FOR THE RECORD: The world cheats those who cannot read

Being text of the the 104^th Inaugural Lecture of Olabisi Onabanjo University, OOU, Ago Iwoye, Ogun State, delivered by Professor Busurat Oluwakemi Adekola (NCE, BA (Ed) Ogun, MEd, PhD (Ogun) MTRCN Professor of Language Education and Director of Olabisi Onabanjo University Ventures) on Tuesday, January 10, 2023.

Preamble

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, I wish to start by being thankful to the Almighty Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful, who has made today possible. I glorify and adore His name, saying Alhamidulilahi robil alamin shukran.

It gladdens my heart to deliver today the 104th inaugural lecture of this great citadel, the 19th from the Faculty of Education and the 3rd from the Department of Arts and Social Sciences Education. The lecture is distinctive for three special reasons. First, the inaugural lecturer of today is a proud product and one of the greatest attestations to the quality of the Part-time programme of this University having obtained her first Degree through the B. ED Sandwich programme of the faculty of Education. Second, today’s inaugural lecturer is the first Doctoral graduate of the defunct department of Curriculum Studies and Instructional Technology (CSIT) and indeed the first PhD product of the entire faculty of education to give an inaugural lecture in this university.

I am proud to inform you and this august gathering that the lecture of today will be delivered by a Professor of this University who is privileged to have earned her Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degrees from Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye.

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, I am greatly delighted and fulfilled as I stand before you to deliver this lecture. This is a mission accomplished for it marks the climax of my obedience to the voice of my father who had said repeatedly and passionately: Kemi, don’t allow the world to cheat you. You must read. He always accompanied his admonitory instruction with a severe threat invoking an imaginary sharp cutlass, saying, if you allow the world to cheat you, I will be the first to behead you.

My father mandated, instructed and encouraged me to strive to be addressed as Professor Busurat Oluwakemi. When I got married, my loving husband — Dr Hakeem Adebola Adekola built a magnificent mansion on the foundation laid by my father, Late Chief Musiliu Adesunbo Adefesobi. I moved into the house with a focused mind full of prayers, patience and perseverance so that I would get a comfortable chair.

I got the comfortable, beautiful and balanced chair when my promotion to the professorial position was announced in 2019. Distinguished audience, the journey was rough and cumbersome, but to the glory of God, the virtues I got from my parents who were also teachers saved me. At a time in his life, my dad had to hand me over to Late Professor Rasaq Alaba Adenuga who was one of his boys at Teachers’ College when the difficulty became enormous. My view is that whatever position we hold today is temporary; it is only the Almighty God that holds a permanent position. I want to advise that the younger generation should be treated with politeness and dignity because they are the leaders of tomorrow.

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir and the distinguished audience, for their roles in making today a reality, may I humbly crave your indulgence to kindly rise for a minute silence in honour of my late parents Chief Musiliu Adesumbo and Mrs. Mudirat Ibijoke Adefesobi and likewise for Professor Razaq Alaba Adenuga. For this inaugural lecture, I have chosen the topic, The World Cheats those who cannot Read. To do justice to this, I shall be guided by the table of contents which will highlight my contributions to knowledge in the field of language education which makes me a Professor.

Introduction

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, literacy, as discussed by Sarumi (1999) and Adekola (2007a), is regarded as part of the process of learning to read and write, and this can equip one for the defense of one’s political, economic, cultural, and human rights. Regardless of the fact that literacy may not constitute the only route to happiness and wealth, it can nevertheless determine the way by which these two are distributed in the society. Literacy is commonly considered as the ability to read and write at some level of proficiency, and more precisely defined as a technical capacity to decode written or printed signs, symbols or letters combined into words. With this definition, it can be asserted that literacy is reading and reading is literacy. Adekola (2004), in her findings on educational and job performance of English teachers, confirmed that reading and speaking English fluently are seen in Nigeria as a yardstick for measuring the level of enlightenment.

Individuals who are unable to express themselves correctly and fluently in English are seen as illiterates even though they might be educated in other areas of life. This has made so many people to desire to improve their educational level (Oladunjoye, 2003).

Though literacy has always been concerned with the ability to read and write, essentially, the journey to literacy begins with learning to read at the level of basic literacy and progresses to the level of functional literacy (Adekola, 2007a). To support this, Adekola et al (2015), in a study, found out that the more widely people read, the more exposed they are and the more meaningful their information, conversation and discussion become. However, failure to do the above leads to problems of illiteracy.

With the increasing complexity of the society, literacy has become central to the proper functioning of an individual in the society. Adekola (2007b), saw literacy as the ability to use printed materials as a means to access and influence positions objectively in a changing socio-economic situation. In agreement to this, Adekola (2008), revealed that positive attitude to literacy leads to greater interest and performance educationally. Thus, if the attitudes of the language teachers towards the use of literacy materials are positive one would expect their knowledge and performance on their job to be excellent. However, in Nigeria, there has always been a perennial problem of teachers with the negative attitude for all school subjects. Also, language teachers who already have formed positive attitudinal disposition towards the use of literacy materials should make themselves ready to perform excellently on the job by giving the ‘best’ to their students’, making them self-competent with the use of the materials, which will develop the knowledge of students.

According to Enunitt and Pollock (1997) and Adekola (2007a), a functional literate person is expected to deploy language to idealize and realize goals in specific social contexts. Therefore, literacy is central to life and living thereby indicating that it is embedded in the culture of life. Adekola (2008), in her study, submitted that through literacy, man acquired the civilization of the past which enables him to take part in the civilization of the present and make possible the civilization of the future.

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, the Federal Republic of Nigeria has been making concerted effort to encourage the development of literacy. The Federal Republic of Nigeria(2014), states that one of the goals of primary education is to inculcate permanent literacy and numeracy and the ability to communicate effectively. This concern is due to the fact that literacy is an index of development. High literacy level goes with high level of development. Unfortunately, the level of literacy in Nigeria leaves much to be desired. The poor literacy level is causing a deep concern for individuals nationally. This is why Adekola (2005), in her study on attitude of teachers, concluded that teachers should increase personal reading and decrease teaching in isolation often experienced by classroom teachers. She also confirmed that the homes are not literate enough to assist the children acquire functional literacy and the government is not showing the expected commitment to the teachers to be able to inculcate functional literacy in our children.

