disboy:



Pure water is a very lucrative business and that amout stated above can comfortably start a pure water packaking coy.So u want to start big ba? Go and ask dangote howmuch he started with

Finally, Nigeria is a beautiful country with a majority of the people willing to work to make a living. However, years of poor leadership and a docile citizenry have made living in Nigeria appear like being in hell. Believe me, there is everything stacked against you here, but the reality remains that you must be daring and be ready to get dirty to make a living here. Nigeria is the place to be. There are countless opportunities in Nigeria-we are not bad people, but our government is peopled by bad citizens.

by John Chikadibie Okafor.

nanidee:
This is a very nice post. I hate to be negative, but unfortunately, this is one of the main reasons Nigeria cannot move forward. They are just not interested!

Check the key people in some strategic positions (especially government related posts), they have no clue as to what is required of them. They are just 'placed' in those positions due to the fact that they happen to be in good standing with the 'main people'. It is just utterly appalling.

They are not really interested in getting people who can do the job. Just imagine one aboki, probably with maximum of an A level certificate, heading a major organisation, e.g Federal Mortgage Bank. Come on, what exactly would he know?

Nigeria is the way it is, because of bullshit like this. People are hardly employed based on merit, but on the basis of 'who they know'.

Wonders shall never cease

Olodostein: Rap Verse;

There is a place known to men of all creed and belief
Where to succeed,you have to be a snitch, in a ditch.
They say in every matter, money matters,not to bother,but to comply
To decide,u fit tell me how much you don pay for the air you breath with all that greed?
Objection sustain, by instinct,she discredit our merit to her credit.
We can't walk like a crab and fly like a bird
To survive today, must we put on a make-believe personality to belong?
In shade serene, dark sky above, i thought to myself,
When are we gonna wake up to reality and get along for what its worth?
What has happened to the true value system,that makes a nation great?
Our children are loosing hope, being under scope, dying inside,
wanting to hide, thinking nobody is there, living in fear.
We can't run away from our shit, claiming it doesn't smell....
Despite reality preaching, I see our skies blue, oceans clear,
Doves in soaring flocks on the horizon.
But we gonna wake up to reality and breath high!!......

2nd and 3rd verses on the way......Hitting airwaves soon ....

Jarus:
So many funny comments here rotflmao @ free readers chairman

Jarus: So many funny comments here.

Personally, I don't think it should be automatic that because you have a foreign degree, you should be automatically preferred to the locall-trained. This is why I like MNCs like Shell. They subject all of you to same selection process and pick who they consider the best (and interestingly, their final picks have always been balanced between local and foreign trained). I don't agree it should be automatic. If you do well in selection process, with your effizzy accent, you stand a very good chance. My guess is that you expected your search to be a walk in the park, for the simple reason that you have good foreign degree.

But like Ajanlekoko said, there are dwindling white collar jobs. If it was 2004-2008, I can bet you would have gotten many offers. I was spoilt for choices, got up to 4 offers 2007/2008. But I spent more than 1 year actively nosing before I was able to get a decent move last year. Things have changed. My friends that resigned from banks and went abroad for Msc's struggled to get another job when they came back. Not many jobs, too many qualified people competing for the few spaces.

Personally, I still hold that merit still works in Nigeria, especially in private sector. The connection thing is exaggerated in my opinion. It is not as bad as portrayed. I got my current job thru Guardian advert. My tight friends got jobs in Shell, Chevron, Addax without knowing anybody. These are good guys and merit is working for them.

There is a place known to men of all creed and belief
Where to succeed,you have to be a snitch, in a ditch.

mba emeka: I can relate with the OP fulltime. The situation has seriously waned from Jarus time to now. I can say that because I'm from the latter era (most likely where the OP is coming from). To be fair, the MNC's still favour the foreign degrees but like Ajanlekoko and others have said the white collar job openings seem to have wizened over time even abroad.

