John Obot, a professional teacher from Akwa Ibom State, is attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the longest read-aloud marathon completed by an individual. Former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, has endorsed Obot’s initiative. On Saturday, Obot successfully reached 100 hours and hopes to surpass the previous record of 124 hours set in September 2022 by a Kyrgyz, Rysbai Isakov, in Bursa, Turkey. Obot plans to reach 145 hours on Monday.

Obot spent several hours reading “The Letterman: Inside the ‘Secret’ letters of Former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo”, a book written by Newslodge Editor-in-Chief, Musikilu Mojeed. He started reading the book at 3 p.m. and continued until 10 p.m.

It’s possible that Obot would have reached his goal earlier if he hadn’t restarted his attempt on September 12, after completing his first 50 hours.

The reading exercise was interrupted due to equipment/power failures that caused technical problems, according to the organizers. However, despite the challenges, John’s determination to achieve this feat for the nation and his state, Akwa Ibom, exemplifies the resilient and never-give-up spirit of the people of the state and Nigerians at large. In a message published on X (previously known as Twitter) on Sunday morning, former governor Emmanuel called on Nigerians to support Obot, who is currently reading a variety of books, mainly Nigerian literature, in a small hotel lounge in Uyo. Several people have visited to show their solidarity.

Akwa Ibom, First Lady, Patience Eno; the state Information Commissioner, Ini Ememobong; a member of the state House of Representatives, Clement Jimbo; a former member of the House of Representatives, Onofiok Luke, and the president of the Nigerian Union of Journalists in the state, Amos Etuk, were among the dignitaries who visited the hotel to witness the reading.

The marathon runner stated that their exercise aimed to raise awareness about the rapid decline of the reading culture, especially among young Nigerians, and to encourage authors to keep writing. Some of the books that Obot has read aloud during the exercise include “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe, “Child of the Civil War” by Nestor Udoh, “Ibibio Nation: History and Culture” by Oto-Obong Uwah, “Eze Goes to School” by Michael Crowder and Onuora Nzekwu, “The Crumb Eaters” by Martin Akpan, and “Animal Farm” by George Orwell.