With A Chapter A Day Keeps The Brain Alert, as theme, the kids took turns to read from Jonathan Swift’s novel, Guillivers Travels. The classic teaches humanity virtues such as, commitment, self respect, humility, respect, self-discipline, responsibility and others.
In the opening address, Deputy Managing Director Deep Water, represented by Executive General Manager, Deep Water Field Operations, Adeyemi Akinlalu, said the event is aimed at promoting a book culture among students. It is also a way of increasing their knowledge and opportunity to share career trajectories, as well as guide the children early to make career decisions.
While emphasising the importance of reading in students’ lives, he said, “it involves a considerable level of concentration, and builds patience, discipline and critical thinking. knowledge. All these virtues help to build good character and values necessary for a successful life.”
He gave an example of the former U.S. President, Barack Obama, who once said, “reading is the gateway key that makes all other learning possible.”
The Lagos State Commissioner for Education Jamiu Alli-Balogun, represented by Director, Co-Curriculum Services, Mr. Abatan, commended TotalEnergies for their gesture.
He reminisced on his younger days when students exchanged books such as, Sidney Sheldon and James Hardley Chase, among others.
According to Abatan, “we struggled to collect books from ourselves, suddenly all that is no longer there. We must go back to reading; I loved to read literature books even though I was a science student.”
The General Manager of Total Country Services, Adesua Adewole, discouraged children from spending all their time on phone, as it will not give them acute concentration a book will do because there are so many distractions there.
Role Model of the day was Head, Corrosion Deepwater Operation, Yetunde Asekun, who began to tell the students how she didn’t like reading, but discovered that there is nothing you want to do in life that doesn’t require reading.
According Asekun, who spoke at length, “reading is a part of life that you cannot avoid. You must continue to read to be better informed, it is for your benefit, nobody can take that away from you, the reason why I am a technical authority in my field is because I have done the groundwork and I am still learning.”
She pleaded with the students that even if they didn’t learn anything from all she said, they should remember that their passion is the thing that will drive them, reading and learning will sustain that passion.
