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Exactly 19 years ago, on 15th September 2006, I landed in Europe for my further studies. My sister Oby and her husband, Mazi Mike, brought me to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, the evening before, on 14th September. That was my first time seeing an airport in my life.
The flight landed in Amsterdam, Netherlands. From there we boarded a smaller plane to Brussels, Belgium.
While on that flight a young Belgian man sitting beside me took interest in me. His name is Tony. He was working with an oil company and lived in Porthacourt. He told me that Nigeria is one of the most beautiful places to live on this earth. I will one day refer to this.
When we landed in Brussels, I was picked up from the airport by Rev. Fr Benjamin Nwosu, a priest from my diocese who was studying at KU Leuven, the same university I was coming to study at. Fr Ben was helpful in securing the admission for my studies.
At Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, I started my master’s studies. I later did my advanced master’s studies at the same university. In the same university Ibegan my doctorate but later decided to continue at the University of Tübingen, Germany, where I had already gotten the admission to do my doctoral studies a year before.
While a student in Germany, I was working in a parish. The love and acceptance I received from the people was massive. I really thank God for the opportunity of meeting nice and interesting people within these 19 years.
I remember my bishop, the late Anthony Ilonu of the diocese of Okigwe, who sent me for studies and my currentbishop Solomọn Amatu. My parents and siblings were also there for me.
I left for studies before my 3rd priestly anniversary.I remember my parishioners at Corpus Christi parish in Dimneze Uboma Imo State, with whom I worked for 22 months before my departure.
When I came to Europe 19 years ago, I was shocked by the ocean of difference between Africa and Europe. Why are we so backwards and poor as a people in the midst of plenty? I continued to ask myself.
To answer this question I went into personal research. The results of the research gave birth to this noble family, Fada Angelo Chidi Unegbu, where we restore our brains to factory settings so that we can stop this backwardness by ourselves before we are completely doomed. No “messiah” except the one living in us can save us.
Despite also being a German citizen, I am eager to see an Africa, especially Nigeria, and more especially Igboland, that works.
N.B.: the pictures below were taken while I was a student in Belgium and Germany. The person in the second picture is not Pope Benedict but his brother, Fr George.
