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From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
A legal scholar and author, Dr Chris Onyemaechi Okoboh, has renewed calls for urgent measures to revive Nigeria’s declining reading culture, particularly among children and young people.
Okoboh made the call in Abuja while unveiling four new academic titles and a companion website, at an event attended by personalities from politics, academia, the military and other sectors.
The books unveiled were Maritime Law in Nigeria, Nigerian Property Management, Nigerian Risk Management and Arbitration in Nigeria.
Okoboh, a lawyer, arbitration scholar and author of 67 books covering law, governance, risk management, biography and fiction, said the latest publications were motivated by his concern over the declining availability of serious academic literature and the weakening reading culture in the country.
He attributed part of the decline, particularly among young Nigerians, to the increasing and unchecked use of social media.
The scholar called for collaboration between government and parents to reverse the trend, including legislation to regulate children’s access to social media platforms.
“Through my writing, I speak for the voiceless, and through books offer solutions and suggestions to challenges plaguing us daily as a people,” he said.
Okoboh, who is also a recipient of the African Best Living Author award, said his works addressed issues affecting Nigerian society, including injustice, oppression and human trafficking.
He said government and parents had important roles to play in restoring reading as a national habit.
“My books, for instance, centre on happenings in our society — injustice, oppression, human trafficking and all that. It is fundamental that government, through legislation, and parents must work together to bring back the culture of reading in our society,” he said.
He described the four new publications as products of his experience in examining the legal and institutional frameworks relevant to Nigeria’s development.
According to him, the books are founded on the belief that effective institutions require knowledge, research and informed citizens.
The author said the publications were intended to contribute to the body of knowledge available to students, researchers, practitioners, policymakers and institutions.
The four books examine different areas of law, governance and risk, including Nigeria’s maritime sector, property administration, risk management and alternative dispute resolution.
Senator Ned Munir Nwoko, representing Delta North in the National Assembly, who stood in as special guest of honour for the chairman of the occasion, former Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, also called for the restoration of reading as a national culture.
Nwoko described the publications as contributions to scholarship and knowledge.
“No doubt the books are very informative. Not only that, it is a celebration of knowledge, scholarship, and endurance,” he said.
Nwoko purchased 400 copies of the books on behalf of himself and Ganduje at an undisclosed amount.
He also urged universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, libraries, political institutions and legislative bodies to adopt the books for use.
According to him, wider institutional adoption of scholarly publications would help expose students and researchers to locally produced knowledge while encouraging reading and academic research.
The books were also subjected to reviews during the event.
Reviewing Maritime Law in Nigeria, Dumebi Henry Emma-Dibia highlighted issues surrounding the regulation of Nigeria’s maritime sector and the risks associated with maritime transactions.
He called for stronger regulatory measures and reforms to address challenges affecting the sector.
Emma-Dibia said improved regulation would help strengthen the legal and institutional framework governing maritime activities in the country.
Another reviewer, Augusta Massey, examined Arbitration in Nigeria, focusing on the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms in resolving disputes.
She said ADR remained underutilised in Nigeria despite its potential to provide efficient alternatives to prolonged litigation.
Massey recommended that Nigeria examine arbitration and mediation frameworks in countries including the United Arab Emirates, Rwanda and Ghana for possible lessons that could strengthen its own dispute resolution system.
The Abuja event also featured the unveiling of the author’s companion website, designed to provide additional access to his works and scholarly materials.
Okoboh said the publications and the digital platform were part of his contribution to knowledge development and efforts to make research materials more accessible.
The author urged Nigerians, particularly young people, to return to books and serious reading, saying sustained intellectual development required regular engagement with knowledge beyond social media content.