Literacy, according to Oyedeji (1997) and Adekola (2008), has helped people to acquire more knowledge, more information in and about their community, district, local government area, state and nation both promptly and regularly. Literacy has opened up the minds of people and has made them emerge from the “Culture of silence”. Therefore, literacy is of great value for personal emancipation and survival. Idris (2004) and Adekola (2012), stated that literacy is not just the ability to read and write but the ability to carry out tasks intelligently at place of work. Functional literacy, however, does not mean the learning of the school subjects only, but it is about knowing things that one is required to do daily. Reports on levels of literacy often refer to functional literacy as the borderline separating the literate from the non-literate.

Adekola (2012), defined functional literacy not just as the ability to read and write but as “whether a person is able to understand and apply printed information to daily life, at home, at work and in the community functionally and appropriately”. Based on this assertion, it was confirmed by Adekola (2019), that an individual is said to be functionally literate when all the theoretical knowledge gathered is put into practical use. In order to be functionally effective, the educators have to create the same natural and friendly environment that the children are familiar with in order to make their learning functional. Unfortunately, many homes are not meeting up with the expectation; therefore, the children have no alternative than the teachers (Udosen &Upak,2005).

Meaning of Literacy

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, the word ‘literacy’, which is derived from the Latin word ‘literae’ meaning to read, is quite prominent in our linguistic repertoire. In contemporary educational circles, its meaning and connotation have been amplified so that people now tend to ask question on the relevance of literacy to the idea of “Reading makes man.” This brought about the broadening of the semantic field of literacy to include the ability of a man to read and write in classical and vernacular languages. Literacy is the ability to read and write at some level of proficiency, and more precisely, it is defined as the technical capability of a man to decode written or printed signs, symbols or letters combined into words. Adekola (2012), described a functional literate person as one who possesses the level of literacy necessary for one to function normally in the society. Above all, teachers’ positive attitude to literacy materials will go a long way in enhancing functional literacy.

The rise of functionalism in the 17th century with its emphases on significance and purposefulness brought a new dimension to the meaning of literacy which is the inclusion of numeracy as a third component. Literacy came to mean the ability of a man to read, write, count and use numbers to solve his daily challenges. Literacy abilities then become the parameters for defining and identifying the man of substance. Hence, the slogan, “Reading makes a man”.

The State of Literacy in Nigeria Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, literacy is at a very low level in the developing nations of Africa of which Nigeria is one. Indeed, the low literacy level of nations has become the major defining characteristic of their economies. This has made the various states not to have the same literacy level as others. Between 1970 and 2001, according to UNESCO Human Development Report, 950 million adults in developing countries were described as illiterates and about 150 million children were found to be out of school at the primary level. Nigeria as one of the developing nations falls within this awful high illiteracy index. Enesi (2005), noted a World Bank Report which showed that over 50% of the world’s illiterate population lives in Africa. Out of the 120 million Nigerians, literacy analysts posit that more than 60 million people are illiterate. Leu (2000), also argued that Nigeria is a prominent member of the league of nine nations with the highest number of illiterate citizens. The same nine nations together account for 72% of the world’s illiterate population. Udosen (2004), opined that in 1970, 23.1 million Nigerians of fifteen years of age were illiterates. In the same report, the president bemoaned the wide gender disparity among the literate citizens in the country. He disclosed that while 62.5% of literate Nigerians are males only 39.5% are females. Again, 7.3 million children of school age are not in school (Otagburuagu, et. al., 2006)

The above table shows the Nigeria’s literacy rate in percentage capturing people within age 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life. Nigeria’s literacy rate from 2018 -2021 was 62.02%, a 10.94% increase from 2008. Nigeria’s literacy for 2008 was 51.08%, a 19.12% decline from 2006. Nigeria’s literacy rate for 2006 was 70.20%, a 15.43% increase from 2003. Nigerians’ literacy rate for 2003 was 54.77%, a 0.67% decline from 1991.

Adekola (2007), asserted that in Nigeria, literacy is central to the efficient functioning of an individual especially in a modern world like ours. According to her works, an individual without literacy is seriously handicapped because as of today education in Nigeria has no unified curriculum in all parts of the country. A country or individual is said to be literate or enlightened when her citizens or the individual is proficient in reading and has learnt to read. This implies that the person is educated, that is, he/she is functional in his/her culture.

Adekola and Lawal (2019), confirmed that positive performance in reading will definitely summarise the brilliant nature of teachers and passing well in English reading makes the students to develop a good reasoning ability. With this, they believed reading enhances proficiency because it facilitates understanding of other school subjects. It is, therefore, not a surprise that nations such as the USA, Britain, etc., with high literacy rates are advantaged both economically and politically. The advancement in technology and active interest and participation of majority of their population in politics are results of their high functional literacy level. Functionality is the ability to transfer knowledge gained from scholarship to solve one’s or societal problems. This is why literacy is one of the life coping skills, since one has to be literate to be able to communicate with the people within and outside one’s linguistic environment.

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, with the definitions, importance, characteristics and advantages of literacy discussed so far, it can be deduced that whatever our tradition, norms and values, we are living in a reading world today. The much-cherished educational skills in the whole world are reading and writing. But reading takes precedence because one has to learn through reading before one knows what to write. Reading is one of the four major language skills. Others are listening, speaking and writing. Skill in reading is necessary for learning in the content areas. Reading is one of the most important literacy skills. It is the major key to progress and success in learning. It is said that one has to learn to read in order to read to learn. Lawal and Adekola (2019), clearly spelt out that in spite of the numerous benefits of reading in education and its multiplier effect on individuals and the society, reading is still not well taught in our schools. This has negative effects on the students’ attitude towards reading generally, including reading comprehension passage in the classroom or for the purpose of examination.

Importance of Literacy to Human Development

1. Acquisition of various skills and technologies that make life worth living in a dynamic society
2. It is culture-driven and which often responds to market forces for relevance.
3. An attribute of human civilization which shapes man and transforms him from ignorance to knowledge, obscurity to prominence and from passivity to activity.
4. Ethnographic and anthropological dimensions which see literacy in terms of mastery of spoken languages, reading and writing.

