Dr. Daniel Ogbonnaya, a top flight Nigerian Eye Surgeon, who has been residing in Stromstad, Sweden, for almost 40 years, was recently in the country on a mission to create awareness on the technology of Bohus Biotech, a firm dealing with the manufacture of top grade health-care products to the country. Our SENIOR CORRESPONDENT, Daniel Kanu, ran into him where he spoke on his mission and frustrations in the awareness effort. He also spoke on the challenges of the nation's health sector and the way out. Excerpts

You have virtually refused to come back to the country after many years of living abroad. Why did it take you such a long time to take the decision to return?

No, I do not agree with you that I refused to come back. I do breeze in some occasions, but as I always say, there is something lacking, and that is security. I travel all over the whole world. I have company in China, in Mexico, in India among others. But in all those places they have at least standard security. So let them improve the security situation here, because most people I meet over there also raise this issue of security.

You are one of the outstanding Nigerian professionals in Sweden especially in the field of health products. What efforts are you making to ensure Nigerians benefit from your expertise?

We have been battling with the registration of the products with NAFDAC and most of our products are registered now with NAFCAC and we now have the NAFDAC numbers. The goal has been to get the products registered first before any other thing. Now the next step will be to market the product in Nigeria. Marketing the products in Nigeria means that people will be trained to handle, explain how the products work and how it is being administered. So that's the second phase of our programme for Nigeria. We intend training, at least, initially, two people over there, in Sweden for at least two months and after that they will be sent back to Nigeria to start the organization, Bohus Biotech.

Also there is the need to train more people. Nigeria is a vast country that one or two individuals can never cover the entire country, so we will need more hands and help to cover the whole country. So we will definitely come out fully to establish in this country. I have the vision to bring down the technology here, so as to assist in my own little way to create jobs.

Are there some demands you expect to be met to enable the organisation kick off as scheduled?

Of course we have some demands. From my own point of view the country is not secured unfortunately. The government should do more for the security of businessmen and industrial tycoons in order to attract not only my own company, but also more other vibrant companies from oversea. A lot of Nigerians will want to come home to invest but the security situation scares most of them away. You will need a safe place for your staff to move around freely and enjoy this wonderful country while they are doing their beat.

The government under the Acting President, Goodluck Jonathan, has given a firm assurance that security and other issues you just mentioned like power will be addressed very soon. Do you believe the government on that promise or you will want to see some concrete evidence before coming down full blast?

Well, I saw Acting President on CNN being interviewed and I was impressed, and I think he is going to do a lot but has such a short time on him. I will rather see something concrete. I think it will be more reasonable for him to focus on few things and see that he gets them right rather than having an agenda so bogus that at the end not one will be fully tackled. But I would rather want to see something concrete so that people will believe that it is not only talking or promising affair but also a promise backed by action. I have a team of experts I will like to bring to Nigeria, but there is the need for safety first.

What are the things you think should be in place in Nigeria that can encourage diaspora citizens to think home and perhaps return to invest?

I think security is number one, Electricity is number two. We need steady power to run the industries. I am aware that a lot of industries are packing up, while some are relocating to neighbouring countries like Ghana. We can't run an industry with power generation from generator or plant. When the power issue is tackled other things will begin to fall in line, as there will be a multiplier effect on other sectors. I think these issues should be addressed in high levels including genuine fight against corruption.

In terms of assistance, apart from the provision of these infrastructures, what other role, support or incentive do you think government can provide?

Remember that these companies are established in some other places in the world. They need to transfer some of their income to their home countries in order to manufacture the initial products. I am sure with time, all the proper things being in place they will be able to establish in this country. They have to be in business to make the desired profit. Government should help them to circulate their money not going through the black market to change their money to make it easier for them to be able to transfer some back to their motherland to buy raw materials and manufacture more of the products. There must be a good channel of money transfer and government must ensure that the channel is safeguarded. But to be candid, a safe environment remains the key.

As a medical expert how would you assess the Nigerian Health Sector, vis-à-vis your impression about our health sector while in Sweden?

Well, I think, they are doing their best today but a lot should be done. We don't have enough hospitals, like Eye hospitals for example. If you look at Nigeria cases of cataract is increasing extremely, and something must be done otherwise we will be faced with a lot of blind people walking around our streets. Such hospitals should be taken into priority.

Have you in anyway attracted the attention of government concerning these grave issues you are observing?

Yes we have done some contacts through my nephew who lives here in Lagos. He has the passion to see the economy jump started. He has been encouraging investors to come to Nigeria to invest. So he has been behind the strong drive for us to have a firm presence in Nigeria. Of course he knows how the company is doing in Sweden, China, India and in other countries where we operate.

So this young vibrant Nigerian has been making all the effort to make presentations to government, but there has been a bureaucratic bottleneck, a lot of undesired protocols.

We hope to contact Lagos State government soon and some other forward-looking state governments.

