Lexusgs430:



Buhari is no longer coming..... Maybe he could not afford the Jet A1 fuel.........

He can't afford not to come.

Just postponed.

You wan make UK open im yansh.

A gentleman's agreement
If you understand where I'm going to

descarado:


He can't afford not to come.

Just postponed.

You wan make UK open im yansh.

A gentleman's agreement
If you understand where I'm going to

Why the UK cannot simply place a ban on him, I wonder.... All he can do too, is ban back in return & expel UK ambassadors.......

They should advice him to build and equip at least 3 hospitals in Nigeria.........

Josh121:


I guess ralphjean have been ban again .

That would be sad.

Thanks a lot

Lexusgs430:



Charing cross ..... 2 minutes walk....

Embankment station ...... 1 minute walk.....

Look for a travel inn or Travelodge, around elephant and castle, it should be cheaper than closer to the high commission.....

On Nigeria, The UK and the Future

It is always refreshing to every now and then document one’s thoughts about raging issues – national, provincial or global. For me, this provides a valuable resource in the future of history. For the future generation, it presents how my thought process evolved over time. To everyone else, it further exposes my mind for the mind is the standard of the man.

Nigeria – a cornucopia of confusion and the growth of the sachet economy
When recently @mamatukwas displayed a picture of the repackaged spaghetti by Honeywell, it immediately triggered in me flashbacks to my brief discourse/exchanges here on this platform some time ago on the need to adjust one’s business to suit the economic trend in Nigeria. Nigeria is a country made up of over 200m+ people (guesstimate) and it is usually not uncommon to assume that that size presents huge business opportunities.

Research by others have shown that Nigeria’s population is being propped up by just under 30% (c.60m+ people) of the population. Of this 60m+ people perhaps just under 30m+ really have purchasing power of around 2 million Naira annually. Of course, this is on average basis. This limited population with this ‘high’ spending power is majorly (over 85%) domiciled in Lagos with about 12% spread across Ogun, Ibadan, Port Harcourt, Abuja and Delta. The outstanding 3% are shared across the rest of the country (let me say that these are all rough estimates).

With such perverse wealth distribution across the country, only 4 sectors will directly affect the whole strata of society – food, health, transport and communication. Any other business outside of these sectors has to be well thought out and focused. However, the fact that high food poverty exists in Nigeria doesn’t make the business inherently viable. Considering the absence of value addition (preservation, processing), good logistics and low-quality inputs/harvests, coupled with growing insecurity, Nigerians should get ready for more hunger and rising food costs in the days ahead. Anyone still thinking that harvest time will lead to a reduction in food prices will be ‘shocked’ like Buhari. Middlemen continue to benefit from the law of attraction – to him that hath, more will be given. They can buy up farm produce, store and sell when prices are at an all-time high.

Let me paint a picture here for clarity. As of April 2021, fertiliser (urea) was selling for 5K - 5.5K Naira per bag. By the time I was ready to buy by May 2021, the price had increased to 12.5K Naira. This meant that for 35 ha land to be cultivated, I needed to spend an extra 730K Naira on urea alone. Same for NPK (my saving grace was getting it subsidised from government). For a simple double ploughing, rather than the usual 20K/ha, all of a sudden, I was being charged 32K/ha. What about seeds (hybrid), herbicides, aflatoxin etc. What about storage and shellers for the crop (after harvest)? What about irrigation in case weather decided to go on a break? What about cost of planting – I had to use women as we don’t have access to industrial planters? What about their security? By the time of writing this musing, our cost has gone up averagely by over 80%. By the time I’m selling to feeders and also processing into feeds, price would be astronomical. What does this lead me to do – Sacheterisation! Here in the UK and in other advanced countries it is called Shrinkflation!

A typical 15kg feed bag would be reduced to 10/11 kg at same price of 15kg. We could also do 3kg/5kg/7kg bags of feed for farmers to buy as their capacity can carry them. They would of course pay more, but that’s life! End users will end up paying more for fish, eggs, meat etc. The whole cycle will end up forcing households to spend more of their household income on feeding – leading to increasing poverty!

