The need for Nigeria to shift from dependent on crude oil to intellectual capital has been emphasised at the 2014 World Book Capital held in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

At the Wednesday event, a former Nigerian Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, expressed optimism that Nigeria can make huge progress. She emphasising that “Nigeria’s ability to excel against global competitors is an indication of the great potential that lies within the country”.

Dr Ezekwesili, who was one of the speakers at the event, believes that Nigeria’s present circumstances are not enough to prevent the country from attaining its greatness.

She pointed out that hosting the 2014 World Book Capital goes beyond the event itself to the enduring change of the society through books.

“Nigerians compete against the best in the world and we excel. No matter what our circumstances may be, we know that we shall attain our greatness.

“I assure everyone that the most important thing to us is the enduring change that will happen in our society as far as importance of book is concerned,” she said.

The former Minister stressed the need for Nigerians to imbibe the culture of reading, saying that through reading “the children, who will transform Nigeria from a society that is focused on easy wealth to a great society, will begin to emerge”.

“We must replace oil with intellectual capital and the fastest way to achieve that is through the book,” she stated.

Shifting the means of revenue generation from oil to other sectors of the economy is part of the agenda of the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.