The Wife of the Kwara State Governor, who is also the President, Leah Charity Foundation, Mrs. Omolewa Ahmed, has promised to work towards the inculcation of reading culture in every child in the state.

This, she said, is to ensure that all children grow to actualise their potential.

This was contained in a statement signed by Ahmed after a camp she organised for 200 pupils drawn from 64 schools at the Sapati International School on the outskirts of Ilorin, the state capital.

The children were exposed to reading, listening, comprehension, pronunciation skills, table manners, moral education, shared reading of drama, career talk, performance of drama and new words during the camp meeting.

Ahmed stated that they were also taught the importance of reading as a life-long skill which, she noted, was capable of determining the participants’ future.

Ahmed stated that her passion for education and the urge to spearhead the revival of the type of education she had as a pupil were some of the factors that motivated her to launch the initiative.

Reading, she said, helped her and some of her classmates to succeed in life despite the fact that she had her education in public schools.

Promising that another set of schools would be invited to the reading camp before the end of 2013, Ahmed said, “We would work with children who made camp this year and their schools to start the Leah Reading Clubs in all the participating schools. Our aim is that by the time this camp holds next year, our current participants would be in a position to motivate their friends in the new schools.”

Speaking on her experience at the camp, Miss Boluwatife Oniosun from Ogbo Grammar School, Omu Aran, who emerged the winner of the reading competition at the camp, said it was the best experience she had had in her educational career.

For her efforts,Oniosun would go to Finland on an exchange programme.

She said, “This opportunity has opened my eyes to the importance of reading, it has also taught me that my success could only be determined by me. I am determined to go out of this place to share my experience with my friends.”

In his remarks, Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, praised the Leah Charity Foundation for this important task that it set for itself.

While promising that his administration would assist the NGO toward ensuring that the camp becomes an annual event, he encouraged the organisation to find a way of bringing in pupils from private institutions so as to foster healthy competition.