In the midst of all these, the FGN has recently commissioned new universities and given them seed money (in billions) to kick start operations. While this is happening, ASUU is preparing to go on an indefinite strike while our Attorney General is busy looking for a supposed gazette that details the grazing routes of cows across Nigeria. On top of this, our national government is fighting dirty with Twitter (a private company with operations based in the US) while Fulani herdsmen continue to run amok across the country.

We can carry on and on but now you get the picture. Without a new crop of leadership, the growth of the sachet economy will continue as households readjust their lifestyle and spending to meet the new realities. We are in for a long ride to nowhere in Nigeria.

The UK and the growth of feminism
It was beautiful reading the back and forth on the issue of raising kids overseas. In presenting my thoughts about kids being raised here abroad (especially the UK and its likes), let me opine that my ranting is more directed at the male kids than female. I mean no offense to the female gender.

I have watched with growing interest the continued attempts at domesticating and emasculating males here in the UK. I have read news again and again that show how pitiable males are becoming in the “new world”. This crass attempt at degenderizing society is all in a bid to eliminate the so-called male patriarchy they (females) claim exists and achieve parity between males and females.

When I was schooling in South Africa, one thing I quickly picked up was the fact that many white kids were home schooled – their parents tried as much as possible to limit interactions with the black kids. MOST white parents owned their own businesses and lived either as a community (of majority whites) or privately in farms. For these kids, they mostly grow up assisting their parents run the family business. This gives the parents an opportunity to teach these kids life’s most important lesson – RESPONSIBILITY.

How many blacks here in the UK are self-employed? How many blacks (citizens and ILR holders) here in the UK survive without benefits from the government? What makes the Asians and Chinese thick – they own businesses and mostly involve their kids in the day-to-day running of the business.

We talk about insecurity in Nigeria, and I ask, were that not to be an issue, how many of us could afford to send our kids to some of those great private schools in Lagos and Abuja and Osun State? Let’s even ask how many Nigerian parents have in place a plan to self-finance (100%) the schooling of their children in university/college abroad and leave them debt-free?

Raising up kids who would be useful to themselves and society transcends just their growing up values to also include opportunities and privileges you can offer them as a parent. However, the synergy is formed because children who are RESPONSIBLE can better manage opportunities and grow wealth tomorrow.

To offer those kids opportunities in life and broaden their world view, the parents must be self-equipped and empowered to be able to do so. The difference between kids tomorrow will depend on choices. Don’t forget that private schools here in the UK get levels o. There is a reason why the British political class today is filled with Etonians. There is a reason why parents have private tutors for their kids in addition to other expenses – choices. If your kid got admitted to Oxford or Cambridge or Stanford tomorrow without funding, do you have the funds to finance that education (no student debt o)?

When I interact with Nigerian parents, I usually cry (real tears with oscillating shoulders) when parents tell me that their kids have never been to Nigeria! In fact, my consternation becomes aggravated when you see these parents glee with excitement because their kids can speak with the British accent.

Is Pakistan safer than Nigeria? Is Iran safer than Nigeria? Is India safer than Nigeria? Yet you see British-Iranians and British-Pakistanis and other dual nationalities going home yearly to partake in festivals and acclimatising their kids with their roots. It isn’t uncommon to even have Nigerian parents here in the UK preventing their kids from learning their local dialect or visiting home.

I’ve worked with Chinese and Pakistani’s and Indians and other nationals and everywhere they meet, their language comes to fore especially when they can speak their dialect (happens most of the time). I was at a conference some time ago in Germany and my Mexican colleague spots his former Mexican colleague while at Cambridge and they excuse themselves to speak for 20 minutes in Spanish! Nigerians of the same tribe (and ability to converse in their native language) would meet each other and be proud to converse in English – your kids are beside you learning.