People sometimes condemn diaspora Nigerians that they do not come home to invest and now that we are poised to stamp our feet in the country, the expected authority seems not to be giving one adequate attention. Attitude like this is worrisome and can make people change their mind.

I can do five minutes operation on cataract and the person will walk home unaided. These are innovations we can bring to this country. I have been in Sweden for close to 40 years; I studied there too. So I feel sad that when one is considering coming home to establish, to create jobs, to help improve the health sector, etc., the environment appears hostile.

Government must rise up to this challenge. Is it not an irony that I am an expert that has touched lives of others in other advanced countries of the world, and in my country it appears difficult? This is bad and government must open up to embrace innovations as they come, especially when they are world-class innovations. My cousin has been to Abuja, he has lobbied them but till date we have not seen any positive result.

So how do you feel when you meet obstacles of this nature?

Of course I feel bad. It's very depressing and it does not give one enough encouragement for what we want to fix up in the country. And you can't keep marching in one place, there must be a step forward and when there is no step forward you lose strength to continue.

Recently we had this problem of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua going to Saudi Arabia on health challenges. Over there in Sweden, do people go outside the country to seek medical assistance?

The answer is no. Sweden is a well-advanced country when it comes to technology in medicine, so everybody goes to the hospital and gets treated. Over there, the Swedish government is well organized that everybody is paying tax according to his income. Tax is used for the hospital, schools, etc and by so doing you have high class, advanced hospitals well equipped and other infrastructures in place.

What exactly can you offer Nigeria?

Well, I have produced a lot of products that are of international standard. As I mentioned earlier, I have registered most of them with the NAFDAC, the authority that handles the registration of drugs in the country. I think the best the country can do for the people is to start educating more opthalmologists, doctors that can use these products for cataract operation. By so doing the common man will benefit from these wonderful products.

Is the cost not on the high side since they are very special products?

No, the cost is not high as we did put into consideration; the earning power of the people is on the low side.

But also if you look at it from my own point of view: which is more expensive life or death? No medicine is more expensive than life. I meet some people that are blind and they will prefer to sell their fathers' lands in other to get their sight back. I don't think that the product is expensive. It is being used today here in Lagos Eye Foundation Hospital. So our people are paying to be operated there.

Aside the cataract challenge what other medications do you have?

We have products for joints, arthritis; we have products for people to look young, anti-aging drug, for people who don't want to grow old. Also we have our eye drops. The eye drop is suitable for river blindness, red eyes, dried eyes, and for people sitting too long on laptops or computers.

How many Nigerians have you trained so far?

I have trained three Nigerians, so far. They are all based in Sweden while some are still going through training. But that is not what I am talking about when I said was to train people, but to train people in the short time and bring them back and they are going to concentrate on marketing of the product.

Now that you are thinking home, coming fully to establish the company here and its technology, what is your vision for Nigeria?

My vision is that Nigeria is going to be the king of Africa. We have the manpower, we have the resources, all we need to do is direct those manpower and resources to the right channel. Today we don't have somebody with the experience of leadership in those areas. We need somebody to guide so that we can be on the right direction. Africa especially Nigeria is going to be the lead in the world. Every other country has developed, now all eyes are on Africa and Nigerians should not allow herself to be the last. We have to show the rest of Africa that we are the lion of Africa. Look at what Ghana is doing. Everybody is rushing there to invest, simply because they have good leadership, they have good environment; they have done their homework properly.

We need to develop this country and Jonathan who now handles the clutches of power must rise to the challenge. We know the time is short but he can do a lot.

How do you feel when you read certain stories about Nigeria over there (in Sweden) that are not too good?

Of course I feel very bad. People have the tendency of lifting bad things, and by so doing it covers the good things happening in the country. Nigeria is not all that bad as some people tend to portray it elsewhere. We have nice people here, very interesting people, but all we need to do is to have a good PR for the country. People that will tell the rest of the continent exactly what we are doing that will meet the future of our children and grand children, as well as impact positively on the world.

If you meet with the Acting President, Goodluck Jonathan, now one on one, what will you advise him to put in his agenda?

I will tell the acting president first not to be vindictive, but to show love to those that even offended him. He should think like a statesman on what must be done to take Nigeria to the next level. He should go ahead and fight the war on corruption without being selective, but with all sincerity. He should go ahead and build the security, go ahead to tackle the power issue.

What is your relationship with other Nigerians abroad?

The relationship is very cordial. I have links with so many of them, the professionals especially those established in one thing or the other. We do meet to exchange ideas and how we can bring development or perhaps contribute to the development of our motherland.

In terms of the global economic meltdown how does it affect your business over there?

In the first quarter of last year, we suffered some economic setback, but we quickly handled the situation and were able to turn things around at the second and third quarters of last year. I don't know how much you people are aware of what is going on in Europe about these volcanic eruptions. I am sure this is going to set the clock back when it comes to the economic recovery of Europe.

What will you like to be remembered for?

I will like to be remembered as someone who loved his people and his country.