned about reading. We have a responsibility to understand why this is so. Could it be the absence of facilities such as libraries, or are they overwhelmed with day-to-day challenges? Or could it be that technological advancement has become a barrier?”
To be continued
