Abstract:

A reading society is a knowledge-based society and, by extension, a developed society. The poor reading culture in Nigeria, specifically among primary and secondary school students, has reached an alarming state. The situation needs to be urgently addressed before it gets out of hand. It is against this backdrop that this article explores the possible causes of poor reading culture among primary and secondary school students in Nigeria and the way forward. It has been discovered that the causes of poor reading culture in Nigeria include defective education system, reading language problem, lack of well-equipped or functional libraries in schools and low patronage of school libraries, among others. The article has implications for the government, the parents, the policymakers in the education sector, the educational institutions and the students on the possible ways to entrench a strong reading culture in Nigeria. This article puts forward practicable suggestions that could help entrench a strong reading culture in Nigeria. The article contributes to the debate on poor reading culture in Africa in general and in Nigeria in particular.