Nepotism and cronism is still the order of the day (especially in the IOC's). These lot favour folks that have had some experience with them- either as an intern or as a contract staff. I experienced it with Exxon. After passing the Dragnet and skilltest phase(s) we where interviewed. In that time span I had a friend that served with them and was also retained as a contract staff that wrote the same tests. He didn't pass the skilltest (I know this because he confided in me and besides he's an intelligent lad that graduated with a first class degree in engineering from a Nigerian university) but his boss told him to relax that he'd contact the HR to see what he could do. Well, to cut a very long story short he got the job and has been chilling there ever since. The caveat here is that atleast the guy is pretty smart but the reality on ground is that he wouldn't have secured the job bereft of his bosses help. Its even noteworthy to add here that 3 others like himself (that served there too and were retained) got the same job. We just accepted it and moved on.

PS: the likes of SPDC, ADDAX have corroborating stories as such. Maybe in 2004-2008 it wasn't like that. But from 2009-till date. People experienced it. It gets easier after one has garnered some experience though. But its safer to know the Petroleum minister, VP, C-in-C and the likes. Its safest to know God. *wink wink*

shymexx: Let me quickly drop some ancient mathematics using brother two lines from Olodostein's rap to buttress my point...

^^^^After studying how things work in Nigeria for the last 4years and asking people who visit the country regularly about how things work there... Nigeria is at his at the moment is definitely not the place for professionals who are seeking to make a living while contributing their own quota to the system... It's a jungle where you have to be criminal minded, and like MC Olodostein rightly put it: "to succeed,you have to be a snitch, in a ditch!"

So, if you can't be a "snitch," Nigeria is definitely not for you... That's why I can't be arsed with no NYSC fckery despite the pressure from my parents... I'd rather wait till I'm in my late 30s to try out some online based IT solutions in Nigeria...

May God help Nigeria...

shymexx:

This verse is heavy - only a [b]Nas, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Immortal Technique, or K.Dot [/b]can come up with something as dope as this...

Which tune is the verse from??

disboy:

U are part of the problem we are talking about from ur example. If u were to b a in an interview board, if ubc sumbody from d north, u will just conclude that he is an illiterate not knowing that that there are very intelligent pple up north.With thisvur mentality, how will d country move forward?

mrkoma2012: @op
Nowadays, even in the UK or US you will have to submit loads of applications to get an interview slot. I was also in your position in your2008 after graduating with a IT related degree from Brunel university, UK. I set up my own internet consulting firm in the UK with a £3000 loan from my parents. Today this same firm has a turnover of over £2million per annum and growing daily.Also, my younger brother currently works for Exxon Mobil in Nigeria and got the job on merit after over 50 rejection emails or letters from various oil & gas firms around the world he applied for.

My advice is simple education doesn't guarantee success. It is your determination ,skills set, adaptability , and a bit of luck that might give you a better chance of making something for yourself and future. I definitely know that Nigeria has something for you, but you will have to be innovative and creative to actualise it.

Olodostein:

You got game fella. Them homeboys are my inspirators. Their rap style tells the story. Unlike what we have on our airwaves today.

I wrote it comrade , just need a solid instrumental to buttress.

I love Nas rap style. The Gee is grounded. We need a Hip Hop revolution bro. Your deep insight on variety of issues is noteworthy ?

coogar:

that country is kwashiorkored!
one must completely detach himself from ethics and morals to operate in most organisations.

An0nimus:
una dey derail this thread..

Olodostein:
You got game fella. Them homeboys are my inspirators. Their rap style tells the story. Unlike what we have on our airwaves today.

I wrote it comrade , just need a solid instrumental to buttress.

