NCDMB promotes reading culture at book reading event

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has reiterated its commitment to promoting reading, learning and intellectual development through its book reading programme.

The board stated this during the fifth edition of the NCDMB Book Reading Programme, held at the NCDMB Tower in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

Head of Corporate Communication, Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, who represented the NCDMB management, said the programme had continued to grow in profile and participation since its inception.

Ezeobi said the latest edition was held at the NCDMB Tower and streamed online, enabling people within and outside Nigeria to participate.

He said, “The last event we had, we were crammed, and we even had an overflow. But today, we have migrated to the NC Tower, which is evidence of the growing profile of this event.

“We are even currently streaming this event, so you can watch this event anywhere in the world, anywhere in our offices. In fact, across the globe. This speaks to the importance of this event and the profile of the author we are bringing.”

According to him, the NCDMB deliberately invites authors of repute whose books address thematic issues concerning development, the oil and gas industry and Nigeria as a whole.

He said the board believed that knowledge played an important role in personal growth, professional development and national progress.

“Books give us the opportunity to learn from the experience of others, question familiar ideas, and engage issues from different perspectives,” Ezeobi added.

Ezeobi described the author of the featured book, Mr. Paul Nwabuikwu, as an accomplished writer, journalist, public policy expert, analyst and strategic communication professional with about three decades of writing experience.

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He noted that Nwabuikwu had served as media and communication adviser to former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and had also worked in the media, oil and gas and advertising sectors.

He said, “Many times, our writings, our books discuss development through numbers, policies, projects and institutions. These are important measures. Yet development is often about people. It’s about how their lives are touched.”

The NCDMB spokesperson said the board’s mandate went beyond oil and gas capacity development to supporting businesses, developing institutions and creating opportunities for Nigerians to participate meaningfully in the energy sector.

Speaking on the inspiration behind the book, Nwabuikwu said ‘The Pain and the Promise’ was a collection of different writings produced over a period of time and was built around his interest in telling the human stories behind public affairs, politics and everyday life.

He said, “Everybody is a story. Everything you see in this world is a story. We are all stories.”

He said the eclectic nature of the book was because the writings were not originally conceived as a single book, but were later brought together in one volume.

Nwabuikwu said one of the chapters, titled “No Plan B,” examined the journey of Nigerian music star Burna Boy and the challenges he encountered before achieving international success.

According to him, the story illustrated that significant success was rarely accidental or achieved overnight.

He said the book also explored the moment of epiphany when individuals make critical decisions to pursue a particular path regardless of the challenges ahead.