How many Nigerian kids here in the UK have read novels from Africa that teach them about our culture or experiences? We have excellent titles in the African Writers Series and excellent writers. That’s where it starts from. How many Nigerian kids here in the UK can talk comfortably about Nigeria, her culture, important places in Nigeria and people? Instead, they are being loaded with baloney about the UK. Did the UK inform your kids that they were bankrupt 50 years ago and had to be bailed by the IMF and the US? Tomorrow when they rewrite our history, can your kids confront and write theirs? It is ok to learn about the battle of Waterloo and Trafalgar (thunder fire knowledge of life in the UK) but not ok to learn about Nigeria’s civil war?

Two years ago, some academics from the UK and South Africa wrote a response to one of my energy policy papers. Their saving grace was that there was a limit to the technical abuse I could spew in academic exchanges. I’m writing as an authority of “no light” and “Up NEPA” telling you why generators and firewood suit me better than solar panels and wind turbines and even following it with sound mathematical computations and clowns who visit my country for holiday were responding that I was perhaps being sponsored by an oil multinational and not ready to participate in the transition to renewables. My response to them was bombastic! For their remaining lives when they see my work, they will jump and pass.

When I see young men acting directionless, I’m scared. This is because males play a crucial role in shaping society and the world at large. Wars have been fought and won (or lost) by men. Policies and initiatives and inventions have MOSTLY been driven by men. Procreation starts from the man (who has the seed)! You can’t have men becoming sissies and think it’s freedom of expression and portends great value for society. Look around you and observe, how many world leaders (male) are gay or transgender or sissies or cross? Even society has some level of expectations from men in leadership positions!

The Future – scary and worrisome
As much as I’m optimistic about the future, I’ve never been scared like now in my entire life (I’ll admit it’s not that long). In fact, I now admire old people because they would soon be dead and not get to live through another economic collapse and the resulting nightmare.

Folks, it’s bad. There has never been so much debt created in life like now. In case you don’t know it, world global economies are shrinking – not expanding (check out debt/GDP). Joblessness, homelessness, forbearance, furlough, extensive lockdowns, huge closedown of businesses have characterised the economy. Yet, in the midst of these, we are being deceived that the economy is rebounding – from where to where? How can house prices be inflating when people are becoming homeless and jobless and there is ongoing forbearance and moratoriums on rents?

Now to the culprit, the FED, these guys are massively inflating the economy using unprecedented money printing (so called REPO/Reverse REPO) and buying back mortgages in $billions on a monthly basis. The US is indebted to the tune of $28 Trillion, the UK (over £2 Trillion) with the EU in excess of $3.5 Trillion. China has begun a massive buying splurge on commodities and expenditure on its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to divest itself of its dollars while massively buying huge quantities of gold. Today, Russia holds more gold reserves than the USD. There is only so much money (USD) that can be printed before we have a full cratering of the economy – some economists say it will be worse than the 2008/09 crisis. Across the US and even here in the UK, we are seeing major investment companies – Blackstone and others buying huge swathe of properties at over 50% asking price using cheap loans from the FED which you and I can’t access.

With such dire stats, it will never be unwise to start rethinking how we survive. Folks who lived and worked through the 2008/09 crisis know of a certainty that it will be worse now if we were to have a repeat. Population has grown and facilities are overstretched. Conservatism should guide expenditure. How do you intend to thrive in a repeat 2008/09 crisis? What plans are on ground to ease living during such times? I have no suggestion but only saying it may perhaps not be unwise to know what’s happening in the finance/economic sector and start making plans to assuage any potential impact. Many folks never imagined covid-19 hence no savings/emergency funds, cash at hand. Some even had debts – mortgages, car finance and personal loans. When covid hit and jobs were lost, only them can tell by how much their lives and health has changed.

Unfortunately, Nigeria still offers the best spot to survive during such crisis because of the informal nature of the economy. I know the bashings are coming but back in Nigeria, I can practically have my own community and farm almost all my food and cut down expenses to the basics during such precarious times. It will never be bad to have a fall-back option in times like this. A Brit has no fall-back option besides the UK. You do because of your multiple nationalities. That can always be exploited to stay ahead in life.

Do have a splendid morning.

Hi @Hebraeem, just post here. We can all learn and others would be able to contribute and correct me if I'm wrong.