I love Nas rap style. The Gee is grounded. We need a Hip Hop revolution bro. Your deep insight on variety of issues is noteworthy ?

cheleku: Nice piece. But you got your message a bit muddled up. I don't quite get where stand on foreign degrees. You seem to discourage it at one point, and yet encourage it at some other point. On a lighter note, do you still have the funny accent? If you do, quickly discard of it. It may be the reason why you had to search for a job for so long.

amacastel: D guy that paste dis trend is absolutely right the percentage of luck job in nigeria now is about 1% out of 100% job avalible 4 the guy who said dt his friend that didn't knw any where got a job ask him his deal with d directors some forfeit there 1st 3month salary as their payment of being employed.am a nurse/midwife by profession when FMC asaba advertised 4 the employment of nurses I went 4 the interview with my friend that did her nursing training in the north as a matter of fact she didn't knwo any where I took her around after the interview she actually got d job and I did not,initially she told me it was luck after 1year we ar discussing about federal job she told me that she has 2 forfiet her 3months salary n had 2 sleep with 1 of d directors 2 secure d job (she is actually telling me 2 play any game demand of me 4rm anybody dat want 2 giv me job)she forfeit (390k) with hot bleep 4rm d director 2 get a job but initially I was shouting it was her luck .if u want federal job Hnd 400k bribe,bsc 700k,msc 1milion ask any truthful person in d system 2 tell u.NO LuCK JOB in NIGERIA u must know sombody or be ready 2 pay big money as bribe b4 d job.I don't even want 2 work 4 anybody again .Am doing my contracts n I have my peace fu... C ...K. Nigerian work

baby_123:

Good lord, too sad. Before the system is cleansed, the people that got jobs this way have to retire. As mediocrity can only support mediocrity. So we can estimate another 30years. Na wa o. Rotflmao.

InvertedHammer:


U never see anything...go to the Universities. All those pretty babes you see (no exceptions!) a good number of the lecturers
boink them at least once. Sabi book no sabi book no reach am. It is called infringe benefits.
If you fail (or if he fails you), you will pay for the hotel room, buy his drinks and provide the ultimate pleasure
for your grade to be upgraded.

Jarus:

Let me burst your bubble: a friend (very close friend that I brought. Lagos) just did Shell medicals, having scaled all the recruitment stages. Guess what? He has no more than 2.1 Bsc Chem Engr from -wait for it - Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi. He knew nobody. In fact, I brought him to Lagos (never visted Lagos in his life. Knew no more than Kano/Bauchi). But a very brilliant dude currently with Oando, waiting on Shell.

Another friend (also a Nairalander) just moved to Addax from Oando for 15m last year. Has no more than Bsc Accounting from Ife (my set) and ICAN. These are guys that don't know anybody.

These are 2012/2013 events, not 2006!

Guys, merit still dey o. I see all tthese things from time to time and these are what make me reach my consistent conclusion that there is still merit if you know your onions.

And I have never lost a job to nepotism. In 2011, about 42 of us competed for Total E&P Economist position (32 shortlisted from Nigeria, the remaining 10 Nigerian MBA/Msc candidates in USA/UK). I didn't get it(one of the guys from US got it) but I knew it was purely merit-driven. That is the competition. Too many qualified people for very limited spaces. Thousands applied, 42 shortlisted, 1 got it.

Jarus:

Let me burst your bubble: a friend (very close friend that I brought. Lagos) just did Shell medicals, having scaled all the recruitment stages. Guess what? He has no more than 2.1 Bsc Chem Engr from -wait for it - Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi. He knew nobody. In fact, I brought him to Lagos (never visted Lagos in his life. Knew no more than Kano/Bauchi). But a very brilliant dude currently with Oando, waiting on Shell.

Another friend (also a Nairalander) just moved to Addax from Oando for 15m last year. Has no more than Bsc Accounting from Ife (my set) and ICAN. These are guys that don't know anybody.

These are 2012/2013 events, not 2006!

Guys, merit still dey o. I see all tthese things from time to time and these are what make me reach my consistent conclusion that there is still merit if you know your onions.

And I have never lost a job to nepotism. In 2011, about 42 of us competed for Total E&P Economist position (32 shortlisted from Nigeria, the remaining 10 Nigerian MBA/Msc candidates in USA/UK). I didn't get it(one of the guys from US got it) but I knew it was purely merit-driven. That is the competition. Too many qualified people for very limited spaces. Thousands applied, 42 shortlisted, 1 got it.