Ajao set out to beat Rybai Isakov, the current Guinness World Record holder, who held the record for the longest marathon reading aloud—124 hours—when he began the read-a-thon on Monday, May 6, in Osogbo, Osun State.
On Wednesday, friends and fans of Samson Ajao, an ex-student of Osun State Polytechnic in Iree, Osun State, celebrated with him on the streets of Osogbo after he hit the new record of 215 hours for the longest marathon reading aloud.
After he accomplished the accomplishment, Ajao and his followers celebrated by traveling around Odi-Olowo Street and Gbongan/Osogbo Road in Osogbo in their convoy.
Ajao set out to beat Rybai Isakov, the current Guinness World Record holder, who held the record for the longest marathon reading aloud—124 hours—when he began the read-a-thon on Monday, May 6, in Osogbo, Osun State.
Soon after he started the challenge, he received a solidarity visit from a number of well-known individuals and representatives of the Osun State government.
Among the dignitaries that visited Ajao were the wife of Osun State Governor, Mrs Ngozi Adeleke, the Speaker of Osun House of Assembly, Mr. Adewale Egbedun, and Commissioner for Education, Mr. Dipo Eluwole.
He however hit 215 hours around noon on Wednesday to set a new world record for marathon reading aloud.
Speaking with PUNCH Online after completing the read-a-thon, Ajao, who said he read about 100 books in 10 days while the challenge lasted, declared that he felt fulfilled and encouraged people to develop a better attitude to reading.
He said, “I am fulfilled because I aimed to inspire people to go back to the library and bring back the reading culture to the society and it has been interesting.
“We have seen people, especially students coming around bringing books to the venue of the programme and they were happy to celebrate with us. I believe that I have inspired people and it would go a long way. I read about 100 books over 10 days for a total of 215 hours.”
He said records of the challenge have been submitted to the management of Guinness World Records for verification.