Hebraeem:
I have heard of this as well and it is also a 5yrs route to citizenship (if am correct). Thank you for this also. And please I have a question concerning if I qualify for it, can I message you?

Lexusgs430:



Why the UK cannot simply place a ban on him, I wonder.... All he can do too, is ban back in return & expel UK ambassadors.......

They should advice him to build and equip at least 3 hospitals in Nigeria.........

Why would they ban him na. Who no like better thing?. African politicians are the highest patrons of overseas hospitals….

Lexusgs430:



Why the UK cannot simply place a ban on him, I wonder.... All he can do too, is ban back in return & expel UK ambassadors.......

They should advice him to build and equip at least 3 hospitals in Nigeria.........

It's highly impossible for UK to do so.

You should know why

wallg123:

Why would they ban him na. Who no like better thing?. African politicians are the highest patrons of overseas hospitals….

One of the reasons but not the most important. Not even the 3rd

Lexusgs430:



Why the UK cannot simply place a ban on him, I wonder.... All he can do too, is ban back in return & expel UK ambassadors.......

They should advice him to build and equip at least 3 hospitals in Nigeria.........

Panama Papers things....

Knelsoon:
@omopapa
Please can you checkout this training

https://labmedexpert.com/training/intensive-histopathology-training

Is it a good one too?

@knelsoon...do you know anyone who have been trained by this organisation?
Cc: Lexusgs430, justwise.

Please help us look into this.

Hello house.
Plss I need you guys help.
I am a student here in uk and planning to go for my placement. Coping with 2kids is not easy here for me and I intend to bring in my mummy who is a retired Civil servant and over 70yrs old .
Plss house what documents do I need to submit and most importantly can I as a student FINANCE the trio and if no how much is required to be in her account and for how many days.
Plss help me out .

oritse123:


@knelsoon...do you know anyone who have been trained by this organisation?
Cc: Lexusgs430, justwise.

Please help us look into this.

I don't know anyone too. I am hoping the seniors can help.

oritse123:


@knelsoon...do you know anyone who have been trained by this organisation?
Cc: Lexusgs430, justwise.

Please help us look into this.

No idea, i know nothing about that company

oluwaloseyi2009:

Hello house.
Plss I need you guys help.
I am a student here in uk and planning to go for my placement. Coping with 2kids is not easy here for me and I intend to bring in my mummy who is a retired Civil servant and over 70yrs old .
Plss house what documents do I need to submit and most importantly can I as a student FINANCE the trio and if no how much is required to be in her account and for how many days.
Plss help me out .

Also try here: https://www.nairaland.com/5233246/general-uk-visa-enquiries-part

Happy weekend guys. Please anyone recently paid for passport renewal. My wife has been trying to pay on the innovation site and it’s not accepting her debit card. There are mixed information on if it’s just credit card that is accepted or both debit card.

Please anyone can help. At first I thought it was network or site is down, but it’s over 3days now.

Also if it’s credit card, is there anyway one without a credit card can make payment? Cos we don’t have one at the moment and we are not in England.

Chukwuka16:
On Nigeria, The UK and the Future


Do have a splendid morning.

Uncle Chukwuka... Daalu!

Please anybody coming from lagos to London?

I was personally trained by this organisation, they really good. Ring them and tell them SK introduced you, I could get referral bonus

Knelsoon:
@omopapa
Please can you checkout this training

https://labmedexpert.com/training/intensive-histopathology-training

Is it a good one too?

That guy's comment too long... But Nigeria is not a good option and most of those children brought up abroad will not go to Nigeria especially given the way things have become... It appears that Chukwu has now too much money for sense... This was a guy that gave up on the country then changed his mind about investing in Nigeria...

People are scrambling to run away from Nigeria and some are just about keeping their heads above water and you are talking about them sending children back to Nigeria... To do what exactly?

From getting passports and renewing passport, to insecurity, the way of life and the sheer cost of the frivolous travel, many of those struggling parents in the UK have better priorities...

The country is a shit hole for most people in and there is no point trying to convince people that know for real and ate not in the money like yourself to think otherwise.