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, all the aforementioned support the view that literacy is a process of skills acquisition for productive and purposeful life in the society and a product of organised intellectual scheme and effort (Otagburuagu, 2006). Literacy may also be seen as a tool for man’s total empowerment. Every society needs literacy for capacity building. Indeed, international agencies such as the United Nations, the World Bank and the UNESCO use literacy index in policy formulation and in the classification of societies. The International Bureau of Education recognises the great importance of literacy as a major factor in guaranteeing political, economic, and cultural and human rights. Regardless of the fact that literacy may not constitute the only route to happiness and wealth, it can nevertheless lead to changes in the way power is distributed in the society. Literacy, no doubt, is a bedrock of development which developing nations must take seriously. Nigeria is a developing nation in the wilderness whose fortunes cannot be properly exploited because of the high percentage of its citizenry who cannot read and write.

Revitalizing Literacy Level

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, today, there is a clamor for revitalising the literacy level of the people in the country. There can be no other way to do this except by consciously revitalising the reading culture of our children through teaching. Adekola (2005), supported this by confirming that educational success depends on the qualities and status of the teachers. The qualification of the teacher is very important as it serves as a measure of determining their competence and therefore the students’ performance in examination. There is a universal agreement that good teacher and good teaching matter in raising the standard of education and the achievement of students. As Adekola (2005), observed that it takes high quality teachers to ensure that students receive solid education.

Adekola (2011), Fatimanyin (2004), Mmuduogo and Oyetunde (2004,) posited that ‘illiteracy’ working through ignorance has pervaded through the rank and file of the people. With the continuous technological innovations sprouting here and there, reading becomes the only way to man’s survival. The place of reading in the world today cannot be over emphasized. The world is fast turning into a global village by reason of high technological advancements. Reading intensively and extensively remains the sure way of acquainting ourselves with global realities.

Conceptual Meaning of Reading

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, the findings of the study by Adekola (2011), confirmed that ‘reading’ is an act of mental development putting into action some sense organs to organise symbols, apprehend writer’s intention, interpreting them into definite thought for a better mental development and state of mind. Literary works and books of a general nature are one of the major sources of information for reading. The pleasure derived from a good story, good materials, and newspapers is beneficial to man. But the major issue is that the more widely a man reads, the more exposed he is through reading, the more meaningful the information he acquires, the richer, and more skilful, relevant, and functional he becomes, thus escaping the category of people the world can cheat.

Reading, therefore, is an intelligent behaviour acquired by a literate person. Reading should not be seen as “Parroting words aloud”; rather it should be seen as exploring the active, creative potential of a text and relating the meaning secured from the text to the culture of the man undertaking the reading. Remarkably, the Nigerian society has been described as a non-reading one (Adekola, 2008). Expressing agreement with this assertion, Adekola and Okubanjo (2013), advised that educators should be more creative and innovative in their teaching procedures, using appropriate literacy materials to create suitable environments for functional learning. The major conceptual meaning of reading is to produce graduates who would come out sufficiently prepared to face the challenges of the environment and to survive without resorting to delinquent acts. Such graduates would become good readers, writing clearly, using computers efficiently, and communicating generally effectively.

The Status of Reading in Nigeria Today

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, Olopoenia (2004), revealed that the reading habits of Nigerians are very poor, diminishing the zeal of enthusiastic writers. The reading culture is generally unimpressive, having a negative effect on the literacy level of Nigerians. It is regrettable that people do not engage in active reading any more. Products of our schools are found to be deficient in their reading and writing skills as their performance in the two expressive skills is at variance with the other two receptive skills of listening and speaking (Adenuga, 2015). Adekola and Lawal (2019), asserted that success of any further education depends entirely on the intensive and extensive reading of a child. Similarly, Adekola (2009), postulated that educational researchers have found a strong correlation between reading and academic processes as well as between reading and vocabulary knowledge. Adekola (2010), conceived reading as an intellectual and mental activity, opening the imagination, simultaneously soothing and stimulating the mind. Meaningful reading cannot be said to have taken place without comprehension of the materials being read; comprehension is, therefore, an important aspect of effective reading.

Adekola (2015), also revealed that the reading habit of Nigerians is very poor. This trend seems to negatively affect the writing pattern in the country. Most students only read and write because they need to pass examinations not minding the mechanical errors that slow down their reading achievements. This can be buttressed by the Chief Examiners’ reports of the SSCE (2010) which shed light on the poor performance of candidates in English Language. The reports showed that many of the weaknesses observed in the scripts of the candidates have to do with insufficient exposure to reading. The reports regard expression as a very big problem. Among other things, the reports exposed the problems as follows:

1. Most of the candidates cannot read and write acceptable English sentences. The problem is not only grammatical but also semantic.
2. There is general lack of familiarity with idioms of English, resulting in several un-English collocations.
3. In addition to the above, mechanical accuracy has not improved. Over.
4. Students need to be careful with spelling, punctuation, concord, etc.

Many compositions were seriously marred by poor punctuation errors and faulty grammar.

5. It is disappointing that after six years of secondary education, many candidates demonstrated ignorance of correct use of the comma, the full stop and the question mark (Adekola, 2011).

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, research has shown that proper language use entails proper deployment of the skills most especially reading as it plays a crucial role in human learning and intellectual activities. Reading is an essential key to success in our society. The ability to read and write is highly valued and important for social and economic empowerment. Jiboku (2003), had earlier posited that good readers and writers collect and utilise ideas and information from a variety of previous life and literary experiences. Reading and writing are major factors for individual and national development. As revealed by Oladunjoye (2008), reading and writing are seen as the fundamental components of primary and secondary school curricular. Students’ success depends on the extent to which they can decode written information from print, quickly and efficiently. It is a window through which a literate person can see the world far above his physical reach (Otenaike, 2005).

Nevertheless, reading is one area that is particularly problematic for students within the system. A great majority of them are failing to learn to read and many more are unable to read to learn “there are many students at risk and unless we come to their rescue, the age of darkness might be persistent.” Research evidence by Adekola and Lawal (2019), confirmed the absence of the reading culture among the target learners. This is evident in the failure rates that are pervasive in the School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) conducted yearly by internationally recognised examining bodies such as the West African Examinations Council (WAEC). There is a general feeling that many Nigerian students do not like reading. Many Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, the dwindling performance of candidates is evident in the percentages obtained in Grade 1 to 6 which are required to gain admission into tertiary institution. In 2014, only 38.87% of the candidates that sat for the examination obtained credit passes in English language. This shows that many students would not be able to their dream of gaining admission to tertiary institutions that year.

