A Nigerian-American tech expert and politician, Dr. Juliet Agocha, tells BIODUN BUSARI about her childhood aspirations, challenges growing up, and current political ambition, among others

Why are you planning to run for an elective position?

To be very clear, I?m running to become the next councilwoman for District 4 in Prince George?s County Council in Maryland. My vision is what drives my political ambition, which is to serve my community. I want to be an advocate for families here in Prince George?s County.

What leadership experience do you have?

I have over 18 years of experience in leadership. I am the founder and the Chief Executive Officer of Ultimate Tech. It is a technology company situated here in Prince George?s County, and what we do is provide technology services. I founded that organisation during the pandemic when people battled uncertainties and were not clear on what direction to take. There was a lot of chaos, so in the midst of chaos, I transformed what was supposed to be dramatic into technology to solve problems. Secondly, I am the founder of One Voice Empower Her, a nonprofit organisation for women. I use the charity to serve people, empower women and girls, and lead with clarity, collaboration, resilience, and build a stronger America. I have both corporate and political experience before I came to run for this political position. I?m also the current Vice Chairperson Policy Council for Early Childhood Education for the Lawyers Centre. So, all my life I?ve just been serving and leading people.

What are the focal points of your campaign?

My campaign is focused on three major priorities. One is affordable housing. I want to share with you today that I was once homeless for two weeks in 2009, and that experience built me. That experience shaped who I am today. But it will surprise you to know that not much has changed in the housing programmes here in Prince George?s County from 2009 to 2025. Not much has changed. So, I am focusing on affordable housing, because housing is everything that we here in Prince George?s County is where we start with. Housing means stability. It provides safety and opportunity.

The second thing I?m fighting for is quality education for our children. I?m fighting for this because I?m very passionate about it. Education is how we keep our children out of trouble. When a child?s mind is not well occupied with good resources, they can become a problem in the community. So, I?m fighting for quality education because every child in Prince George?s County deserves access to quality education, no matter their zip code. And the third thing I?m fighting for here is a safe community. I want a safe community because we can?t continue to have the kind of chaos and crime that we have right now.

Are there problems confronting aged people that drive your campaign for a safe community for them?

We owe them accountability, transparency, and action. And that?s what I?m bringing. I?m bringing programmes that support our seniors? health care and to have a safe neighbourhood. Our seniors? homes should not be robbed by maintenance people. So, I am here to support programmes that will place our seniors first. This is because our seniors need homes and a place connected with value and dignity. I?m here to fight for our seniors because they have paved the way for us. Their wisdom has paved the way for us. And they have fought for many assets that brought us where we are today. They are a very important piece of my campaign because I feel that we owe them action, not words.

You mentioned you were once homeless. How did that happen?

Well, it?s a long story, but to make it short, what happened was that I could not afford a house at that time. What is home when access is limited? What is the benefit of building new programmes and new housing when they are ridiculously expensive? So, I was homeless because I was not able to pay. The job I had at that time was not able to provide me with a one-bedroom apartment. For that reason, I wasn?t able to provide that and also keep up with my education, a student loan, and everything that I had to deal with. The affordability of houses became a challenge for me. And that is why I am very passionate about affordable housing here in Prince George?s County, because no family should experience what I experienced. No family should be able to choose between food and where to lay their head. No family should be put in that situation where they have to give up something just to have a home to sleep.

Did you face homelessness alone or with your family?

At that time, I was not married and had no children. And I thank God because if I were married with children, I don?t know how I could have handled it. So, I was able to handle it with resilience because I was single at that time. Think about it for families who have children, who have parents living with them, like aged parents. Imagine how they could handle that situation. So, it wasn?t able to break me because at that time, I didn?t have children. I was just worried about myself. But regardless of that, I was handling it by myself.

How did you overcome that challenge?

It was a combination of both sleeping on the street and squatting with someone for those two weeks. I felt like I was not treated with respect. I was not treated with empathy. And that is what I?m fighting for. I remember I was going from McDonald?s stores, just trying to get something to eat because McDonald?s at that time was one of the most affordable places to eat a burger or chicken nugget. But people wouldn?t know that I was homeless because of how I handled it. Sometimes I went to Walmart to see if I could afford a cookie to buy. Access to phones and social media was very limited at that time. I didn?t have all the resources with me. However, a good Samaritan found me and accommodated me after I shared my situation with her, and she helped me until I was able to find a place for myself.

When did you relocate to the US?

I moved from Nigeria to the United States at a very early age. And I came here to study. I got admission to the University of Maryland. I was very excited. It was just a very sweet story. Being a young girl at that time, I came with big dreams for myself. And I needed an advanced education for the kind of dreams I had for myself. And I think right now all those dreams are playing out. I also want to say thank you to America for providing me with a lot of essential resources to help me succeed. This is a very working country. The law is working. I?m grateful for the opportunities that have been provided to me here to excel and to be where I am today. I am an immigrant, but fighting for these people passionately. I want every family to succeed and flourish.

How has your academic background shaped your dreams?

I?m into information technology. To be quite honest with you, I was like the black sheep of the family back in the day because at that time, technology was not like this. Technology was like one of the things that nobody would talk about, but at that time, I had the vision of where my future was headed. I knew that we would get to where innovation would be prominent in every decision. My family wanted me to become a medical doctor or a nurse. They just told me to be in healthcare because my family is very centred in healthcare. However, I went my own direction into technology, so I got my associate?s degree in information technology. I got my master?s degree in cybersecurity, and then I went ahead and got my PhD in leadership with an emphasis in business management. Right now, academically, I feel very fulfilled and accomplished, but I still have work to do for my community with all this knowledge and education. I have tremendous experience and life lessons to pour into this trip forward.

What is significant about Maryland as one of the popular abodes of African-Americans?

I would say Maryland is my great state. I?m very proud to be a Marylander. Maryland is rooted in a very deep historical black. It is for black and brown communities, and we carry a very strong history of generations from the struggle of slavery to the triumph of civil rights leaders that we have today. Maryland is a place for everyone, a state that accommodates immigrants. It also has a very strong educational foundation. It is very vibrant in cultural heritage and festivals, local businesses, and tradition. Maryland gives residents unique opportunities to engage and influence national decisions. It is a state for anyone who wants to flourish, and I feel very proud to be part of the history that we are making here.

What are your thoughts about Nigeria?

Nigeria is a country full of potential. I?m a proud Nigerian. I was born in Nigeria, so I have a deep love and passion for my country. I love our food, Jollof rice, culture, and I love being in Nigeria. I will clearly say that Nigeria has incredible potential, but leadership often struggles with corruption and short-term thinking. In my opinion, Nigerian leaders have a very short-term perspective. The country needs visionary leaders who empower the youth and hold themselves accountable. I feel like that is lacking within the Nigerian leadership. The country needs leaders who prioritise education. A country that is not educated is heading for doom. There are natural and human resources, so Nigeria needs leaders to blend these resources for the people to flourish. I must state that we need leaders who know transparency, trust, and building trust between leaders and citizens for sustainable progress and national unity. I think we need that in Nigeria. (Saturday PUNCH)

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