A well integrated child in the UK is half way to securing the future of his offspring and those beyond regardless of whether they tie wrapper to a useless country like Nigeria...

I do agree that other aspects of parenting can be better. But to constantly compare Asians and Orientals that are successful to the ordinary folks blacks or white or brown is not comparing like for like. South Africa is a different case...

The Asians and Orientals are mostly like our Hausas - one person makes it and others mill around them and some others are pulled up to a level but majority are still very poor and even worse than us typical other Nigerian tribes that are more individualists.
We also have our family tax and looking after others that take away from the money that could be used to start businesses and to be properly financially independent.

I believe you need to register your card first (if you haven’t done so) before you can use it on the site. At least, that’s how I did mine. You’ll submit the card details with proof of id, then you’ll get an email like the one below when the card has been approved for usage.

P.S I used my debit card. The website also classifies/addresses all cards as credit cards from my experience.

Chreze:
Happy weekend guys. Please anyone recently paid for passport renewal. My wife has been trying to pay on the innovation site and it’s not accepting her debit card. There are mixed information on if it’s just credit card that is accepted or both debit card.

Please anyone can help. At first I thought it was network or site is down, but it’s over 3days now.

Also if it’s credit card, is there anyway one without a credit card can make payment? Cos we don’t have one at the moment and we are not in England.

iboboyswag:


Uncle Chukwuka... Daalu!

Lol thanks for not replying to his whole wrote up.. I was worried at how much I would have needed to scroll. But yes his thoughts were great to read.

Roomies o, who is in tech and is doing a global talent visa or will do a global talent visa or has done a global talent visa.. I need guidance.

The gov website is frustrating time.

Josh121:


I guess ralphjean have been ban again .

Hahahahaha! looks like I’ve lost my crown of “most troublesome Nairalander” to ralphjean

chrisj2:
That guy's comment too long... But Nigeria is not a good option and most of those children brought up abroad will not go to Nigeria especially given the way things have become... It appears that Chukwu has now too much money for sense... This was a guy that gave up on the country then changed his mind about investing in Nigeria...

People are scrambling to run away from Nigeria and some are just about keeping their heads above water and you are talking about them sending children back to Nigeria... To do what exactly?

From getting passports and renewing passport, to insecurity, the way of life and the sheer cost of the frivolous travel, many of those struggling parents in the UK have better priorities...

The country is a shit hole for most people in and there is no point trying to convince people that know for real and ate not in the money like yourself to think otherwise.

A well integrated child in the UK is half way to securing the future of his offspring and those beyond regardless of whether they tie wrapper to a useless country like Nigeria...

I do agree that other aspects of parenting can be better. But to constantly compare Asians and Orientals that are successful to the ordinary folks blacks or white or brown is not comparing like for like. South Africa is a different case...

The Asians and Orientals are mostly like our Hausas - one person makes it and others mill around them and some others are pulled up to a level but majority are still very poor and even worse than us typical other Nigerian tribes that are more individualists.
We also have our family tax and looking after others that take away from the money that could be used to start businesses and to be properly financially independent.

lol..told him before that too much book dey worry him

omopapa:
I was personally trained by this organisation, they really good. Ring them and tell them SK introduced you, I could get referral bonus

That's good...
Can you advice someone who is not a science student to enrol for this course ?
What's the possibility of getting a job applying as an international student from Nigeria after the course ?

chrisj2:
That guy's comment too long... But Nigeria is not a good option and most of those children brought up abroad will not go to Nigeria especially given the way things have become... It appears that Chukwu has now too much money for sense... This was a guy that gave up on the country then changed his mind about investing in Nigeria...

People are scrambling to run away from Nigeria and some are just about keeping their heads above water and you are talking about them sending children back to Nigeria... To do what exactly?

From getting passports and renewing passport, to insecurity, the way of life and the sheer cost of the frivolous travel, many of those struggling parents in the UK have better priorities...

The country is a shit hole for most people in and there is no point trying to convince people that know for real and ate not in the money like yourself to think otherwise.

