The book, tagged “Conversations on policy and governance” is a documentation of the President’s interactions with young Nigerians on the networking site, Facebook. The president turned up in a T-Shirt and jeans but the event sometimes took the tone of just another stop on the Presidential campaign.
Mr Jonathan, who claimed to have over 350,000 “friends” on his Facebook page, said, “I decided to publish because I wanted to promote a reading culture and accountable governance.” He added that the direct feedback from Nigerians over the last four months on Facebook has been an “invaluable” one in formulating government’s policy. “Leadership is a two-way traffic. I am leading because I have a mandate,” he said.
Reading with the Nobel laureate
Mr. Jonathan, who had earlier in the day partnered with Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka to read to pupils of over 20 schools, in the first salvo in the drive to get more Nigerians reading, especially the youth,
said, “At all times, we should have a book in our hand. That is the way of civilisation.” The president read from Chinua Achebe’s book, ‘Chike and the River’, which most of the children claimed to have read. Informing that the book is set in the South-Eastern part of Nigeria, the president told the children, “You don’t need to go to the South East to know about the place. You can read about it.” He summarised the story of ‘Chike and the River’, drawing out the lessons from the protagonist’s quest to cross the River Niger to get to the big city, Onitsha.
Mr. Soyinka then read from the abridged children’s edition of his childhood memoirs, ‘Ake’. The laureate described childhood as “a very marvellous part of my life. Children should never be deprived of their childhood,” he declared. Explaining the irreverent nicknames – Essay and Wild Christian – that he coined for his father and mother, Soyinka told the youngsters, “I hope you have more respectful names for your parents.” The schoolchildren read along with Mr. Soyinka their copies of the book, included among a pack of reading materials they’d been given.
Mr. Jonathan, who many had feared would not do the reading, proved the doubters wrong. He read long extracts from ‘Chike and the River’ and held his own well, winning the children’s attention. “Onitsha looked strange to Chike. He did not know who was a thief or a kidnapper,” read Jonathan. The mention of word “kidnapper” elicited knowing laughter from the gathering. “So kidnappers have been in the system for a long time!” joked an audience member.
Catch them young
Explaining the rationale for the launch, the president said it is aimed at placing the country on the platform of irreversible progress.
“Many agree that the foundation for the development of all civilizations lies with a vibrant educational system and that at the core of these values is a sustainable reading culture.” He noted that the campaign which is supported by Mr. Soyinka and other well meaning citizens is a battle “to restore our educational standard to its glorious past and to lift it further to the heights where it would lead the resurgence of our march towards economic prosperity, environmental sustainability and social advancement”.
According to Mr. Jonathan, the decision to embark on the campaign came after consultations and “a consensus that we require a nation-wide campaign to bring back the book reading culture”. He, however, suggested that the focus be on the children and the youth, following the adage of ‘catch them young’.
The president and the Nobel laureate later took questions from the children. Three winners of the Sky High Spelling Competition were presented to the public, and got handshakes from the two high profile readers. Among the winners were two teenagers Aisha Bakare and Ibukun Omoyeni.
The event was attended by, among others, Dimeji Bankole, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Diezani Allison-Madueke, Petroleum Minister and Labaran Maku, Minister of Information and Communication.
A pack of writers including Helon Habila, Sefi Atta and Lola Shoneyin graced the afternoon presentation of the president’s book. On the Expo Hall stage were Jerry Agada, President of the Association of Nigerian Authors, and poet/polemicist, Odia Ofeimun. “Great minds are built by great minds, and great minds are nurtured by books,” Mr. Ofeimun said. He praised Jonathan as “a new type of leader… a president who does not put on the airs of an overbearing patriarch.” He called for a revival of local government libraries, each of which he urged should buy 1000 copies of published books. He also canvassed for a version of the US Library of Congress for Nigeria.
“We have an education system that gives poor education to poor people so that they can remain miserable,” he declared.
The president’s book was reviewed by social commentator and columnist, Reuben Abati.
US Facebook guru, Joe Trippl, said there are two million Nigerians on Facebook, out of the 400 million worldwide. He said that while the Obama campaign made use of Facebook to great effect, Nigeria is the first example of the networking site being used in governance.
Other speakers at the event included Ken Wiwa Jr. and Toyosi Akerele of the Rise Initiative. There were musical performances by some of Nigeria’s biggest pop stars, including Tuface Idibia, P-Square and D’Banj.
Source: infomister.com