By Bola Babarinde
In many Nigerian homes today, a quiet crisis is unfolding. Toddlers can swipe before they can spell. Primary school pupils own smartphones before they own dictionaries. Children spend hours on tablets yet struggle to read a full chapter of a book with understanding. We call it modernization, but we must ask ourselves an honest question: are we nurturing intelligence or creating dependency?
It is time for a national reset that places reading and foundational learning above early digital immersion.
A child holding a book is building concentration, imagination, patience, and deep thinking. Reading strengthens vocabulary, improves communication skills, and trains the brain to process complex ideas. It teaches children to sit with a thought, reflect on it, and develop independent reasoning. Screens, especially when introduced too early and without structure, often entertain more than they educate. They can fragment attention and reduce the ability to focus deeply for long periods.
Children who cultivate the habit of reading do not only perform better academically; they develop the mindset to lead. A reading child becomes a thinking adult. A thinking adult becomes a problem solver, an innovator, and a nation builder.
Around the world, many highly successful individuals are known for emphasizing learning and structured development in their homes. It is common to see images of influential leaders’ children carrying books at public events rather than digital devices. The message is powerful. Those who understand technology deeply often ensure that it does not dominate their children’s early years. Technology is treated as a tool, not as a substitute for thinking. If the architects of the digital world are intentional about managing screen exposure, we too must be deliberate.
Nigeria’s educational system must also reflect this balance. Digital literacy is important, but foundational literacy must come first. Before coding, a child must comprehend. Before scrolling, a child must reason. Schools should strengthen early reading programs, invest in libraries, promote literature culture, and reward intellectual curiosity. A nation that does not read widely cannot compete intellectually on the global stage.
There is also much to learn from countries such as Japan, where discipline, responsibility, and practical skills are emphasized from a young age. Education there goes beyond theory. Children are taught to value craftsmanship, teamwork, and hands-on problem solving. Global brands like Toyota did not emerge by chance. They grew from a culture that respects training, technical skill, and precision. Nigeria can adopt similar approaches by integrating technical workshops, mechanical clubs, agricultural projects, and entrepreneurship training into school programs. Let children learn to build, repair, create, and innovate, not merely consume.
This argument is not against technology. The digital world offers immense opportunity and must remain part of our future. However, introducing unrestricted screen exposure at a tender age can shorten attention spans, limit creativity, reduce physical activity, and weaken meaningful social interaction. Early childhood should be filled with books, outdoor play, conversation, storytelling, handwriting, and practical tasks. Technology should support development, not replace it.
Parents must also reflect on daily habits. When a child is bored, do we provide a book or a phone? When a child is restless, do we engage them in conversation or hand them a screen? The habits formed in childhood shape the discipline of adulthood. A child trained to depend on constant entertainment may struggle with focus later in life. A child trained to read develops patience, resilience, and intellectual depth.
True wealth begins in the mind. Before financial success comes knowledge. Before innovation comes imagination. Reading expands the mind, practical training strengthens the hands, and balanced exposure to technology prepares children for opportunity. Nigeria does not merely need digitally exposed children; it needs thoughtful, skilled, and creative young people who can compete globally.
If we teach our children to love learning, we equip them with tools that no device can replace. Children who read today are far more likely to lead tomorrow. The future of Nigeria will not be shaped by those who scroll endlessly, but by those who study deeply, think critically, and create boldly.