A well integrated child in the UK is half way to securing the future of his offspring and those beyond regardless of whether they tie wrapper to a useless country like Nigeria...

I do agree that other aspects of parenting can be better. But to constantly compare Asians and Orientals that are successful to the ordinary folks blacks or white or brown is not comparing like for like. South Africa is a different case...

I tend to agree.
The whole debate about which is better for an average Nigerian, Nigeria or the UK, is perennial and never to be settled.

My opinion is that Nigeria undoubtedly works for some, particularly those at the top, but it definitely doesn't work for the majority of its people. In the 1970s and 1980s when the UK was the sick man of western Europe, Nigeria was arguably better, but in 2021 when Nigeria is among the sickest men of Africa, there is no room for comparison for the same average Nigerian.

Re raising children, the reason people like me emigrated in their middle age was simply because one wants to provide the children with a better chance at life that Nigeria definitely no longer offers to the majority of its people. This might change, and I fervently hope it does and Nigeria becomes a place where ordinary people can thrive once again, but I decided to no longer subject my children to the Hobbesian landscape that my country has turned into. My mother is Igbo, I went to Nsukka, speak very good Igbo and my fondest memories are of the time I spent in Enugu and Owerri when I was in university. When I got my first job, I used to put my old banger on the road and cruise down to Enugu for Easter/Christmas/4 day Muslim holiday and back to Lagos. Right now, Nigeria's security perimetre has shrunk to central Lagos, Abuja et al., and I somehow don't think it will ever go back to those relatively carefree days and even I haven't got the energy to deal with that, let alone my children.

Had I no children, I would never have left Nigeria, and I plan to return myself if it is still viable and livable once I have settled my children and I'm continuing some of my ongoing my investments and all, but I do not care if my children never go back to Nigeria or where they decide to live their lives once they have that choice as long as they have a viable alternative to Nigeria.

Yes none science students can apply as you will be learning practical skills needed to work in the lab. Getting a job is fairly easy if u are willing to travel anywhere in the UK but might not guarantee getting residence permit with the job

oritse123:


That's good...
Can you advice someone who is not a science student to enrol for this course ?
What's the possibility of getting a job applying as an international student from Nigeria after the course ?

is it possible for a medical graduate who studied his medicine course abroad to write PLAB exam in Nigeria with d intention to travel to UK to practice as a doctor? Can This work out?

ocpaschal:
is it possible for a medical graduate who studied his medicine course abroad to write PLAB exam in Nigeria with d intention to travel to UK to practice as a doctor? Can This work out?

Only PLAB 1 can be taken in Nigeria.
For PLAB 2, you have to be in the UK, and a visiting visa allows that.

justwise:


lol..told him before that too much book dey worry him

We like words too much for Nja! Often times, I wonder whether the usual contributors to this side of Nairaland are majorly comfortable and not aware that folks are dying trying to get to the UK...

Some people are too comfortable... It is like listening to Osinbajo and then comparing his message of hope and progress to reality of which he is firmly part of.

Nja parents should up their level, think of being financially independent and leaving something for the next generation; wherever those kids choose to lay their heads. Stop thinking abroad born kids are going to carry on like you or your parents.

The funny thing is that those of us abroad right now have it worse than our parents. They came, studied and left for good jobs and they probably are reasonably comfortable to move between the 2 countries.

I cannot imagine many Nigerians being able to send their children to Nja for holidays nowadays. The cost and wahala is off-putting and the children end up being put off for life. It is best to leave them to grow up and do well and then find Nja or parent's heritage if they want.

Some of my cousins left Nja at a younger age with their parents and the only time one or two of them have left is for a funeral and they hated it; I dont see them sending their own children or them going back. While I continue to be taxed by family and relations (lucky Lexus), they contribute nothing because their parents take care of that side of things.

Mimzyy:
I believe you need to register your card first (if you haven’t done so) before you can use it on the site. At least, that’s how I did mine. You’ll submit the card details with proof of id, then you’ll get an email like the one below when the card has been approved for usage.

P.S I used my debit card. The website also classifies/addresses all cards as credit cards from my experience.

Thank you.