I WILL READ AGAIN By Amina Omoike

I love reading!

I actually really use to love reading.

Growing up in Satellite Town, my Dad had a HUGE library. It was wall-sized and from top to bottom. There still is a replica of that in our country home in Ikabigbo, Edo State. Everything was there – books on history, politics, war, literature, poetry, drama, and so on.

My Dad also loved reading and he was a fantastic writer, even though he was a Career Diplomat. This I found out during his funeral in 1994 when some younger staff from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs came on behalf of the ministry to pay their condolences. One said ‘I didn’t meet your father in service, but I read his articles and the things he wrote. He was a very intelligent Diplomat’.

My Mum also loved reading. Her focus was on the newspapers. She would buy practically every newspaper there was at the time – Daily Times, Concord, Vanguard, Guardian, Punch. When the tabloids came, she bought them too – Prime People, Vintage People, and the likes. She also became friends with a number of journalists / editors.

In her younger days, my mum was a fantastic fashion designer (Italian-trained, by the way). Did I also mention that my mum was (and still is) a really good writer? You should read some of her letters! She’s so knowledgeable about some many subjects – most she learnt from reading and travelling.

In primary school, I would read story books by Enid Blyton, then the Famous Five series and Nancy Drew.

When I got into secondary school, I moved to Mills and Boons, then towards the end of secondary school, I discovered Heartsongs.

When I got into higher institution (Auchi Poly), I started buying ‘big’ novels – John Grisham, Robert Ludlum, some famous and other not to famous novelists.

Even after I switched to Unizik, I still continued buying (and reading) novels. I would also buy music CDs in Onitsha. Reading and listening to music were always my favourite distractions.

My entry into journalism made me read more.

Fast forward to recent times, I still buy books – mostly faith-based and self-help; unfortunately, I hardly ever get to read them. I might start a book and dump it after the first chapter. Then they end up being moved from handbag to handbag under the guise that I would find time to read them.
At other times, they end up on my bookshelf (which is just a 10th of my late Dad’s) or most recently, tucked away in my wardrobe! Every time I open that section of the wardrobe, I shake my head – how did I stop reading?

So, this month, I made up my mind to begin reading again – and actually finishing the books.

I begin with these two titles – ‘Media Relations Playbook’ by Chido Nwakanma and ‘Fruitfulness on the frontline’ by Mark Greene.

So help me God!

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