OTUFODURIN Says, Writing is the Soul of Communication… no child develop without writing culture, Akintayo added

The Executive Director of Media Career Development Network and President of Journalists for Christ (JFC), Mr. Lekan Otufodurin has described writing as the soul of communication and it is necessary not only to get our youths to read and acquire the knowledge they need at every stage of their lives, but need to write academically as required in school and also master other forms of writings.

Otufodurin was the special guest and keynote speaker at the formal commissioning of The Writers College in Egbeda, Lagos.

He identified low reading culture as the problem of children who read on whatever platform they choose to read. “Unlike in the past when the reading culture was carefully nurtured by parents with reading materials specifically provided for children. Now, we are in the age of information overload when many have become superficial readers without the quest for deep knowledge to grow their minds in the right ways”, he said.

He noted, “writing will have a great impact on the Africa Child and for them to read and be able to write, they need necessary guidance from parents and adults around them”.

Giving example of his love for writing, Otufodurin said, his own father who not only loved reading newspapers and magazines, but had a book shelf where he regularly gave him books to read and summarize influenced him. Though he was not educated beyond secondary school level, but provided the atmosphere that made him love reading and start writing creatively from secondary school days.

Acknowledging that some amazing children and young writers of today are gifted, Lekan said, “writing is a skill that has to be learnt and mastered, though not as difficult as it seems for good writing in various endeavours but we need to nurture their talents and provide children friendly books to make easier for them to enjoy writing”.

“Many books taught moral lessons and promotes our culture and that is important for the African child to become the leaders of tomorrow
we desire”, Otufodurin said.

Otufodurin suggest proper documentation of African Child’s plight to draw the attention of various authorities to take appropriate action as another impact improve writing culture will have on the African Child. They must tell their own stories, he said.

He commended the commissioning of The Writers College and believe many will take advantage of the school opportunity to learn the art of writing to become a real man.

Delivering his lecture, “The Impact of Writing Culture on the Development of a Child” at the school commissioning, the Publisher of Providence Magazine and President of Christian Press Association of Nigeria (CPAN), Mr. Gracious Akintayo said, writing culture play a significant role in the development of a child and no child develop outside the writing culture because of the impact.

He emphasized that, the background by which a child is brought up affects his life’s activities and creates the child reasoning for development. It is, however necessary to ascertain the writing culture that could make-up differences in character and mark a child from others with advantage to human development.

Akintayo also agreed with the opinion that, a child’s writing culture is developed by biological, emotional, social and psychological changes that occur in the child between the birth to the adolescence and this starts from the home. “The cultural background in which a child grows up also performs an important role in the child’s writing development. The parents, peer groups and elders around the child have roles to play in the developmental stages of a child”.

When it comes to training of a child, the type of training and nurturing depends on the environment and foundation stages, which will later impact on the child’s development in life”, he said.

He added, because of the role it plays in the life of a child, the foundational process a child must pass through is connected with the stages of writing, spelling, correction and reading. “The impact of writing culture will spell out the development of a child at a given time and this will go a long way to shape the child’s development and the quality he is be made of.”

Further more, Akintayo explained writing culture is about life, beliefs, values and reasoning by communicating what has been learnt over time to generations and to bring out the quality in a child exceptional natural gift, human development and expositions of ideas; customs and social behavior.

He described the process as total sum of experience and education that spells out the manner by which a child is brought up and went ahead stating conception, birth, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, death and beyond as seven most important phases of change and rites of passage in human lives and they provoke change in the life of a child to enable the child properly develop into the system and have a perfect development.

Akintayo advised, “every person is expected to correct a child whether they are related or not. The caring and the training of a child starts from the home and everyone, especially the parents are responsible for this type of training to ensure a child develop morally, culturally, physically, socially and emotionally. Because, a child with ability of writing culture will make a difference in character, be accorded developmental honour and identity.

Concluding, Gracious Akintayo said the impact of writing culture on the development of a child is an interesting adventure, part of life’s development and training that shape and take the society forward; develop the social and intellectual abilities of the child and give better understanding of the environment and situations.

In his remark, the Director of Studies of The Writers College, Mr. Chiemeka Chiedozie explained the vision behind the college and gave the breakdown of courses the college offers and how the college is well equipped with qualified resourceful faculties and management.

He encouraged youths and parents to imbibe the culture of writing, stir up and develop the gift of writing in them by enrolling in the college as students.

Other guest speakers during the well attended writers college commissioning are Mr. Samuel Adeyemi (MD/CEO, Media DNA) and Pastor Pastor Segun Oluwatosin (an Author).