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PAUL OMOROGBE and ESTHER OGUNLOWO asked Samson Olalekan Ajao, the ‘Longest marathon reading aloud’ Guinness World Record holder, how he achieved the feat. From May 6 to 15, 2024, Ajao read for 215 hours, an hour short of full nine days. He read around 100 books in total, covering subjects such as finance, sales, management, leadership, politics, health and mental wellness.
WHAT prompted you to attempt this record?
I was motivated by the famous quote that readers become leaders. I believe it is the right time to put Nigeria on the world map. We are known for intellectual dedication and the curiosity to find ideas and solutions hidden in books. I have the passion for reading. I love reading. I want to encourage our society to read more.
Tell us your background.
I did secondary school at Lagelu Grammar School, Ibadan. I graduated from Osun State Polytechnic Iree with HND in Business Administration and Management. For my day job, I work in a law firm as an administrator. I also have two firms I provide writing and business solutions for. My father is from Ibadan and my mother is from Iwo, Osun State. I am engaged.
What’s your take on the reading culture in Nigeria?
Nigerians are great. The Nobel Laureate in Africa is from Nigeria, Professor Wole Soyinka. Nigerians are known for greatness and brilliance. I am encouraging the youth and the generation to come to continue to consolidate literacy development in our society.
How did you feel after the success?
I felt so great. I felt so fulfilled because I have been able to inspire children, students and people across Nigeria who attended the official attempt. Some even came with their books to practise reading. I am very sure that this is something that will inspire others to pursue their dreams.
Tell us the process for this competition.
Going by the Guinness World Record (GWR) guidelines, you select the category, you want to compete in. I went for the longest marathon reading aloud and I applied to the category. A confirmation email was sent. After that I was given an approval to proceed with the attempt. I filled the necessary information on their portal. There are guidelines for the particular category you want to compete. Firstly, the timeframe. You only have five minutes in one hour to rest. If you need 30 minutes of rest to take your bath or take a nap, you have to do your calculations to have those 30 minutes of rest. All the things you are doing will be recorded. There is nothing like behind the camera. All the video evidence, monitoring of your time, witnesses and every other personnel that will put their statement at the end of the attempt must be in place. When you compile all your evidence and submit to GWR, you will wait for three months. However, there is a priority service where you pay around 450 pounds for them to speed up the process. I didn’t have such amount so I had to wait for the usual time period. If you stick to the guidelines, you will get the result. If it is otherwise, they will communicate to you.
There is always another time. Whoever attempts a record and fails should see it as a process of self-development and what you want to represent in the society.
What was your personal preparation like?
Reading has been part of me. I was SUG president at Iree 2020/2021. Reading books should part of a comrade’s life. After you go for agitations, at night you must read so that you don’t fail at the end of the academic session. Reading gives you enough ideas to present your case in a very logical manner. If you are having an argument with the government or any stakeholder, you must read to equip yourself with enough findings.
The GWR attempt is a very serious and tasking thing. It requires a very positive mindset. What I have understood is that it is whatever you have in your mind that reflects itself in an equivalent tangible form. You must have a positive mindset that I am going to achieve this!
It is draining, so you must be physically and mentally fit.
How did you prepare for the physical and mental part?
You need training. You must make sure that for months you practise not sleeping so that that process has become you. Sometimes when you sleep, you try to wake up and stay active, so that during the attempt and you have 10 minutes nap, and your team asks you to return, you must immediately become active. You can’t ask for one more hour! You need to practise that.
Another thing is that you must not be under the influence of any substance. When you are under the influence of any substance, the substance may keep you going for some hours. Immediately the substance expires, you will collapse. You won’t be able to continue because you have forced yourself to do what you cannot do. You must go through the right path of practising and personal development.
How long did it take you to prepare?
Since reading is what I do on a daily basis, so taking my time to read is not my problem. The only challenge is that I have what I do daily for a living. But it is like a player training for the finals. The matches you have played before count for your experience. Your mental capacity to stay positive, give yourself the morale that you can achieve this. Even when you get tired, if your mind is not tired, you will keep going.
When did you make the decision to attempt the challenge?
That was in March.
That was after Hilda Baci’s attempt. Will you say it was made you decide to go for the GWR?
I will say no because the purpose of what we want to achieve is different.
If she didn’t attempt it, will you still have made your attempt?
Of course, because I have always lived to motivate people. So, I have looked for a platform that will inspire more people.
People struggle to read. Can you give us practical steps to overcome this?
Everyone has something that interests them. For me, I love reading non-fiction books that teach the realities of life. So you have to discover what your interest is. What do you love reading about? What do you want to know more about? When you are able to discover this, reading will become easier for you. The basic foundation to build a habit of reading is to find out what you are interested in.
What of academic reading like Maths, Chemistry or Economics which you may not be interested in, but have to read?
When it comes to academic life, whether you like it or you don’t, it is part of what you need to succeed. So, it must interest you; because it is a prerequisite for you to succeed in your academic pursuits. Another thing is that it is not always what you love doing that you must do. Of course, I may not want to stay awake for 215 hours. But because what I want to achieve will inspire people, it becomes a sacrifice. There is much you can gain, so you look forward to it as you press on.
What’s advice to people
My general advice to people is that in this life, you cannot be everywhere and do everything. You must have the belief that there is no limit to what you can achieve. This is not limited to education. Some people don’t have Western education and they are achieving what people said they cannot achieve and living their best life. This is because they have set their mind to achieve great things. You can always achieve more than people think that you can achieve!
There is this popular saying that goes ‘seek knowledge from cradle to grave.’ It is in the interest of everyone to keep developing themselves. Read books, do research and listen to people that know better than you do!
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