the designation of Port Harcourt as World Book
Capital 2014 by UNESCO was a major achievement
that had made it centre of enlightenment and
scholarship.
Jonathan, represented by his Special Assistant on Documentation, Molara Wood, made the remark in
Port Harcourt at the opening ceremony of Port
Harcourt World Book Capital 2014 on Wednesday.
He said that the achievement also made the city as
one going forward.
We can all build upon it to
reinforce the reading culture.
He commended the movers of the bid for the world
book capital 2014, adding that it was a visionary
endeavour that saw Port Harcourt beat 10 major
cities of the world including the renowned
educational city of Oxford.
He also commended the Rainbow Book Club under the guidance of Koko Kalango, who worked
tirelessly towards this investiture that is clearly
unprecedented in Sub-Saharan Africa.''
Jonathan also commended the Rivers Government
for supporting the Rainbow Book Club and making
the event a success.
He said he launched the "Bring Back the Book"
campaign in recognition of the importance of
scholarship to the quality of youths and society
shortly after assuming office as President,
"The Bring Back the Book initiative was conceived
as citizens' framework to be driven by Nigerians themselves.
Port Harcourt has for many years been
a pivot of book and literature centre of discussion
as well as melting pot for writers and artistes whose
works helped enrich our lives.
It is against this
background that the Federal Government threw its
support behind the Port Harcourt World Book Capital bid.
It is to the glory of our collective effort
that the shared golden dream of the Rainbow Book
Club and the entire readership and literary
community for this city, has today been realised.''
he said.
Jonathan commended the World Book Capital programme, saying that it was rich and varied and
would touch every age group, especially the
youths.
In his keynote address, Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole
Soyinka, said the fight against terrorism was a
collective responsibility of Nigerians. Soyinka, however, appealed to the federal
government not to re-impose tax on books
entering or leaving the country.
Source: News24
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