International students bring global perspective to UCLA
By Adrienne Lynett
June 12, 2005 9:00 p.m.
Though Obimdinachi Iroezi came to the United States six years
ago to attend college, memories of his home country of Nigeria will
always remain prominent in his mind.
Iroezi said his experiences in Nigeria and the United States
have made him more conscious of the most pressing issues facing
Africa today, like poverty and education.
A graduating electrical engineering student who plans to work in
telecommunications, Iroezi is from Umuahia, Nigeria, which is in
the southeast region of the country.
He moved to the United States with his mother and brother in
1999 to be with his father and two sisters, who had already left
Nigeria.
Like many families who leave Africa, Iroezi’s family came
to the United States for better educational opportunities.
Africans leaving the continent to get an education in the United
States, Britain and other more developed nations is a problem for
African nations, which often need educated citizens to facilitate
their own development.
But because of corruption and instability in the government,
Nigeria’s educational system has been virtually abandoned,
which discourages its citizens from remaining in the country for
higher education.
Still, Iroezi recognizes the harm done to Nigeria when educated
students like him leave the country to pursue college or work
abroad.
“There’s a lot of brain drain because Nigerians
leave,” he said.
Educated Africans leaving the continent is a problem that cannot
be resolved unless those countries are able to develop their
infrastructure, said Edmond Keller, director of the UCLA
Globalization Research Center of Africa.
But there is a much greater financial incentive for educated
Africans to work in more developed countries because they offer
higher salaries, whereas in their home countries it is almost
impossible to live on an academic salary.
“Academics at African universities often have to farm or
run a taxi service,” history Professor Edward Alpers
said.
In African countries with developing economies, “people
just can’t make a living wage,” he said.
Last week, President George W. Bush pledged an additional $674
million in humanitarian aid to Africa, and he and British Prime
Minister Tony Blair are negotiating a debt-relief plan for the most
impoverished African nations.
While it’s a good start, Iroezi said simply pouring more
aid into African nations isn’t the best way to assist their
development.
Without a stable government low in corruption, it cannot be
assumed that the aid received will be funneled to the people and
programs that need it most.
What these countries may really need is systematic change.
“It’s not just about pledging money,” he said.
“The problem is the infrastructure.”
Iroezi also pointed to the problem of a lack of any viable
industry.
“If we’re able to somehow develop an industry in
Nigeria that can compete, that would be more of a help,” he
said.
Keller said developed nations that are interested in assisting
Africa, such as the United States and Britain, should help African
nations develop their economies, as opposed to giving just
financial assistance.
“The international community could facilitate the entry of
more African countries into the mainstream of the global
economy,” Keller said.
Still, despite the problems many African nations have, some
Africans educated abroad do return to their home countries,
something Alpers calls “remarkable,” given the
opportunities afforded them in more developed nations.
Iroezi said that, though he initially plans to remain in the
United States to find work or attend graduate school, he does
eventually hope to return to Nigeria and share the knowledge he has
gained during his studies here.
“Nigeria has a lot of potential,” he said.
Iroezi said growing up in a developing country made him
appreciative of the opportunities afforded him.
“I learned not to take things for granted,” he
said.
He is especially grateful for his U.S. education. Still, he will
never forget his Nigerian roots.
“I have no other identity,” he said.
