A Nigerian, Olubayode Olawunmi has set a new Guinness Record in the ‘Longest Marathon Reading Aloud’ category. A father of three children, Olubayode O
A Nigerian, Olubayode Olawunmi has set a new Guinness Record in the ‘Longest Marathon Reading Aloud’ category. A father of three children, Olubayode Olawunmi, logged 120 hours at the YouRead Library Yaba in Lagos, under the YouREAD Initiative, a CSR initiative of Guaranty Trust Bank which seeks to reignite the interest in reading across Nigeria and beyond. He beat the previous record set by Nepali Deepak Sharma Bajagain whose record was 113 hours 15 minutes in 2008.
Another Nepalese, Tudikhel Ground tied the record. Bajagain’s book reading began on September 19 and ended on September 24, 2008. He recited 17 different books from 13 authors during his record attempt. Bayode began reading at 1:30 PM on Monday, February 26, 2018 and ended it 15.30 on Saturday. The 40 year old read aloud 23 published books. The Read Aloud Marathon, which had renowned Swiss watchmaker, TAG Heuer as the official timekeeper, will be sent to the offices of the Guiness World Record in London who will confirm if Olubayode Olawunmi has broken the record for the ‘Longest Marathon Read Aloud’.
Speaking on his remarkable feat, Olubayode Olawunmi said; “I would like to thank GT Bank first for sponsoring my Guinness World Record attempt, and most importantly, for all that the bank has been doing to support education and promote the culture of reading. I would also like to thank Nigerians everywhere who sent me messages of support physically and across social media; together, we are making reading famous again. I hope that this effort will raise our consciousness on the importance of reading and also help change the narrative that making money and being famous can only come from entertainment and sports. Those two are great, but so too is excelling in education, and hopefully the younger generation will find in my Guinness World Record attempt the inspiration to read and study more.”
Commenting on Olubayode’s Guiness World Record, the Managing Director and Chief Executive of GT Bank, Segun Agbaje said; “We are proud to have sponsored Olubayode Treasures Olawunmi’s brave attempt to make history through one of the most positive human activitie reading. His stunning feat will not only put Nigeria on the global map as a nation that is passionate about books, it will also serve as a source of inspiration to everyone in the country and beyond to adopt and maintain an active reading culture.”
He further stated that “At GTBank, we are passionate about rekindling the interest of young Nigerians in reading and will continue to create and support innovate ways to promote an active reading culture within and outside the academic environment.”
GTBank is regarded by industry watchers as one of the best run African financial institutions across its subsidiary countries and serves as a role model within the financial service industry due to its bias for world class corporate governance standards, excellent service quality and innovation. The Bank’s footprints in Corporate Social Responsibility are guided strategically by its decision to operate on four major pillars: Education, Community Development, Arts and the Environment, which it believes are essential building blocks for the society and prerequisites for economic growth and societal development.
