A young Nigerian author, Williams Omeji, has called for deliberate mentorship and development opportunities to inspire younger generation of Nigerian writers in order to preserve the nation’s rich literary heritage.
He made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Abuja.
According to him, there is a need to nurture young people with an interest in creative writing, saying a strong reading culture would naturally produce more writers.
He advocated regular book fairs, literary festivals, reading competitions and creative writing programmes to make books more attractive and accessible to young people.
Omeji urged schools, including tertiary institutions, to engage writers and authors as resource persons during academic programmes and literary events.
“Many young readers hardly have the opportunity to interact with the authors of the books they admire because writers are seldom recognized or invited to engage with students.
“But such interactions would inspire more young people to develop an interest in books and creative writing,” he said.
He also called for rewards for intellectual activities, adding that reading competitions, book reviews, literary analysis and other educational programmes should attract incentives comparable to those offered in entertainment competitions.
He observed that while participants in entertainment programmes often receive substantial cash prizes, educational competitions receive relatively little support.
“If Nigerian youths are rewarded with millions of naira for non-intellectual activities, while those who participate in Mathematics competitions are paid N50,000 or N100,000, they will say, ‘Education is scam’”.
“Providing meaningful incentives for intellectual pursuits would encourage more young people to value education and develop a lasting interest in reading,” he said.
The author also underscored the importance of mentorship, urging established writers to guide emerging talents through the realities of the profession and help them improve their craft.
Omeji, author of ‘Once Upon a Town’, said every individual has a story worth telling as literature provides a platform for addressing societal issues such as conflict, love, pain, reconciliation and hope.
He said writing should transcend entertainment by reflecting people’s realities and preserving historical events for future generations.
Drawing from his own experience, the author said his novel, Once Upon a Town, was inspired by communal clashes in parts of eastern Nigeria.
He explained that documenting such experiences through literature helps preserve history and enables future generations to understand events that shaped communities across the country.
According to him, books allow readers to appreciate experiences beyond their immediate environment, promoting empathy, reconciliation and hope.
“If you don’t tell your story, people will tell it in a distorted way, so writers have a responsibility to document the experiences of their communities from their own perspectives.
“When people read what has been written, they go beyond their own borders and understand what happened to others,” he said.
Omeji, however, expressed concern over growing poor reading culture among young Nigerians, saying the trend could erode the nation’s literary heritage.
He noted that reading was the sure pathway to becoming a writer, but many youths of today were not avid readers.
According to him, cultivating the habit of reading from an early age would not only produce informed citizens but also inspire a new generation of writers who would continue documenting Nigeria’s stories.
He said rebuilding Nigeria’s reading culture would require deliberate collaboration among government, educational institutions, parents and other stakeholders.
“Reading does not come naturally to everyone, making it necessary to create an environment that encourages children to embrace books from an early age.
“Government should revive and strengthen national reading initiatives, and private organizations need to complement such efforts through sponsorship of literary programmes and reading campaigns,” he said.
He also called on parents to deliberately cultivate reading habits in their children from an early age, saying the home remains the foundation for building lifelong readers.
According to him, parents can make reading enjoyable by encouraging children with simple rewards for completing books, writing reviews or sharing what they have learnt.
The author, however, advised aspiring writers to pursue the profession out of passion rather than financial expectations.
He noted that although opportunities within Nigeria’s publishing industry remain limited, commitment and perseverance were essential requirements for success.
“If you are going into writing because of money, you may become discouraged, you should write because you love it and because you have a story to tell,” he said. (NAN).
