President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has welcomed the designation of Port Harcourt as the UNESCO World Book Capital 2014.
Receiving members of the Board of Trustees of the Rainbow Book Club at State House, Thursday, the President said this 'honour will form part of the activities for the celebration of Nigeria's Centenary next year'.
He said the activities of the Rainbow Book Club of Port Harcourt were in harmony with his initiative, 'Bring Back the Book Campaign' launched in 2010 to stimulate the younger generation of Nigerians to read books.
President Jonathan pledged government's assistance to the Club's activities, especially to help attract global attention to the events marking the UNESCO World Book Capital 2014 in Port Harcourt.
Earlier, Mrs. Koko Kalango, chairperson of the Rainbow Book Club, told the President that cities including Moscow, Oxford, and Lyon bid for the UNESCO World Book Capital 2014, but Port Harcourt was selected, describing this as 'an opportunity to put Nigeria on the global map'.
Mrs. Kalango said the Club needs the support of government to be able to positively prosecute the programmes of the UNESCO World Book Capital.
She said the Club's activities included a campaign titled, 'Get Nigeria Reading Campaign', similar to the President's 'Bring Back the Book Campaign'.
Mrs. Kalango presented a copy of the book, 'Nigerian Literature: A Coat of Many Colours', to the President, and thanked him for writing the Foreword, adding that it would be launched on April 23, 2013, World Book Day.
The Rainbow Book Club bestowed its honourary membership on President Jonathan.
REUBEN ABATI
Special Adviser to the President (Media and Publicity)
January 31, 2013
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN
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