Donxavier:


But 220k is very small compared to the supposed 40m adult population in the country out of an estimated 120m population

22k is a lot considering the fact the Nigeria is not eligible for dv visa lottery again. And the 22k is just for US alone not considering the UK, Canada and other European countries.

justwise:


22k is a lot considering the fact the Nigeria is not eligible for dv visa lottery again. And the 22k is just for US alone not considering the UK, Canada and other European countries.

I went through the cited report and it didn't contain the break down of what type of visas. My guess is the tourist/Visit category far outnumbers the others. There are more Mexicans that apply to the U.S than there could ever be Nigerians. And more Europeans go for vacation there more than Nigerians even with the visa waiver, they still need the ESTA/ETA. In any given year these groups both outnumber Nigerians. Look at the UK for example, the EU citizens move there more than any other outside groups(esp Africans), after discovering there so called clamp down on immigration didn't work they are now considering excluding Europe.
The bottom line is people are moving everywhere. The world is becoming more global and interconnected. There are more polish immigrants in the UK than there could ever be Nigerians.

Donxavier:


I went through the cited report and it didn't contain the break down of what type of visas. My guess is the tourist/Visit category far outnumbers the others. There are more Mexicans that apply to the U.S than there could ever be Nigerians. And more Europeans go for vacation there more than Nigerians even with the visa waiver, they still need the ESTA/ETA. In any given year these groups both outnumber Nigerians. Look at the UK for example, the EU citizens move there more than any other outside groups(esp Africans), after discovering there so called clamp down on immigration didn't work they are now considering excluding Europe.
The bottom line is people are moving everywhere. The world is becoming more global and interconnected. There are more polish immigrants in the UK than there could ever be Nigerians.

You are comparing two different set of immigrants that are not related at all. Many EU citizens don't need a visa to visit US hence there is no need of counting number of visa applications. Mexico share border with US so they are likely to have a higher number of Mexicans in US just as we have higher number of Nigerians in Ghana compare to other EU countries.

Even with visa conditions the number of visa applications from Nigerians are still high.

justwise:


You are comparing two different set of immigrants that are not related at all. Many EU citizens don't need a visa to visit US hence there is no need of counting number of visa applications. Mexico share border with US so they are likely to have a higher number of Mexicans in US just as we have higher number of Nigerians in Ghana compare to other EU countries.

Even with visa conditions the number of visa applications from Nigerians are still high.

But Nigerians don't need a visa to get into Ghana, Mexico needs to get into the US, even brazil, and most south american countries all need visa to go to US and thats even with the very strict visa requirements yet there are still more Mexicans. How do you explain that?

Donxavier:


But Nigerians don't need a visa to get into Ghana, but Mexico needs to get into the US, even brazil, and most south american countries all need visa to go to US and thats even with the very strict visa requirements yet there are still more Mexicans. How do you explain that?

Yes they need a visa but majority of Mexicans in US got smuggled in easily because of the proximity, some use illegal crossings and it cost them very little, while a Nigerian need to buy flight ticket and fly thousands miles to US.

It's funny to see people running away when all the super-rich people I know are returning or planning to return.

good thing you said super rich

Abi

Sagamite:


I can understand the love of Nigeria, but I want these people to come and tell me what is there to be proud of and they are proud of in Nigeria.

I think such statements are usually just a big stamp on the forehead of intrinsic insecurities and inferiority complex masked with defiant pride.

That's just it. Most if not all are insecure. They'll run around in the diaspora claiming naija, riding around with a naija flag in their cars. Buy them a 1 way ticket, ask them to denounce their US, Canadian,UK ,etc passport they'll never. They'll also claim how Nigerian they are because they go back for 2 weeks every year or so, chop suya and enjoy. Having pride and giving such an allegiance to a country that never gave you anything makes no sense to me. The truth is most, especially the ones who are stuck in naija don't care about her. Even naija celebrities like Banky, who has a US passport and would get rid of his naija passport before his US. Even P-square didn't want to have his children born on their fatherland as they all flew their wives to America to have their pikin. This naija pride is stupidity if you ask me.

maternal:

That's just it. Most if not all are insecure. They'll run around in the diaspora claiming naija, riding around with a naija flag in their cars. Buy them a 1 way ticket, ask them to denounce their US, Canadian,UK ,etc passport they'll never. They'll also claim how Nigerian they are because they go back for 2 weeks every year or so, chop suya and enjoy. Having pride and giving such an allegiance to a country that never gave you anything makes no sense to me. The truth is most, especially the ones who are stuck in naija don't care about her. Even naija celebrities like Banky, who has a US passport and would get rid of his naija passport before his US. Even P-square didn't want to have his children born on their fatherland as they all flew their wives to America to have their pikin. This naija pride is stupidity if you ask me.