This poor performance may be due to wrong method of teaching or lack of interest on the part of the students. According to Olopoenia (2014) and Adekola (2009), most Nigerian secondary school English language teachers fail to take into account the dynamic nature of the English curriculum but they continue to bore students with definitions and drills in grammar, vocabulary and speech work. The traditional content or knowledge-oriented teaching methodology is still being practised by the teachers not being familiar with the innovative methods of teaching the subject. Adekola (2011), opined that poorly trained English and untrained teachers of English were employed to teach and prepare secondary school students for the school certificate examinations in English language. This situation has contributed immensely to the poor performance in English language among secondary school students.

Following the decline in the performance of students in English Language as presented above by the Chief Examiner’s report and statistics of WAEC, a study was conducted by Adekola (2015 & 2019). The findings revealed a major effect on the ability of students to achieve good reading skills. It was established that many students cannot spell correctly some common words that constitute the vocabulary for daily communication both at home and in school. Such words include accommodation, admission, committee, etc. There is a general ignorance of the correct use of punctuation marks such as: the comma, the question mark, the full stop, the exclamation mark, etc. The situation has now been further worsened by the popular use of the social media as revealed by another study by Adekola et al.(2019).

The Reading Culture in Nigeria

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, as generally known, there is low level of reading culture in Nigeria. This issue of lack of reading culture has been a source of worry to researchers in language education generally. This has driven many researchers into finding solution to the problems and challenges militating against the reading culture in the country. Adekola (2008), studied the issue critically and found out that the problem may be associated with failure of most readers to comprehend what impairs their ability to summarise. This may be as a result of what Adekola (2010), earlier found in the difficulty in reading in the primary school pupils studied.

Jiboku (2003), also observed that even though errors are inevitable in the process of learning English especially as a second language, there is the need to understand the variety of the typical errors made by students’ reading and writing of the language in order to solve the problems. This prompted a study by Adekola (2017), which identified that mechanical errors, mostly in orthography (spelling and capitalisation) and even punctuation, constitute the major challenge to students in learning the language. It was suggested that dictionaries and computer spell check can be used to surmount the difficulties being encountered in this regard.

To further consolidate the above, other researches were conducted in other areas of learning disabilities which impair reading skills among students, especially as they affect performances. Adekola (2018), research on learning disabilities affirmed that disabilities in reading affect the physical act as well as the mental activity of comprehending and synthesising information. Basic reading disorder refers to physical difficulty in many words and letters. Expressive disability indicates a difficulty expression through speech, writing or gesture. Symptoms of reading language learning disability revolve around problems with finger pointing, regression, vocalisation/sub vocalisation, poor head movement, poor eye fixation, concentration/ emotional disturbances, and poor visual perception among others.

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, Adekola (2017), studied the effect of school type on reading deficiencies, students’ performance and reading disabilities. It was revealed that types of school have no effect on students’ reading deficiency. However, there is a significant relationship between reading deficiency and students’ performance.

On the above table, the type of school students attends as the independent variable accounted for about 9% of the total variation in students’ reading deficiency (R = 0.009, p> 0.05). This was not significant. Therefore, the type of school has no significant effect on students’ reading deficiency. Also, the result of the ANOVA table with F-Value of 3.270 (p> 0.05) and mean square of 25.67, and 7.851 for regression and residual respectively showed that reading and writing deficiencies of secondary school students in Ogun State is not sensitive to the type of school attended. Adekola (2003), had earlier found that there was no difference in the academic performance of students based on type of schools. She confirmed that if the rural students have qualified teachers, organized literacy and debating competition, etc., all these would make them to derive the same advantages as their counterparts in urban school.

The result on Table 4 revealed a significant negative relationship between reading deficiency and students’ performance (r = – 0.447, p< 0.05). This implied that an increase in the value of reading deficiency, there is also an inverse in the value of students’ performance. Adekola (2008, 2011), confirmed that proper language use entails proper manipulation of the four language skills because they play a major role in human learning and intellectual activities. The reading culture is a construction comprising several interlocking variables with cognitive, affective and psychometric dimensions. The cognitive and affective dimensions of the reading culture are the foundation for the overt physical behaviour. A pervasive awareness of the following values of reading in the modern world is therefore the bedrock of this culture.

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, the educational value of reading has been clarified by Adekola (2019), to be beyond mastery of language. Reading is not only a tool for mastering other subjects in the curriculum, but also a window through we peep into the outside world. Against this background, one would easily appreciate the full significance of the English epigram; “Reading makes the man” and the title The world cheats those who cannot read.

The level of awareness of a person or people is determined to a large extent by their reading attitudes which in turn influence and are influenced by their reading interests, which concomitantly affect and are affected by their reading problems towards the development of specific reading skills. Adekola (2011), opined that there is now a need for educators, more than ever before, to be aware of suitable approaches and strategies for the promotion of language skills in secondary schools.

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, a man’s reading habit thus describes the totality of his attitudes, interests, problems and skills that are relative to reading. In relation to the reading culture, the attitudes to the three types of reading are positive and balanced, rather than being negative/ambivalent or lopsided. The reading interests of a man are varied and robust, while the reading problems are constantly and consistently corrected or remedied, as the case may be, from grade to grade to enhance his functional reading skills. Conversely, in a society, such as Nigeria where the reading culture does not thrive, Adekola (2015), confirmed that man’s attitudes are mostly negative or sometimes ambivalent towards all the three forms of reading. Reading interests are largely non-existent for most of the higher literates and reading problems hamper the development of effective and efficient reading skills of a man, especially across several basic and intermediate grades of the literate populace. With this, the man needs full interaction through positive reading habits which will enhance and elevate the reading culture.

Significance of Reading in Nigerian Schools

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, whatever our tradition, norms and values, we are living in a reading world today. The much-cherished educational skills in the whole world are reading and writing. As noted earlier, reading takes precedence because one has to learn through reading before one knows what to write. Reading is one of the most important literacy skills. It is the major key to progress and success in learning. It is said that one has to learn to read in order to read to learn.

