The publisher and chairman of The Guardian Newspapers Limited, Lady Maiden Alex-Ibru, Saturday, opened the inaugural Akada Children’s Book Festival (ACBF) at the British Council, Ikoyi, Lagos State.

Arguably the first ever book festival focusing on children, the ACBF is an initiative of the publisher of Clever Clogs Books, Olubunmi Aboderin Talabi.

While opening the event, The Guardian Newspaper chief emphasised the importance of reading. She noted that the festival’s name “akada” is derived from the word academy.

“If you don’t read, you can’t become an akada,” Maiden Alex-Ibru added.

Mrs Ibru also read an excerpt from a book to the kids who attended the event.

The event was designed to showcase children’s books written by African authors or books written by authors from around the world for children of colour.
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The ACBF targets children aged 13 and below, parents, teachers and guardians as well as those who create child-appropriate content. Scheduled as a one-day festival, the event is poised to attract over 900 attendees with various fun activities lined up.

The festival will also feature relevant activities such as workshops for writers and illustrators, authors’ showcase, interactive and engaging workshops for children, soft skills masterclasses for teachers and parents and a whole lot more.

Speakers to be featured at the workshops are thought leaders drawn from a wide variety of fields which include publishing, public speaking, entertainment, digital media, parenting and educational sectors of Nigeria.
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