I really don't know what is there to be proud off.

maternal:


That's just it. Most if not all are insecure. They'll run around in the diaspora claiming naija, riding around with a naija flag in their cars. Buy them a 1 way ticket, ask them to denounce their US, Canadian,UK ,etc passport they'll never. They'll also claim how Nigerian they are because they go back for 2 weeks every year or so, chop suya and enjoy. Having pride and giving such an allegiance to a country that never gave you anything makes no sense to me. The truth is most, especially the ones who are stuck in naija don't care about her. Even naija celebrities like Banky, who has a US passport and would get rid of his naija passport before his US. Even P-square didn't want to have his children born on their fatherland as they all flew their wives to America to have their pikin. This naija pride is stupidity if you ask me.

Sagamite:


I really don't know what is there to be proud off.

A review of Nigeria for you:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/10004318/Nigeria-corruption-how-a-bottle-of-whisky-saved-my-life.html

[size=14pt]Nigeria corruption: how a bottle of whisky saved my life[/size]
Our reader Mike Forde recalls his run-ins with less-than-honest policemen in Nigeria




It was not until after accepting an assignment that would take me to Lagos that I bought a copy of The Rough Guide to West Africa. The Nigeria section was prefaced with remarks by Nigerian writer, the late Chinua Achebe: "Listen to Nigerian leaders," he wrote, "and you will frequently hear the phrase 'this great country of ours'.

"Nigeria is not a great a country. It is one of the most disorderly nations in the world. It is one of the most corrupt, insensitive, inefficient places under the sun. It is dirty, callous, noisy, ostentatious, dishonest and vulgar. In short it is among the most unpleasant places on earth."

Not the best of introductions, but there was no going back. A contract had been signed, airline ticket issued, hotel reservation made. I'd grown up in Tanzania and was confident I could handle whatever Lagos had to offer.

The flight landed at midnight local time. Immigration procedure was an unnerving blend of aggression and inertia, a flanking assault on the senses that requires a stiff upper lip and in-flight drinks to overcome. A sullen-faced official snatched my passport as I stood in the queue and began flicking through the pages. He was a policeman, dressed in a black uniform, armed with a pistol and truncheon.

In a parody of suspicion, his eyes narrowed as they flicked back and forth between my face and my picture. I thanked him when he gave it to another man in a green uniform whose job it was to check the validity of my visa – a task he seemed determined to perform in slow motion.

In the arrivals hall I identified myself to staff at the hotel's airport reception desk and was led outside to a Land Cruiser. Sitting next to the driver was another policeman cradling an assault rifle. It was like Dodge City with palm trees; he was riding shot-gun on our stagecoach.

A thin, slack-jawed Englishman in a white suit, an old colonial from central casting, sat next to me in the rear. We joined a freeway; there were garbage fires on the roadside, smoke billowed into arcs of light cast by a row of streetlamps, like an establishing shot in a mean-streets movie. We were on the 12 kilometre road-bridge spanning Lagos lagoon.

"I've heard it's the best in town," the old colonial said, referring to our destination.

I was not immediately reassured. "The best hotel in town" sagged under the weight of comparative factors. It was freighted with wrong assumptions. The issue was unresolved when I fell asleep around four o'clock. Then at six, the bedside telephone rang.

"Passport," said a stern voice.

"What?"

"You must give passport."

"I'm sleeping."

"Passport."

I resisted the impulse to close the conversation with a piece of my four-letter mind and opened the curtains. The view fulfilled my expectations of a West African harbour. Rusty freighters rode at anchor. Below, the prow of his canoe brushing the harbour wall, a fisherman cast his net into floating refuse from the hotel kitchen. I switched on the TV. A moment later there was a power cut, but the hotel's own generator ensured normal service was resumed in my first-world cocoon.

Downstairs in the lobby, I had my passport photocopied and was asked if I had slept well. I took a bus tour of the islands – Ikoyi and Victoria. Compared to the klaxon-blaring blast of an average road in Lagos, the islands' leafy streets are tranquillity itself and it took less than the half-hour trip to discover why. There's a heavy police presence and cars are routinely flagged down. Included in these stop-and-search activities is something called dash – a voluntary payment that ensures your continued innocence.

Throughout Lagos, the police behaved like an occupying force whose job was to intimidate the civilian population. They regularly carved their way through traffic jams, brandishing weapons like hit men, whipping the bonnets and side-panels of cars with knotted rope, as if expecting them to scatter like cattle.

The company provided accommodation, a car and driver. I took to driving myself around the islands at weekends. Once, I was stopped by a cop for not wearing a seat belt. He climbed into the passenger seat and said I was under arrest. As he gave directions to the police station, it occurred to me that neither of us wore a belt, an irony I knew better than to share with him. I was tried to keep calm while I wondered how I would offer a bribe if he didn't ask for one first.

"It would be bad for you to enter the station," he said, as I negotiated deep puddles of seawater on the beachfront road. "Then you spend tonight in the cell while I do paperwork."

I had 3,000 naira in my wallet (about £12). "See you around," he said, pocketing the money. Indeed.

