Count the cost before relocating abroad, Mrs. Offioha advises Nigerians

A US-based Clinical Nurse, Mrs. Maggie Offioha, has advised Nigerians aspiring to relocate abroad due to economic reasons to count the cost.

Mrs. Offioha stated this in Lagos during the launching of her three books- Dark Shadows on my path; Return to where I Belong; Poetry for thought

“Some of these experiences are what I wrote about in ‘Return to Where I Belong’,” she said.

According to Offoha, relocating abroad is a personal decision, but those aspiring to go should learn from those that have had experiences and ask questions.

“The conditions are still the same. Job hunting, marriage proposals and other economic indices are still glaring.

“However, we should also take pride in whom we are, as Africans and Nigerians.

“Another question is if we want our children to maintain our identity or be lost forever.

“Therefore, we need to stop the colonialism mentality,” she said.

The author regretted that ‘Japa’ syndrome had caused Nigeria brain-drain, especially in the health sector.

“We need to preserve our heritage, the land of our ancestors, our traditions, because if we do not, our lineages can be gone forever”, she said.

Offioha, who also cautioned against poor reading culture, especially among the youths, said there was the need to cultivate reading culture among children and the youths.

“While I was an undergraduate in a U.S. College of Medicine, one of the required courses was literature in which we have poetry such as a book written by Nigeria’s Chinua Achebe –`Things Fall Apart’– as a choice even as a science major student.

“It should make a lot of sense to us as Africans and Nigerians that the book that we hardly cherish is what the U.S colleges are having on their shelves”, she said.

NAN reports that other speakers extolled the virtues of the author, describing her as a great mentor.

The Chairman of the occasion, Mr. Emma Kekere, said the author’s experiences were good enough to learn from.

The book reviewer, Mr. Bonny Amadi, advised that Nigerians willing to travel abroad should read the books to learn from the author’s experiences.

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