I’m Scared Of Returning Home, Nigeria’s Failed Heathcare Killed My Mum– US-Based Lawyer

 

President of the Bini Club of Houston, United States, Lydia Aguebor, speaks with BIODUN BUSARI on her struggles in search for greener pastures, community leadership in Houston, and why she is scared of returning to Nigeria because of the way her mother died

How will you describe your stay in the US?

I’m a mother of three beautiful children in the US. I relocated to America in 2005. When I first settled here, it was quite challenging because I left my comfort zone to come to a land where I knew nobody. Settling here came with its challenges. I came here to start from scratch. It was a lot of battles. Basically, it was tough for me in terms of job search and career. I studied Law at the University of Benin. And being in the US requires you to have licences for the things you do.

What kind of challenges did you experience?

There were only menial jobs to do in the beginning. Even, there were jobs that I didn’t get because of overqualification. When I submitted copies of my resume to some places, they would tell me I was overqualified for the job. They called it a college degree here, and I was asked to lower my qualifications. I had to do it because I needed jobs to make money. After all, bills were mounting. I started working with a fast food outlet where chickens were sold. I did that for a year. Then I worked for the State of Texas for eight years. Then, I began working on my papers. I wasn’t really happy with what I was doing. Later, I decided to start my business.

You said you didn’t like some of the things you did at scratch. What were they?

When I worked as a cashier or more or less of an attendant at a fast-food outlet, I would pass the money to another person in the inner lobby who would bring the order for me to give to the customers. I also worked as a cashier at a place called Target like a grocery store. 

Credit: Punch