Reading is the window through which a literate person can see the world far above his physical reach. It is the method by which a percentage of symbols bring some effective reasoning in the mind of the reader. Reading is the ability to recognize and comprehend graphic codes and symbols occurring individually or in groups.

Reading is an important skill that should be emphasized and acquired at the primary school level. Learning of other subjects depends largely on the reading ability of the learner. Reading is fundamental to literacy. Those who do not read get lost from the world of knowledge and the happenings in the world. For effective literacy to be achieved, effective reading skill must be developed at all levels. This makes such pupils able to achieve maximally from printed materials. Reading involves prediction and construction of meaning. Reading proficiency is the royal road to knowledge. It is essential to the success in all academic subjects. Learning depends largely upon the children’s ability to interpret the printed page accurately and fully. In other words, reader are leaders. Reading often relieves emotional tensions and gives insight into personal problems.

Merits of reading derived from Adekola’s studies

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, the merits listed below were findings derived from Adekola’s researches.

1. Adekola (2019), affirmed that if reading skill is properly taught, it will sustain the students’ interest in reading and thereby improve their performances in reading comprehension.
2. The ability to read is one of the most important human accomplishments.
3. Through reading, the knowledge of faraway events, events that are long past and the very current ones is acquired.
4. Reading widens readers’ scope and enables them to make new friends.
5. The skill of reading with understanding is a pre-requisite to extraction of information from books.
6. Nations with high illiteracy level are handicapped economically.
7. Politically, individuals cannot gain practical information, cannot amuse themselves and enrich themselves without reading knowledge.
8. Reading is necessary for safety and efficiency both at work and home. For instance, a person must read manuals of instruction for household equipment, labels on medicines, packaged foods, cosmetics, or to learn some jobs, one has to be able to read efficiently.
9. Reading ensures consistency of learning. Once a person acquires a reading habit, learning will be continuous. Therefore, it will definitely lead to the life enrichment.
10. The ability to read at the highest possible level is essential to individual growth in the modern world. This is because reading is POWER. It develops the human mind and intellect.
11. Through habitual reading, a person’s perception of the world is sharpened and the person is equipped for active participation in the development of the society.
12. Learning how to read is like coming out of a deep hole. A person’s life is changed forever by learning how to read.
13. Reading is one of the language skills that can shape and develop the child’s personality.
14. The importance of reading not only to students but also as a survival skill for teachers, lawyers, medical practitioners, politicians, farmers and indeed for people from all walks of life who need to acquaint themselves with innovations in their different fields of endeavor in order to succeed.

Reading reduces ignorance and increases one’s self-esteem

Challenges of Reading in Nigeria

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, Adekola (2015), summarised the challenges of reading in Nigeria as follows:

1. Reading is generally seen as an elitist activity done mainly through the English medium.
2. Increasing urge for formal education but unwillingness to read and study hard.
3. Language policy devoid of systematic planning leading to lack of functional reading competence in either English or Nigeria languages for most learners across the rungs of the educational ladder;
4. Crisis in implementation, leading to confusion in the teaching of reading.
5. Poor teaching/training programmes relative to reading. This makes teachers to abandon children with reading problems to their fate; while for other children, they teach reading for recitation and recall rather than for reflective, critical and creative thinking.
6. Absence of a robust book industry and a weak book production policy especially with regards to reading both in English and the local languages.
7. Poor and sometimes non-existence library facility at school and community levels, in addition to majority of homes, which are non-supportive to reading.
8. The current unmanaged contest among books, computers, home-videos and the use of texts in mobile telephone communication has worsened the situation.

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, to sum this up, Adekola (2015), asserted that reading comprehension should be taught right from the upper basic secondary in such a way that students will be actively involved in the teaching and learning process. Also, instructional aids and technology should be introduced because students comprehend better when the teaching and learning process is made participatory, interactive and collaborative. Similarly, she advised that English Language teachers should always make reading comprehension a practical lesson, and corrective feedbacks should be exhibited during the lesson.

In a study on collaborative learning, Adekola (2012), confirmed that collaborative lessons on Reading Comprehension facilitate active participation of students during the lessons. Similarly, in another study in 2019, it was emphasised that Reading Comprehension curriculum should be upgraded to cater for the innovative strategies in the teaching of English Language to enhance teachers’ competence and effective delivery in the classroom.

Reading and Comprehension

Reading and comprehension have come to operate as one concept due to their logical interrelationship. Comprehension is the logical outcome of reading. It does not occur in the absence of reading; neither is reading of any value without the reader comprehending the material he is reading. Reading comprehension is a tool for functional literacy. Adekola (2012), in a study on home and school factors confirmed that children from educated homes stand a better chance of achieving their academic potential in reading comprehension than their counterparts from uneducated homes.

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, in 2012, Adekola examined the degree of parental involvement, family enlightenment and their effect on children’s academic aspiration. It was observed that the home, the first socialising agent, has a considerable effect on the child’s later development and achievements. It must be pointed out that parental educational background and attitude, remarks, instruction and correction given to children in turn enhance the child’s educational aspiration. It was further revealed that children whose parents are educated stand a better chance for achieving their academic potential by way of encouragement, motivation and direct contact. The educated parents are able to adapt themselves to the educational needs or demands of their children at every developmental stage, hence equipping the children with necessary background experience as might be required of them to meet their challenging intellectual demands and pursuits. Reading is a complex channel of communication which involves an interaction between the encoder and decoder. This is why reading is a complex communication system. Functional literacy is not possible in an environment where people are not reading conscious.

Comprehension simply means understanding or showing understanding of a reading text. The comprehension of a reading text is shown by the reader’s ability to respond correctly to the issues raised in the text in question form.

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, Adekola (2012), in a study on assessing the effectiveness of reading comprehension as a tool for functional literacy in Nigerian schools, came up with the following findings.

1. If reading items are ambiguous or wrongly presented, textual comprehension is impeded.
2. For faster reading to take place, there has to be adequate textual comprehension.
3. Slow reading habits are often as a result of difficulty in comprehending the textual contents.

The development of a nation is consequent upon her literacy level. It must therefore be noted that a high level of socio-economic development of a country stimulates a high level of literacy. In our country today, the level of illiteracy has been very high, in spite of our long-standing age of political, economic and social independence. This is largely due to our poor reading attitude. Even though the various governments of the country have at various times launched different educational programmes aimed at eradicating illiteracy, very unfortunately only little success has been recorded along that line.

