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Chief Sunday Okorie is chairman of Abia State community in Austria, where he also works with the state-owned railway corporation, Osterreich Bundesbahn, Chief Sunday Okorie, who recently bagged a chieftaincy title, Aku ruo Ulu 1 of Ozuitem, spoke to Saturday Sun on the social and economic life in Austria, pointing out what life has taught him in the past 20 years in a foreign land.
By Henry Uche
You recently took a chieftaincy title as Aku ruo Ulo 1 of Isiali Ozuitem, Abia State. What is the significance of this title and what does it mean to you?
For me, it’s an honour that my people remembered to honour me with such a chieftaincy title, Akuruolu 1, which is a very important one in Igboland. And I appreciate it.
How is it going to affect your life as someone who lives and works in Austria and as a businessman?
Going forward, it can only make me work harder to justify that title Akuruolu, which translates to bringing wealth back home so that people would see and feel the impact.
What is life like over there in Austria compared to Nigeria?
There’s a lot of fun here but the problem I have here is insecurity and the health care system. Other things are the same.
When you arrived in Nigeria for Christmas break, were there things you saw that surprised you?
I have seen more development both in my village in Abia State and here in Lagos.
You must have heard a lot about the security situation in the country before you returned. Did you see anything as bad as what you heard?
No, not at all. I have even called some of my friends over there (Austria) to tell them that what we hear is not exactly what it is. So they should not worry.
Are there things that you have seen that could make you return to Nigeria any time soon?
To be frank, I’m not planning to return because I’m a civil servant there. Returning here for now will affect me in the future. I’m also a businessman with a registered company because that is allowed. Since working for the government there is not easy, I’m not thinking of returning soon, but maybe at my old age.
Are there things you expect the government to put in place before the next time you will come to Nigeria?
Yes, health care. Over there, you don’t need to have money to go to a hospital. You can call an ambulance here and they attend to you without charging you because insurance has already taken care of it. But in Nigeria, someone would be sick, and just because of maybe N1,000, doctors would not attend to the person which could lead to death. It’s so sad. They really need to work on that. Over there in Austria nobody dies because of lack of money to go to the hospital. The government takes charge.
Are you thinking of making some investments here in the near future?
Sure. I have discussed it with my king. We have some plans, even between myself and my wife, we want to invest in my community because when they give you a title, they want to see reasons and proof that you deserve such a title and justify it.
What do you think about politics in Nigeria compared to Austria?
Here in Nigeria, it’s do or die. But over there, if I win, I win; over there you don’t even notice they are holding elections. Just peaceful, no harassment, no intimidation, no suppression, no fighting, no gunshot, no ballot box snatching. Based on that, I don’t think I would enter into politics in Nigeria.
How is social life for you there as a black African?
Very good. So long as you can speak the language the sky is your limit. Citizens are friendly; no racism, if anyone says something to me because I’m different in any way, I will see it as personal and respond to you personally. I don’t generalize. I have been there for 20 years. I don’t have issues with anybody.
What lessons have you learnt over the 20 years that you have lived there?
It has really changed me. I was a bit stubborn before I travelled but they have humbled me. They use law to cage everybody. Over there, I can’t touch, like pushing someone or hit you for no reason, else you will go in for it. Life over there has changed my approach to life.
How do you practise your faith over there either as a Christian or of any other belief?
If you’re not really strong as a Christian you will backslide because most of them don’t believe there is God. The reason is because most of the things we pray for, are being provided by their government. Do you know that in Austria, when you lose your job, the government would be paying you? Here, you pray that God should give you a job, but over there the government provides the Jobs. They pay your kids every month. Is it good roads, power supply? They don’t interrupt the power supply for one day. They ask you some stupid questions like: ‘Where is your God?” But the majority of them have good hearts and do many good things that many of us, Christians here can’t do.
What is your opinion about what seems to be a mass exodus of Nigerian youth from the country in search of better means of living?
It’s good if you have the money. When I travelled in the first year 2004, I asked God why He didn’t leave me in Nigeria because life there then was not easy for me. I had to take an asylum. If you don’t have a job, you have to be in the camp, with the government paying you and feeding you. It wasn’t easy but as time went by, things started getting better and I got my documents and started working. My advice is that Europe is good but not at the initial stage. A lot of blacks are into crimes like drug pushing, and others.
