Ekene Uzoigwe's Blog

Reading is to the Mind what the Exercise is to the 
Body. Reading is important for the brain, whether 
it is school textbooks, magazines, or regular books, 
people still read, though not as much as they used 
to.
Despite television, cell phones, and Twitter, tradi 
tional reading is still an important skill. Reading is 
important for the brain, whether it is school text 
books, magazines, or regular books, people still 
read, though not as much as they used to. One 
reason that many people don't read much is that 
they don't read well. For them, it is slow, hard 
work and they don't remember as much as they 
should.
If you are one of countless people who don't make 
a habit of reading regularly, you might be missing 
out on the significant benefits of reading.
Here are 10 Benefits Why you need to Read 
EveryDay
1. Mental Stimulation 
Just like any other muscle in the body, the brain 
requires exercise to keep it strong and healthy, so 
the phrase "use it or lose it" is particularly apt 
when it comes to your mind. Doing puzzles and 
playing games such as chess have also been found 
to be helpful with cognitive stimulation.
2. It Reduces Stress 
No matter how much stress you have at work, in 
your personal relationships, or countless other 
issues faced in daily life, it all just slips away 
when you lose yourself in a great story. A well- 
written novel can transport you to other realms 
while an engaging article will distract you and 
keep you in the present moment, letting tensions 
drain away and allowing you to relax.
3. Reading Makes You Smarter (Knowledge) 
Everything you read fills your head with new bits 
of information and you never know when it might 
come in handy. The more knowledge you have, the 
better-equipped you are to tackle any challenge 
you'll ever face. Additionally, here's a bit of food 
for thought: should you ever find yourself in dire 
circumstances, remember that although you might 
lose everything else your job, your possessions, 
your money, even your health knowledge can never 
be taken from you.
4. Vocabulary Expansion 
The more you read, the more words you gain 
exposure to and they will inevitably make their 
way into your everyday vocabulary. Being 
articulate and well-spoken is of great help in any 
profession and knowing that you can speak to 
higher-ups with self-confidence can be an 
enormous boost to your self-esteem. It could even 
aid in your career, as those who are well-read, 
well-spoken, and knowledgeable on a variety of 
topics tend to get promotions more quickly (and 
more often) than those with smaller vocabularies 
and lack of awareness of literature, scientific 
breakthroughs, and global events. 
Reading books is also vital for learning new 
languages, as non-native speakers gain exposure 
to words used in context, which will ameliorate 
their own speaking and writing fluency.
5. It Improves Your Memory 
When you read a book, you have to remember an 
assortment of characters, their backgrounds, 
ambitions, history, and nuances, as well as the 
various arcs and sub-plots that weave their way 
through every story. That's a fair bit to 
remember but brains are marvellous things and 
can remember these things with relative ease. 
Amazingly enough, every new memory you create 
forges new synapses (brain pathways)and 
strengthens existing ones, which assists in short- 
term memory recall as well as stabilizing moods. 
How cool is that?
6. Stronger Analytical Thinking Skills 
Have you ever read an amazing mystery novel and 
solved the mystery yourself before finishing the 
book? If so, you were able to put critical and 
analytical thinking to work by taking note of all 
the details provided and sorting them out to 
determine "whodunnit". 
That same ability to analyze details also comes in 
handy when it comes to critiquing the plot; 
determining whether it was a well-written piece, 
if the characters were properly developed, if the 
storyline ran smoothly, etc. Should you ever have 
an opportunity to discuss the book with others, 
you will be able to state your opinions clearly, as 
you have taken the time to really consider all the 
aspects involved.
7. Improves Your Focus and Concentration 
In our internet-crazed world, attention is drawn 
in a million different directions at once as we 
multi-task through every day. In a single 5- 
minute span, the average person will divide their 
time between working on a task, checking email, 
chatting with a couple of people (via facebook, 
skype, etc.), keeping an eye on twitter, 
monitoring their smartphone, and interacting with 
co-workers. This type of ADD-like behaviour 
causes stress levels to rise, and lowers our 
productivity. 
When you read a book, all of your attention is 
focused on the story—the rest of the world just 
falls away, and you can immerse yourself in every 
fine detail you're absorbing. Try reading for 
15-20 minutes before work (i.e. on your morning 
commute, if you take public transit), and you'll be 
surprised at how much more focused you are once 
you get to the office.
8. Better Writing Skills 
This goes hand-in-hand with the expansion of your 
vocabulary: exposure to published, well-written 
work has a noted effect on one's own writing, as 
observing the cadence, fluidity, and writing styles 
of other authors will invariably influence your own 
work. In the same way that musicians influence 
one another, and painters use techniques 
established by previous masters, so do writers 
learn how to craft prose by reading the works of 
others.
9. Tranquility 
In addition to the relaxation that accompanies 
reading a good book, it's possible that the subject 
you read about can bring about immense inner 
peace and tranquility. Reading spiritual texts can 
lower blood pressure and bring about an immense 
sense of calm while reading self-help books has 
been shown to help people suffering from certain 
mood disorder.
10. Free Entertainment 
For low-budget entertainment, you can visit your 
local library and bask in the glory of the countless 
tomes available there for free. Libraries have 
books on every subject imaginable, and since they 
rotate their stock and constantly get new books, 
you will never run out of reading materials.
If you happen to live in an area that doesn't have 
a local library or if you're mobility-impaired and 
can't get to one easily, most libraries have their 
books available in PDF or ePub format so you can 
read them on your e-reader, iPad, or your 
computer screen. There are also many sources 
online where you can download free e-books, so go 
hunting for something new to read!
There's a reading genre for every literate person 
on the planet, and whether your tastes lie in 
classical literature, poetry, fashion magazines, 
biographies, religious texts, young adult books, 
self-help guides, street lit, or romance novels, 
there's something out there to capture your 
curiosity and imagination. Step away from your 
computer for a little while, crack open a book, and 
replenish your soul for a little while.
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Why You Should Read Every Day

