Ms Hadiza Bala-Usman, Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) says reading for pleasure is key to one’s transformation.
Bala-Usman spoke at the NPA Readers Forum maiden book presentation held in Lagos on Friday.
The NPA Book Forum presented its book titled, ‘The Business of Becoming the Best You’, at the event.
“For one to get to position of authority, there is need to have the attitude and culture of reading.
“As a result of this, one needs to be exposed at an early stage, especially as a child, to learn and love to read,’’ she said.
Bala-Usman said that reading makes one to journey to places that were being read about and imagined in a book.
She told the club members that reading was a way to learn and engage oneself, urging them to do more.
A poet, Lola Shoneyin, said that reading habit was best imbibed when one was young.
Shoneyin, who spoke on ‘Imbibing the Culture of Reading’, urged people, especially parents, to initiate conversations on the dining table about reading.
“Reading teaches empathy, which is often missing in Nigeria — both from leaders and followers.
“My journey as a writer all came from reading; it is everything. It forms character, vocabulary and makes an incredible community,’’ she said.