Lagos saved its parting shot for my final day. On the way to the airport, my driver encountered the grid-locked traffic of an Easter weekend. Seeing the police driving against the traffic flow and making headway, he followed them. It was a mistake. He was dragged out of the car and roughed up. Then two cops got in and demanded money. My bag contained US$20,000 in crisp, $100 notes. In Lagos, it's a sum that's likely to make you a missing person.

My adrenaline levels went into overdrive and I waved my ticket at them, babbling that I had no money and was in danger of missing my flight. My ineffective attempt to control mounting hysteria added authenticity to my performance as a witless loser. They accepted the bottle of whisky I offered in lieu of funds.

More:

http://www.oyibosonline.com/cgi-bin/newsscript.pl?record=13006

[size=14pt]The End Of An Assignment In Nigeria By Tim Newman[/size]

With the exception of a week in October when I need to clear out my apartment, I’ve pretty much left Nigeria. My assignment there officially finished on 31st July, although I will have to return for business trips over the course of the next 3 years because the project I am on in Melbourne is for Nigeria.

Somebody once said that there is much to write about Russia, but when one tries you can never find the words to write the first line. Nigeria is much the same, and indeed there are many similarities between the two countries. I have tried to describe Nigeria to people who have never been there, and failed on most occasions. A colleague of mine stopped telling people back home about the place because he was getting a reputation as somewhat of a bullshitter, even though he didn’t exaggerate anything. I was at a seminar in Paris some time ago and I was describing the working life in Nigeria to a group of Frenchmen. One of them quipped that I was exaggerating and that “it couldn’t be that bad”, which prompted another Frenchman, sitting beside me, to nudge me in the ribs and remarked “wait until he does his Nigerian assignment”. He was based in Port Harcourt.

Nigeria has a reputation, and I knew about it before I arrived. Most of what I’d heard proved to be completely true. Almost all of it, in fact. To get a general picture of Nigeria, just read the news, and you’ll not be far wrong. It isn’t a place like Russia, the US, or France which surprise visitors when they see the contrast between what they’ve imagined (based on exposure to their tourists or foreign policy) and the individuals they encounter. But beyond the general picture, there are some subtleties worth mentioning.

It’s first important to understand that degree is as important as form. Russians, faced with criticism of corruption in their country, often retort that corruption is found everywhere, even in the UK. Which is true, but in many countries it does not infest every authority, office, and institute like it does in Russia. It is the degree, or extent, of corruption which makes Russia different from the UK, not the form. Understanding this concept is important in describing Nigeria.

There is no getting away from the fact that corruption in Nigeria has infested almost every aspect of life, work, and society. I can’t think of a single area where I didn’t encounter a scam of some sort. Some of them were pretty normal – policemen hassling motorists for bribes, for example – with others being less common elsewhere. Filling brand named alcohol bottles with local hooch was widespread practice. Not so bad in itself, but these were being sold through supposedly legitimate suppliers and turning up in established bars. Others were unique to Nigeria. I knew a guy in charge of oil shipments for a foreign oil company who received a call from somebody in the authorities saying he was not going to release the multi-million dollar cargo until somebody had bought his cousin $10 worth of phone credit. My acquaintance found himself going to the shop, buying a phone card, and handing it over to some scruffy bloke who showed up at his office in order to allow his crude oil out of the country.

The corruption, theft, and graft can take many forms: falsifying a CV (I don’t mean enhancing, I mean pretending you’re a Lead Piping Engineer of 12 years experience when actually, until yesterday, you were a fisherman); selling positions in a company; stealing diesel from the storage tanks you’re paid to protect; issuance of false material certificates; impersonating an immigration officer to access an office, from which you then tap up the people within to fund your latest venture; selling land which isn’t yours; deliberately running down the country’s refining capacity in order to partake in the lucrative import of fuels; falsifying delivery notes of said refined fuels in order to receive greater government subsidies; deliberately restricting the country’s power generation capacity in order to benefit from the importation of generators (which must be run on imported fuel); theft of half-eaten sandwiches and opened drink containers from the office fridge; tinkering with fuel gauges at petrol stations to sell customers short; conspiring with company drivers to issue false receipts indicating more fuel was supplied than actually was; supplying counterfeit safety equipment; falsifying certificates related to professional competence (e.g. rope access work); paying employees less than stipulated in their contract (or not at all); cloning satellite TV cards, meaning the legitimate user gets their service cut off when the other card is in use (the cards are cloned by the same people who issue the genuine cards); the list is literally endless. There is no beginning or end to corruption in Nigeria, it is a permanent fixture.

Nepotism is rife: family members are employed and promoted before anyone else. Outright theft is rife: from a pen lying on a desk, to billions from the state coffers. Dishonesty is rife: from the state governors to the street urchin, lying to enrich yourself is the norm. You name the scam, it is being done in Nigeria. Eventually, nothing surprises you. As I said before, you’ll find such practices everywhere, but to nowhere near the extent found in Nigeria......................................................

Read the rest at this link: http://www.oyibosonline.com/cgi-bin/newsscript.pl?record=13006

interesting