Guinness World Records (GWR) has officially recognised a Nigerian man for completing the “world’s longest marathon reading aloud.”
The 27-year-old Samson Ajao broke the feat, clocking in at 215 hours— reading continuously for nearly nine full days. The World Records body confirmed this in a statement on Wednesday.
The Ibadan-born, who read aloud for eight days and twenty-three hours, shattered the previous record of 124 hours set by Rysbai Isakov of Kyrgyzstan in 2022.
His achievement contributes to the growing list of Nigerians who have been setting records frequently over the past year, following in the footsteps of Hilda Baci, whose record-breaking cook-a-thon sparked a wave of similar feats.
Mr Ajao commenced his marathon reading session at the Adolak Hotel’s Conference Hall in Osogbo, Osun State. His attempt was met with widespread attention, drawing support from notable figures such as Ngozi Adeleke, the Osun State House of Assembly Speaker, and Dipo Eluwole, the Osun State Commissioner for Education.
The Osogbo-born stated that the reading marathon he attempted was not a personal challenge but a cultural statement aimed at promoting literacy and inspiring a new generation of readers. “I wanted to show that reading is still a powerful personal and societal growth tool.
“We have seen people, especially students, bringing books to the programme venue, and they were happy to celebrate with us. I believe I have inspired people, and it will go a long way. I read about 100 books over ten days for 215 hours,” Ajao told Punch after the event.
His selection of over 100 books covering diverse topics ranging from leadership, politics, finance and sales to health and mental wellness reflected his belief in the transformative power of knowledge.