According to literacy trust UK, literacy is the ability to read, write, speak, and listen in a way that lets us communicate effectively and make sense of the world. It gives people access to information and plays a significant role in reducing gender inequality and lifelong poverty. We believe that literacy is an intrinsic part of education without which there will be no education of any other kind nor a world where people can understand themselves and collaborate for any common good.

UNESCO affirms that as of 2020, at least 763 million young people and adults lacked basic literacy skills. More so, in recent times COVID-19 crisis and other crises, like climate change and conflicts, have been worsening the challenges. In low- and middle-income countries, the number of 10-year-old children who could not read and comprehend basic texts rose from 57 per cent in 2019 to about 70 per cent in 2022. Likewise, UNICEF says that 75% 0f children between the age of 7 and 14 in Nigeria cannot read simple sentences or solve basic maths.

According to Flickers of Hope, poverty is responsible for the prevailing poor reading culture in Nigeria as parents struggle to pay and consequently are not able to buy books for their children. In agreement, an article in Guardian Nigeria confirms that many Nigerians do not have access to libraries and affordable bookstores. According to an article published on the Lagos state government website on the 28th of March 2019, reading ability in Nigeria has been affected hugely due to poverty, corruption, and lack of dedicated quiet reading spaces like libraries.