The National Association of Seadogs (NAS), Pyrates Confraternity, Oxbow Marino Deck, has launched a Reading Club at the Comprehensive Community Secondary School, Yenizue-Gene/Biogbolo, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, as part of activities marking the 2026 International Literacy Day.
The initiative, which included the donation of novels and textbooks to the school, was aimed at promoting reading among students and reviving interest in reading beyond the classroom.
Speaking at the event, the Capoon of Oxbow Marino Deck, Arc. Timiebi Binafeigha, said literacy had evolved beyond the ability to read and write, stressing the need for young people to acquire knowledge that would prepare them for the demands of a changing world.
Binafeigha said NAS, which he described as a United Nations-accredited organisation, was using the occasion to encourage students to develop a reading culture that would support their academic development and future careers.
He said, “If we train the students to read today, they will do well in the future. Literacy, as we know it, is not only about reading and writing. It has gone beyond that to include sustainability of the planet, information and communication technology and other areas of knowledge.”
According to him, the establishment of the reading club was intended to make reading a regular activity among the students and encourage them to develop an interest in books outside their prescribed textbooks.
He said, “If you pick that interest in reading and have a reading culture, it will help you to read your normal Physics, Chemistry and Biology textbooks.”
Binafeigha urged the government, communities, individuals and organisations to support initiatives aimed at improving literacy and restoring the reading culture among young Nigerians.
“We are here to encourage these young ones that education is key. That is why we are here today,” he said.
The school principal, Mr Court Ogbuseri, represented by the Senior Tutor, Grace Obiyai, commended NAS for the initiative, saying the organisation’s engagement with the students had provided practical lessons beyond conventional classroom teaching.
Obiyai urged the students to apply the lessons from the programme to their academic and personal development.
The Senior Prefect of the school and newly inaugurated president of the Reading Club, Miss Celine Tulagha, described the initiative as an opportunity that would contribute to the students’ academic growth.
“I feel honoured and privileged. I believe this club will help us in our academic pursuit, and we are grateful to NAS for this gesture and opportunity. We promise to make the best of it,” she said.
The programme featured the inauguration of the reading club, a book-reading session, talks with the students, a quiz and the presentation of school bags, textbooks and reading materials to students and the newly established club.
