“I have a passion for educating people because I believe it’s the only lasting thing one can give to another person. I’m also confident that if the intellect of the average Nigerian is improved, the country would improve” – Oluwatobi Raji.
Oluwatobi is a Grassroots Development Champion passionate about creating new technologies and undertaking voluntary projects. He is driven by the idea of leaving the world better than he met it.
He is a graduate of Petroleum Engineering from University of Lagos, and is currently working as a Software Product Manager at Babban Gona.
Oluwatobi recognized the importance of books as the wells of knowledge and stimulants of innovation. However, he was worried about the dying reading culture in his community and thought of reviving it.
To that effect, he launched the project “Book Club” at Igando Senior Comprehensive High School, Igando Lagos state. He chose to organize it in a public secondary school because students in those schools have often been disadvantaged.
The project sought to address issues like poor reading culture and gender discrimination, teach the students how to cultivate a reading habit, overcome distractions, set and reach for their goals, and leverage the digital space. In the course of the project, free books were distributed to the students.
The aftermath of the project was that the students developed a strong sense of awareness and commitment to reading books, using the internet for beneficial purposes, and improving their academics. A particular student who had been procrastinating on launching a book she’s written for a while now decided to take action into publishing the book
“I believe that there is an abundance of untapped knowledge in books and that people do not read enough” – Oluwatobi Raji
Oluwatobi has taken action to improve literacy in his community.
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