Popular Nollywood actor, Ime Bishop Umoh,also known as Okon Lagos, traveled to Germany recently and he took his time to share memories of his trip to the beautiful European country.
The actor revealed that he traveled alongside a group to grace the Nollywood Europe Golden Awards and he lodged in a hotel for about two weeks. He went further to state that he really enjoyed himself in the country.
He however stated that one of the problems he faced in Germany was the language barrier.
He said:
“The language barrier! It was so funny because there were times that my translator wasn’t around me and I had to call my friend, who understands German, to help us communicate. I was also fascinated by the way Germans are proud of their products, especially their cars”
Okon was asked about the food in the country and if it was pleasant compared to what he is already used to in Nigeria.
“I ate a lot of junks and I often ate rice because it is something I am familiar with. I have a lot of Nigerian friends staying in Germany who also gave me home treats; they made sure I was okay. They gave me so much Nigerian food and even brought some to my hotel room. Trust me, I ate a lot so I had a great time. I also had plenty invitations to come for visits”
The actor also talked about the notable places he visited while in the country.
I went for a car exhibition where I saw car technologies that will function in the future. I also saw cars that run on water. I saw an electric car for the first time in Germany. I saw cars that park by themselves; cars that are powered by solar energy and lots of incredible machines.
When he was asked about what he saw in Germany that should be replicated here in Nigeria. Okon said:
“Everything! Our leaders actually travel to many parts of the world and they ought to see how things are done in the advanced countries. They should get inspired by the development of other economies, come back and replicate those things in our country; but it very unfortunate that our leaders don’t do this. Look at the security system in the country.
With all the security agencies we have, over 200 Chibok school girls were abducted and till this day, not all the girls have been brought back home. In 2018, another set of girls were abducted in Dapchi with almost the same tactics that were used in Chibok. It is a national embarrassment. These are things that shouldn’t be happening because this is a very great country with the largest population of black people.
Nigeria is the pride of Africa. Something urgent has to be done concerning our security situation. Herdsmen have been killing people indiscriminately and some people are saying the killers are not Nigerians. How did they get into Nigeria? What are the immigrations and customs doing? Not one single arrest or prosecution of a single herdsman has been achieved. Nigeria should not be made to look like a dumping ground for crime where anybody can do anything and get away with it because they believe nothing will happen.
A lot of crimes are committed in Europe but if you are a criminal there, you are merely buying time because you would eventually be caught. If this can also be the case in Nigeria, it will be good. If people know that they will be caught and prosecuted for committing crime, crime rate will reduce. That is the Nigeria of my dream.
How can someone open his or her mouth and boldly say that animals stole money? Even as a small boy, I was very creative in telling lies to my parents. Things like these shouldn’t be national issues that other countries should be hearing. It makes the country look like a theater of the absurd. Nigerians are very responsible and reasonable people, but it is quite unfortunate that we have found ourselves in this mess”
