Interview with AUK College of Business Faculty Member Dr. Agwu Okechukwu

Dr. Agwu Okechukwu is a new arrival to the AUK College of Business, having started teaching there for the Fall 2022 semester. Since AUK is an American-style institution and February is Black History Month in the United States, Content Writer Michael Collins decided to interview Dr. Okechukwu about his experiences and impressions here in Kurdistan, there in his native Nigeria, and elsewhere. The following is a transcript of that interview.

 

 

February is Black History Month in the United States. What is one thing you want Kurdish people to understand about Nigerian history, African history, or Black history? 

 

Dr. Agwu Okechukwu:

 

“One thing I would want them to understand about Nigeria’s history is that Nigeria is blessed with so many resources, both human and material, and it is the giant of Africa, by all standards. What has been eluding us since independence is good leadership, and that has held us back in terms of development.”

 

 

How does the culture of Nigeria compare to that of Kurdistan?

 

Dr. Agwu Okechukwu:

 

“Kurdistan culture is more related to the culture of northern Nigeria, because the northern part of Nigeria is basically Muslim. So, you can see a great deal of similarity between what people do here and what people do there. You see women wearing hijab in northern Nigeria, but you do not see that in southern Nigeria, which is where I am from.”

 

 

Oil revenue is extremely important to the Nigerian economy. I overheard you earlier talking about students in one of your classes at AUK not understanding the ripple effect of oil revenue on the Kurdish economy. Can you summarize what you noticed and describe what you did to help them understand the economic situation better?

 

Dr. Agwu Okechukwu:

 

“The students generally knew that there were oil companies operating in the area and even the names of the oil companies, but I helped them better understand just how the oil companies operate and how much their operations impact the total economy. What I did was dig into the history of Kurdistan, for my own learning and for the students’. I discovered that at some point in 2014 the central government in Baghdad cut Kurdistan off from the national budget. That forced the Kurdish regional government to sell oil independently to take care of its internal responsibilities. I discovered that Kurdistan exports oil through both trucks and pipelines, and I had to explain this to students, who usually had paid little attention to transportation routes.

Kurdistan also sells oil at a discounted price because of its high sulfur content and the limited means of exporting oil, again connected to competition with the central government. Kurdish authorities, wisely, are trying to close loopholes through which they might be losing money, which will help them maximize their revenue from oil while it lasts. I made all of these points to the students in class.”

 

 

Nigeria already has Africa’s largest economy, but it also has the continent’s largest population and needs to develop more to provide adequate services and opportunities to all of its people. What do you think is the main thing Nigeria must do to develop more, and, based on what you have seen, what is the main thing Kurdistan must do to develop more?

 

Dr. Agwu Okechukwu:

 

Nigeria and Kurdistan should both do the same thing: diversify. Oil prices are volatile, so it is feast or famine. Both places could do more to develop their tourism industries, for example. Kurdistan is extremely rich in ancient history, for one. There are so many things to see and do in Nigeria, and Nigeria could do more with the ‘heritage tours’ for African-Americans.”

 

 

You have taught a course at AUK on thesis writing. What did you write your own thesis on, and, if you had it to do all over again, what else would you want to write a thesis on?

 

Dr. Agwu Okechukwu:

 

“I wrote my thesis on the impact of HSEMS (Health, Safety, & Environment Management System) on the employees working on NLNG (Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas) projects. If I had another chance to write a thesis, I would want to write about the impact of safety culture on employee performance. If you operate in such a way that there are many incidents, you will not win many contracts. You will win more contracts with a more developed safety culture.”

 

 

What is one thing AUK students can learn from you as a fellow human being, not as a classroom instructor?

 

Dr. Agwu Okechukwu:

 

“One thing they can learn from me as a person is punctuality. Teaching in Nigeria, I was more punctual than most of my peers, and I got the nickname ‘British Man’ because of that. Punctuality is the soul of business, and without it your business could collapse.”

 

 

You have personally impressed me with your discipline about spending money. When did you become so frugal?

 

Dr. Agwu Okechukwu:

 

“When you have limited resources and you have so many things you want to achieve, you need to manage your resources properly to achieve your goals. When you set the right goals, you can manage your resources to reach those goals. I have had this philosophy since I first started to earn some money of my own, as a teenager.”