Lawal et al. (2004), and Adekola (2014), confirmed that in Nigeria, illiteracy is as high as the nation’s level of poverty. Findings of Adekola (2011), and Lawal et al. (2019), have shown that only a small number of Nigerian youths who are in school read, and quite an insignificant number can actually comprehend and this means that Nigeria’s literacy problems remain unsolved when readers do not comprehend. Lawal (2015), and Adekola (2019), had highlighted the problems responsible for the abysmal performance of candidates in qualifying examinations. Poor reading culture and low reading comprehension are largely responsible for the abysmal performance of candidates in qualifying examination like the Junior Secondary School Certificate Examination (JSSCE).

The reason is not farfetched because many Nigerian students do not read and many of those who read do not understand since comprehension of a concept enables the reader to apply what he has read. In Nigeria, it was discovered that the literacy problems remain unsolved when readers do not comprehend. But it is unfortunate that little reading and writing is done at this level of education. Yet the National policy on education states that one of the goals of education at this level shall be both pre-vocational and academic and it shall teach basic subjects which will enable students to acquire further knowledge and skills. This is in line with Adekola (2015), who confirmed that the decline in the standard of education at the different levels can be ascribed to the fall in the proficiency of English Languagecomprehension.

Demerits of Reading Comprehension emanated from Adekola’s studies

Weak foundations at the early stages of education The Lack of reading texts

Poor reading environment

Certificate oriented system and quest to get same General lack of interest as a result of political gain

Preference of home video and leisure to the boring stationary reading orientation, among others, militate against reading comprehension (Adekola, 2008).

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, Adekola (2010), suggested that students should be encouraged to approach reading with alertness and critical mind and develop taste for books that are significant in the achievement of good result in English Language in junior school certificate examination. Most nursery and primary school operators do not emphasize the basic principles involved in reading comprehension as a way of laying solid foundations in the area of reading culture that can sustain literacy to be cultivated and imbibed in our society. Poor reading environment and family background equally constitutes serious threat to reading comprehension in Nigeria. This can be justified by the findings of Adekola (2015), that confirmed that reading deficiencies of students can be traced to student’s family background. Effective reading comprehension is done in a well-ventilated, well-illuminated and noiseless place. With the poverty level of most Nigerian families, they can hardly afford such decent homes. It should be observed that most students have withdrawn from academic pursuit due to these distracting hardships thus heightening the illiteracy level.

Baker and Soden (1998) and Adekola (2012), studied the degree of family enlightenment and its effect on children academic aspiration. It was discovered that the home, also which is the first socializing agent, has a considerable effect on the child’s development and academic achievement. Similarly, Aboderin (1999), Shoaga and Adekola (2006), also found that parental education has a positive relationship with academic pursuits of their children. The findings probed into the home environments of the educated as well as illiterates. Six variables were examined, which are likely to prevail in the home. In the educated home, there is likely to be achievement press, good language model, and academic guidance, stimulation to explore various aspects of the lager environment, the intellectual interest and activities in the home.

It was found that the overall index of home environment has a correlation of +0.8 with the total score of the entire test. Many scholars believed that there exists a relationship between the home and academic performance of students. Odinko (2000), stated that there exists a link between parental attitude to education and academic performance of their children. School factors are not powerful factors in students’ achievement in English language comprehension. This is expected because interest in schooling aids students of all ages to control their learning strategies. Interest in schooling seemed to be a motivator that affected the students’ attitude which influenced achievement in English language. This negates the popular slogan by many researchers that it appears that the home and the school are important agencies in the education of the child Educators (Evans, 2000; Oyetunde, 1997), believed that the home complements the teaching of the school, and the school stands in ”loco parents”while the child remains the focus.

Another problem that adversely affect reading is the undue emphasis placed on paper qualification rather than on actual performance. Also, there is a high level of general lack of interest in reading these days of political activities in Nigeria. Success today is judged by how much political influence one wields and not necessarily what level of literacy one has attained.

Technology and Literacy/Reading

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, understanding computer technology, along with reading, writing and mathematics is cited as a core element of literacy in the information age. There were numerous researchers like Adekola (2005), Omoniyi (2005) etc., that had studied technology and reading before the proliferation of the use of the internet, mobile phones and computer. Adekola (2005), is of the opinion that teaching through technology exposes students to a great deal of information – much of which is retained and absorbed. More importantly, television presents information in a high dynamic and multimedia form.

Adekola (2015), pointed out that teachers must come to terms with technology and go in terms of their educational physiology. According to her, it is crucial for teachers to do so if they seek to empower themselves or to foster the conditions within which students can empower themselves. Teachers are indispensable to success of computer education. Adekola (2004), discovered that teachers are the pivot for the implementation of any education policy. It was emphasized that for language teachers to be effective, they should be adequate in numbers, well-motivated, qualified and competent in the skills of language learning and teaching in order to enhance the use of technology.

International Reading Association (2002) as quoted by Adekola (2009), urged educators to:

1. Take full advantage of professional development opportunities in technologies such as the internet.
2. Systematically integrate internet and other ICT in thoughtful ways into the literacy curriculum, especially in developing the critical literacies essential to effective information use.
3. Explore the instructional strategies and resources developed by other teachers on the internet.
4. Provide equal access to technology to every student in the classroom.
5. Regularly read professional publications such as books, print journals and online journals to stay current on the research on and practical ideas of using technology to improve student’s literacy learning.
6. Join professional electronic mailing lists to exchange insights about effective instructional strategies.
7. Know a variety of ways to teach reading.

The Concept of Functional Literacy

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, originally, according to Aboderin (1999), the concept of functional literacy was discussed in relation to adults whose illiteracy causes the retardation of economic and social development. Its contents tend to link literacy with appropriate training, to meet the needs of specific occupation for personal and economic development purposes. Functional literacy involves skills needed to cope at an adult level in everyday situations. As a result of the increasing complexities of modern societies, functional literacy refers to a situation where the individual must be able to read simple instructions, write legibly to communicate, and be able to make simple sketches when and where necessary to enhance communication. That was why Adekola (2012), called for the need to revitalize review. Such competence refers to functional literacy. In addition, there has to be a mathematicalability, for the individual to be able to keep records of personal finances, and to be able to engage in simple commercial transactions/endeavors. In our context here, functional literacy level depends on the quality of educational level of a given society, and on the level of industrial development which imposes higher literacy demands. (Encyclopedia American, 1994).

