A Nigerian Group Attempts a 431-Hour Reading Marathon to Set a Guinness World Record

September 5, 2025

Five Nigerians attempted to break the Guinness World Record for the longest marathon reading aloud by continuously reading for 431 hours and 31 minutes at a Lagos restaurant. The participants—Precious Ukachi, John Obot, Stephen Oyelami, Temitope Ogunremi, and Ketura Heman—read 79 books by Nigerian authors during their 18-day marathon, which ended on Saturday. Organized by the nonprofit Naija ReadFest, the event aimed to promote literacy and celebrate Nigerian literature in a country where more than 10 million children are out of school and the literacy rate stands around 63%.

Who is affected

Nigerian youth and general population with limited access to books
More than 10 million children out of school in Nigeria
Nigerian authors and writers who struggle due to poor investment in literacy
Public and low-income school students
The five reading marathoners (Precious Ukachi, John Obot, Stephen Oyelami, Temitope Ogunremi, and Ketura Heman)

What action is being taken

Five Nigerians are attempting to break the Guinness World Record for longest reading aloud marathon
The nonprofit Naija ReadFest is organizing reading events to celebrate Nigerian literature
The group is forwarding evidence to Guinness World Record for confirmation of their attempt
Nonprofit organizations like Lead-Out are working to improve learning in public and low-income schools

Why it matters

Nigeria has a literacy rate of only about 63% as of 2021, which has barely improved in recent years
The event highlights books by local authors and raises awareness about literacy issues
Poor investment in education makes it difficult for many Nigerians to access books
The literacy space remains underdeveloped compared to other sectors like finance and health
The National Library project in Abuja remains unfinished since 2006, illustrating the lack of prioritization of literacy

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint