专题故事 Features
accomplished. In terms of administration, most
of all, I can support the teachers. After all, the
job of administration is for me to help teachers
create a great classroom environment.
Uche: I feel a sense of pride in seeing my
students learn and develop into their own.
Empowering students or people around me to
become who they should be through teaching,
mentoring, sharing of personal and professional
experiences, , is part of what makes my life
beautiful. My background, history and
experiences shape my approach to everything
that I do with my students, especially as it
relates to teaching and learning. Talking about
experiences, I advised a team of students who
won the championship in the HKICPA national
accounting QP Case Analysis Competition 2014,
which was a big honour. That experience is one
example that validates my belief that every
student is important, irrespective of his or her
academic excellence or otherwise.
More about Charles...
More about Uche...
On being a writer…
Charles: One of my fictions Your Flower Boy
was nominated for the Pushcart Prize, submitted
by the editors of New Writings in Criminal Justice
at City University of New York. It is a collection of
short stories about relationships between couples
and individuals across different cultures. My
stories often show the perspectives of both and
some of the difficulties of economy they confront,
communicating from one linguist in a cultural
landscape to another.
I'm writing a book. It's similar to the previous
one. But I'm working at a larger novel telling from
different perspectives and experiences so as to
picture the life and the neighbourhood
community. I'm trying to retell the story from
different points of view.
On investing in real estate...
Uche: We have a home in Malaysia. My wife moved to
Hong Kong about 13 years ago, so we bought a home in
Hong Kong for economic reasons in terms of saving on
the rent. The home we bought in Zhongshan is merely for
my work in UIC and my kids. Just in case of a worst case
scenario, they would be able to find resources to take
care of their future academic interests.
I have invested a lot in Nigeria and bought a lot of land
even before I came to China. It's much cheaper there. I
bought some areas for agricultural purposes and others
for buildings and development. But most of the land I
bought is barren, and will remain that way for a while.
Eventually, when the areas develop further, and the
government or developers indicate interest to purchase
the land, then I may consider selling. I go back to
Nigeria, probably once in two to four years, and I have
four brothers who manage the acquisitions.
I love real estate, but I tend to buy strategically,
avoiding areas where I might get burnt.
How to engage with students…
Charles: I think in any classroom the best way is
to give your knowledge, and then also to be open
to get feedback and to probably agree to make a
conversation. The best classroom experiences are
when you provide the basis where a conversation
can form and then get their responses. Especially
in China or when in any different culture, you
sometimes get responses that surprise you, which
makes the classroom experiences more
rewarding.
I always try to listen and to have real
relationships with students as an individual
human being and get to know them.
查尔斯在导师关顾计划户外活动里与学生交流。
摄影：姚雨彤（大三 现当代英语语言文学）
Charles meets his students in an outdoor activity of the Mentor
Caring Programme. Photograph: Youth Yao (CELL, Year 3)
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Adjusting to Zhuhai…
Charles: My wife is from Tianjin, north of China.
I would say I'm familiar with being in a different
culture. Tianjin and Zhuhai are different worlds.
In terms of weather I'm a bit more used to the
north. On the other hand, I like the food in the
south. Zhuhai is clean and it is easy to adapt to as
opposed to Tianjin and other places.
Nigerian economy…
Uche: The president of Nigeria implements very
cautious policies, which I think are needed. The main
problem is that Nigeria has relied heavily on the oil
industry for the past 40 years. When oil did well in the
market, the country had a lot of money. But we wanted to
develop the economy. That's why we needed to end the
dependence on one resource. However, the government
has been unable to diversify the economy because of poor
governance and ill-conceived, implemented policies.
Hopefully, the citizens are able to keep their faith in the
incumbent government's initiatives and policies for any
positive development in the future.
Nigeria and the West…
Uche: As the most populous country in Africa, with over
175 million people, Nigeria has been a close partner with
the USA for the past decades. The number of Nigerians in
the USA is unbelievable. If you go to many American
universities, you will find a Nigerian professor. Recent
乌切、工商管理学部院长左龙佩兰教授和获得2014年全国
QP个案分析比赛冠军的学生一起庆祝。
Uche and Dean of DBM Prof Stella Cho celebrate with the champion
students at 2014 national QP Case Analysis Competition.
past USA presidents have visited Nigeria before
the end of their terms in office. So, you can
imagine how disappointed some Nigerians are
with President Barack Obama for not visiting
Nigeria throughout his 8 years in office.
The western culture helped to establish a very
solid foundation in South Africa, which Nigeria
lacks. Even if they had, because of decades of
corruption, they would have destroyed most
things. So, that could be one reason why South
Africa tends to be considered No 1 in Africa, even
though Nigeria is considered the Giant of Africa.
Chinese investors in Nigeria…
Uche: If you plan to visit Nigeria for business,
you need a good Nigerian to get your foot in the
door. You can't go there alone; otherwise it's
going to be very difficult. Chinese companies
that would like to invest in Nigeria should
consider household equipment. Any company
that produces household products such as
appliances, utensils, materials, and anything that
is used in the home, would be able to establish
and grow rapidly. I went back to Nigeria in 2015,
and saw many Chinese in Nigeria, who were
doing business. For example, Huawei has a
foothold in the country now. Chinese companies
are in real estate, railroad, information
technology, textile, construction, marine and
more.
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