Essentially, a literate person is one who can read and write in any language. However, in Nigeria, ‘literacy’ requires a knowledge of how to read and write in the English Language. Thus, in Nigeria, one who speaks and writes English is literate whereas another who only speaks and writes in any of the mother tongues of this country is regarded as an illiterate. One can, in fact, assert that it is the misapprehension of the term ‘literacy’ that has retarded our attempts at achieving a positive turnabout in the literacy conditions of our adult citizens.

Functionality connotes the ability to live and perform like an educated citizen. That is the ability to think, behave, communicate and conduct oneself and socialize as an educated citizen. In short, functionality simply means ability to perform, while literacy is the condition or quality of being literate. On the other hand, “literate” is the ability to read and write; someone who can read and write.

The Role of the Educators in Promoting Functional Literacies in the Society

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, educators are central to the implementation of the educational curriculum. A positive, enthusiastic and dynamic educator will inspire and encourage the development of functional literacy through positive attitude, good literacy habits and a demonstrated eagerness to improvise literacy materials. They are the role models. Their action / attitudinal disposition affects individuals they groom and the society at large. The individual they groom, emulate the educators, tap experiences and imitate their speeches and thereby acquire language which influences a positive literacy development. Educators are expected to build their instructions on what is natural and functional to students.

Educators can do a lot to positively influence and reshape the reading habit of individuals because they are the ‘spark and plug’ of the educational system, their activities can make or mar functional literacy. Since the educators are the focal point of the process, this implies that if literacy will be achieved, educators must be well equipped, well disposed towards the literacy project and knowledgeable enough to inculcate literacy programs. Functional literacy will be a function of a combination of well-trained and motivated educators.

The Benefits of a Functional Literate Adult in Nigeria

Mr. Vice Chancellor sir, literacy should be attributed not only on reading and writing, but also that it should aim at “the total improvement of the bene?ciary”. To be functionally literate means that a person has improved mentally to the point of his reducing to the barest minimum external factors such as language, reading and writing which ordinarily would exclude him from participating in the cultural, political, social and economic life of his nation. Even if the benefits of functional literacy among adults may not be substantially different from what the nation reaps from the education of its youthful citizenry, the need for literacy among the full grown-ups in society is often more immediate and urgent.

A functionally literate Nigerian adult would easily be affected because he is bound to realise what he had missed all the time he has been under the yoke of illiteracy. It should be pointed out that literacy cannot be equated to education, education in itself is much more than schooling. However, the education an illiterate might have received from family upbringing – informal as it may be said to be – needs to be boosted by literacy in English or the mother tongue. The process of education for the development of independent, self-reliant, free and responsible citizens should not be characterized by indoctrination or the uncritical acceptance of the views of others but by critical analysis, experimentation and discovery. He said this with children in view. However, urban-based adults who were illiterate, through observation and experience, seem to cultivate some level of critical analytical mind as well as the ability to discover things on their own, even if handicapped by literacy. Thus, the attainment of a literate status by such adults is likely to unchain their shackled potentials and confer them with the desired sense of self-realization, responsibility and integrity.

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, social inequality is the first victim of illiteracy. Ignorance is the footstool of power profiteers. A society in which a sizeable chunk of its populace can hardly read and write reminds one of the progresses of a swimmer bearing a boulder on his back and yet is expected to compete with unrestrained swimmers. For the individual, the possession of the skill of reading and writing in any language at all is the possession of power and impact. To be denied of these twin communication skills is to be practically declared a second-rate citizen, a social eunuch from the outset. The victim will suffer not only linguistic inequality; he/she suffers from communicative inequality. For sure, illiteracy curtails the breadth of the range of the linguistic items at one’s disposal, thus leading to linguistic inequality while communicative inequality is unwillingly promoted when one’s failure to possess linguistic and verbal items forestalls one’s ability to interact with other people – whether within or outside one’s speech community.

Mr. Vice -Chancellor sir, listed below is the summary of the benefits of a functional literate society.

1. Functional literacy is not just reading and passing examinations
2. Functional literacy ensures development of character traits and instills some measure of discipline into individuals
3. Functional Literacy is an instrument of change

8 Acceptance of 50 responsibility

9 Reliability under 70 pressure

10 Drive and 73 determination

11 Effective use of figure 25

12 Loyalty 52

50% 25 25% 25 25% 0 0% 26% 50 30% 24 24% 0 0%

20% 75 25% 0 0% 5 0%

75% 25 25% 0 0% 0 0%

50% 25 25% 25 25% 0 0%

70% 30 30% 0 0% 0 0%

73% 27 27% 0 0% 0 0%

25% 75 75% 0 0% 0 0%

52% 48 48% 0 0% 0 0%

Conclusion

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, it is important to reiterate the vital role being played by reading skill in the literacy level of every individual. People who cannot read are illiterates. Reading remains the only way of extracting information from both near and far; people who neglect reading surely invite backwardness. In Nigeria, unlike the advanced countries like America, Britain, etc. reading still attracts a third-class attention since the society obviously have a positive attitude towards paper qualification.

Recommendation

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, having analysed the complex dynamics of the reading culture and its glaring absence in Nigeria, appropriate and useful suggestions are identified to ameliorate the unhealthy situation.