Reading is to the Mind what the Exercise is to the Body. Reading is important for the brain, whether it is school textbooks, magazines, or...

If you're one who has stayed within the female 
hostel of any Nigerian University, you'll find that 
most of it's occupants share similar hopes and 
dreams- and no, it's not to excel in their chosen 
career paths.
One of the lecturers in my school aptly described 
women as 'a waste of education'...no, it wasn't an 
insult, it was just stating the obvious. You find a 
woman who has hustled through primary, secondary 
and University education. One who looked set to be 
a force to reckon with in the world of business or 
law or medicine, I mean a female with straight A's 
and you think Nigerian women may be getting 
things right, only to follow her back to her hostel 
and hear these heart-breaking words: 
"Omo, after school na to find husband marry 
remain." 
In the real sense of the word this is translated to:
"After school, I'll fling my degee inside one iron 
box in my dad's storeroom, find a perfect mugu 
that will put a ring on my finger, buy me a car, set 
up a boutique/beauty saloon for me and all I have 
to do to get this is spread my legs for him and 
push out little people with his DNA" 
Nigerian women view marriage the same way 
hustling Nigerian men view the US Green Card- an 
avenue to escape life's troubles. So in the same 
way you find 23 year old Nigerian men marrying 56 
year old American women, you find young, 
promising women relegated to some man's priority 
list.
I don't think most Nigerian women realise that 
nobody wants to get attached to a leech. If you 
allow some Nigerian women, they would even want 
their husbands to carry the babies and birth them 
as well. And when you ask why they don't want to 
build wealth with a man, you hear: 
"I've already suffered in my father's house. I 
don't want to continue suffering in my husband's 
house"
Now unless you're getting married to a no-good 
leech like yourself, there is no reason why building 
wealth with a man should be termed 'suffering'
Even on Sun Newspaper's 'Beauty Of The Week' it's 
the same thing. 
Future Ambition: Getting Married And Having Kids 
If you think God put you on this earth to make a 
liability of yourself, you need to think again. There 
is more to life than being someone's baby mama. 
There is a purpose for getting an education that 
lies beyond being able to speak good english 
whenever you and your man attend social functions 
Nigerian women need to sit down and re-evaluate 
their lives. God sent you to assist a man, not to 
add to his problems. Men appreciate women who can 
think for themselves, who want to contribute to 
the family (and I don't mean churning out kids). 
There is nothing more endearing than a smart 
woman who views men as companions rather than 
money bags.
Don't waste the education your parents worked so 
hard to provide for you. Break the stereotype, 
Nigerian women should be more than gold-digging 
leeches. If the likes of Oby Ezekwesili, Joke Silva, 
NOI can be successful career women as well as 
wives and mothers, then we all need to dust up our 
certificates and CVs and have proper future 
ambitions
BY-ngozi.n.okoli
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female education is it really a waste of funds?

If you're one who has stayed within the female hostel of any Nigerian University, you'll find that most of it's occupants shar...

Ekene Uzoigwe's Blog

Why You Should Read Every Day

female education is it really a waste of funds?

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