13 Honesty 75 14 Sense of responsibility 85 15 Appearance 40 16 Punctuality 45 17 Resourcefulness 75

18 Effective application of 78

75% 25 25% 0 0% 0 0% 85% 20 20% 0 0% 0 0% 40% 35 35% 25 25% 0 0% 45% 55 55% 0 0% 0 0% 75% 20 20% 5 5% 0 0%

78% 20 20% 2 2% 0 0%

1. There is urgent need for a more pragmatic, realistic and feasible language policy in education as a prelude to conscious and conscientious planning for the involvement of Nigerian languages in the literacy development of the populace.
2. Bridging the gaps among educational policy makers, planners, executors and language experts so that reading can be accorded its pride and its importance can be felt in the society.
3. Educational institutions should place greater premium on the teaching of reading. Emphasis should be given to both the cognitive and meta-cognitive aspects of reading, Reading and study skills should be cultivated in learners to stem the tide of examination malpractice.
4. Government should intensify adult literacy campaign so that it can have positive effect on family literacy, which is the veritable foundation of the reading culture. This would make it possible for parents to appreciate the values of the family library and home literacy activities in general.
5. Teacher-training institutions must constantly evaluate their language education programmes as they relate to reading pedagogy so that pre-service teachers can be well grounded in the right knowledge, attitudes and skills that can foster the reading development of various categories of learners.
6. Individual is the ultimate focus of literacy development, learners need to realize that skills such as reading can only be mastered through constant practice, commitment, positive interest and a lively attitude.
7. Efforts should be made to revitalise literacy level in reading skill.

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, without the changein attitudinal disposition of individual learner in striving to become a functional and proficient reader, the world would continue to cheat those who cannot read.

Acknowledgements

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, my gratitude goes first to Allah (SWT), my creator, the Magnificent, the Merciful for His mercies on me from birth till date, for giving me good health and this wonderful opportunity today to deliver my inaugural lecture, the zenith of my academic career.

I humbly appreciate specially the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Agboola Johnson Ayodeji, and his team. I wish you sir, a successful, harmonious and peaceful tenure. I wish to appreciate the former Vice-Chancellors – Prof Layi Ogunkoya who employed me as a Junior Research Fellow at the Institute of Education , Prof. Afolabi Soyode who approved my transfer to the defunct department of CSIT, Prof. Saburi Adejimi Adesanya who appointed me a Head of Part Time Programme at CCED and Prof. Ganiyu Olatunji Olatunde who appointed me the Deputy Director and later Director of OOU Ventures and under whom I was promoted as a full-fledged Professor, I thank you, sirs, most sincerely for the confidence reposed in me.

I appreciate my late parents – Alhaji (Chief) Musiliu Adesunbo and Alhaja Mudirat Ibijoke Adefesobi for their love and good upbringing that nurtured my path. May Almighty Allah bestow His mercies on them and accept their returns. Amin.

I acknowledge the roles played in my life by my paternal family-the Adefesobis of Tigara origin, my maternal family- the Obisanyas of Tulugbo and my marital families, the Adekolas of Lukogbe, the Osiboyejos of Oni and the Oyenuga Family of Itaotu all in Ogun Waterside Local Government.

I express with joy my heartfelt gratitude to all my teachers at all levels of my training. I am particularly grateful to my special academic father – Professor Opoola Oyedeji who prepared me for the academic rigours. I appreciate all the HODs, Deans and Directors that I have worked with in the course of my career. I particularly appreciate Prof Mukaila Olasunkami Gbadamosi who showcased my skills to the university community during his Deanship of the Faculty of Education. I appreciate my Supervisors at the Doctoral Degree Level, Prof A. V. Jibowo and S. A. O. Oladunjoye. Let me specially recognise our Spiritual father and Mentor in the OOU Muslim Community, Emeritus Professor Kamaldeen Balogun. I wish to recognise posthumously the efforts of my brother, Late Prof Rasaq Alaba Adenuga who was always there to give positive advice and immediate responses whenever there were hitches.

I acknowledge and appreciate my dean – Prof. Olufemi Kalesanwo and all other members at the Faculty of Education and the “Adekola boys ‘. I appreciate all the teaching and non-teaching staffs at 0OU. I appreciate colleagues from other universities. I also appreciate the staff of CCED and OOU Ventures. You are all wonderful staff.

Mr Vice-Chancellor sir, I wish to express my gratitude to Nasrullah Fathi Society, my NASFAT family. This is where I learnt how to fish spiritually and I am spiritually fortified. My special appreciation begins from the National President – Mr Mumuni Olaniyi Yusuf and to all other members. I appreciate all my Imams, starting from the Chief Missionary – Sheik Abdul Azeez Maruf Onike and all other Leagues of Imams and Alfas present here. I also appreciate specially the Ogun Waterside NASFAT Chairman Alhaji Shakirudeen Awonuga (Blessing) and all other members. I appreciate specially the members of NASFAT Education Committee at all levels. May Allah crown all our efforts. amin. I also appreciate the Pro-Chancellor and members of the Governing Council, the staff and students of Fountain University, Osogbo where I am a member of the Governing Council.

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, I want to appreciate all my childhood friends most especially 1986 set of Community High School, Ibiade. I specially appreciate the Executive Chairman of Ogun Waterside Local Government, Abigi – Alhaji Hon, Abd Lateef Adekunle Mudasiru. May Allah uplift your value. Amin. I appreciate all other friends; you are all wonderful friends. I am particularly grateful to my siblings – Mrs Mosunmola Yusuf, Mrs Titilayo Adekoya, Mrs Adetoun Awesu, Comrade Bayo Adefesobi, Niyi and Azeez Adefesobi. To my adopted parents, Mr and Mrs. Amidu Adelaja Adefeso and Alhaja Moriliat Kareem. May you live to reap the benefits of your labour. Amin. I am particularly grateful to my cousin- Mrs Yetunde Oreoluwa Nola and Tawakalt Mudashiru Tijani who stood by me during the trying period.

Alhamidulilahi robil alamin shukran. I really appreciate Allah for my elementary family. They are my joy givers. Qazeem Adewale, Dr Hafeez Aderinsayo, Hamzat Adejisayo and Hazeeb Adebisayo. My good daughters and beautiful wives Azeezat and Rukayat. Also, my granddaughters- Qamariyah Adeolami and Hakeema Adediwura olami, I love you all wholeheartedly.

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, my final gratitude goes to my cherished soulmate, my pillar of support and my adorable husband, Dr Hakeem Adebola Adekola. Sir, I am celebrating today the result of that thoughtfulness, motivation, encouragement, sacrifice and the brilliance I saw in him. By the special grace of Allah, we shall live long to reap the benefits of our labour. Warafanau monkano Aliyah. Amin.

Mr. Vice-Chancellor sir, Principal Officers of the University, Provosts and Deans Distinguished Academics, Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you all for your patience and attention.

Thank you and God bless.

ALHAMIDULILAH ROBIL ALAMIN SHUKRAN