₦airaland Forum

The United Nations Development Programme’s Project, Democratic Governance for Development (DGD) in Nigeria announces the following vacancy:

Post Title: Project Associate to PD

Type of contract: Service Contract

Location: Abuja, Nigeria

Duration: Initial duration of one year (with possibility of renewal)

A service contract (SC) is a non- staff contract modality used for hiring individuals working in a project or performing non-core function For details on the job description and application process,
UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture.

Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply.

Qualified women are highly encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. UNDP, as a matter of practice, does not charge any application, processing or training fee at any stage of the recruitment process. If you have any questions as to vacancy announcements you may have received, please refer to this website.

Method of Application

please visit and submit applications to: http://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?cur_job_id=38555

Closing date: 11th July 2013

For More Abuja Job Vacancies: http://abuja-jobs..com/2013/07/project-associate-to-pd-at-undp-abuja.html

@israel007

Maybe you should visit Abuja again in case you've been away for long. There are functional street lights in Abuja at least far more than many other Nigerian cities and yes the beautiful greenery stays have you driven round maitama, jabi etc?

kunle.t.ade:
i can understand where he is coming from. i once tried going 3 days without food, the result
faint eyes
faint hearing
dull brain
unable to walk... maybe all these are also worrying the man...

I once tried fasting without food and water for 3 weeks although I was weak I gained some weight sha!

For people who have fallen in love with chess and are wondering just what they could do with themselves Are you looking to play chess online for free with either real people or against a chess program? Here are 5 great places to play chess online for free:

Yahoo Games

Playing Chess on yahoo games is fun and highly interactive as you not only play chess against real life opponents but you also get to chat with people. There are at least 10 different game rooms from which to play games but that’s not all. You can also play according to your skill levels as starting from beginners to advanced levels.

Game Colony

Chess on game colony is not as interactive as what you get on Yahoo Games but it’s equally fun. The standard of chess at Game colony is high as it’s a all comers affair meaning both strong/advanced players and beginners alike are all lumped into one game room. But you can choose your opponents from their ratings. There are also prize winning standard chess tournaments on Game colony with prizes ranging from a few dollars to several hundreds. To play free chess games here you’ll have to sign in each time with a different user name as you have a limited number of free games.

Chess.com

Chess.com is the best place to play free chess online because it has a very large pool of active players online numbering several hundreds of thousands at any giving time so you have a very competitive online chess community. What’s more you’re paired against players of equal or slightly equal ratings of plus or minus 200 rating points. There are numerous resources also to help improve your games such as chess lessons and ebooks and regular tournaments that hold daily. You can easily replay your games allowing you analyze your games.

Chess Cube

Chess cube like Chess.com is a vibrant online chess community and both of them only require you sign up with a facebook account for beginners. But chess cube is not as potent as chess.com and there is a limit to number of free games you can play and once that number is exceeded you either upgrade or miss out on playing more games.

SparkChess

Spark Chess only offers a computer program for interested players to compete against computer based chess personalities. You don’t get to play in free multi player games with real people but you can choose your skill level and play against players of equal strength. Personally I only use the games as a learning experience as I can play according to my set time and learn my mistakes in real time.

http://paulipopo.hubpages.com/hub/5-Places-to-play-Free-Online-Chess-Games

justwise: I agreed with you that Abuja is very expense but disagreed with you that there is nothing special about Abuja, Abuja is a great city with anything you want as long as you can afford it

For those that keep saying there's nothing special about Abuja ask those who have stayed in Lagos and don't want to relocate back. It's an expensive city but still a nice place to reside.

Ok Yusuf Abass you're welcome to apply!

Abuja being the Capital City of Nigeria is a rapidly developing city with housing projects and infrastructure being constantly built. That is because the population is growing rapidly made up of people trooping from other parts of the country in search of greener pastures and Nigerians living abroad who want to return and make a difference.

The implication is that there will be demand for housing and that means more land would be used up for this purpose. That makes buying land very tedious in Abuja as prime spots have been taken up already and are likely only available to super rich, money bags who can afford to take up plots of land in prime locations namely; Wuse, Maitama, Asokoro, Garki, Jabi and of recent Life Camp and Gwarinpa.

So what useful tips could a potential Abuja land buyer use to make his purchase of a choice property a worthwhile experience?

Get your requirements Right

What do you need the land for? Is it to build a residential property or for commercial use? What is the size of your intended land and what geographical features such as soil type and topography are you looking for. Perhaps the most important ones would be location and your maximum budget. A well stated requirement makes your search for an available Abuja land easier.

Do a Property Market Survey

What is the average net price range of Abuja land for sale? One thing you should know is the difference between asking price and net price for land as sometimes the agents want to play smart and could add a little something on the actual price of the land. Even at that the actual land owner doesn’t care how much you eventually pay for the land as long as he/she gets their own stated price so that means you should be willing to bargain. So have an idea of the average market value of land in a particular area where you’re interested in owning land.

Contact a reliable Abuja Estate Agent

The truth is the few reliable estate Agents available have to be careful who contacts them for enquiries for land. Many of them tend to think most enquiries aren’t serious as people who pose as buyers don’t really make any serious effort other lip service. So prove how serious you are by asking good questions and stating your requirements. Sometimes they might ask you to pay an initial fee for mobilization this is to scare off unserious prospects.

Scan everywhere for Property adverts

Most national dailies have special days when they publish real estate related adverts. Scanning the newspapers or popular property related websites can go a long way in helping locate land deals that may rhyme with your requirements.

Take necessary precautions

There are fraudsters on the move looking for suckers they can pull their stunts on especially with land deals although even in apartment rentals a few of them have made daring moves. Be careful and always ask for the originals of documents whenever you find a choice land to purchase and of course do your checks with Abuja Geo-informatics Systems (AGIS) on the authenticity and availability of the land. Also that all land in Abuja is defined for specific uses according to the Abuja Master Plan, don’t make the mistake of acquiring land from the wrong sources or risk having your developed property demolished.

http://www.abujafood.com/news-digest/housing-and-real-estate/1259-land-for-sale-in-abuja-a-buyers-guide.html

Onyinyechimara: Ok o! Abuja here I come
Actually the last reason is a disadvantage........who wants to be closer to Boko haram

Last time I checked Boko Haram have been far away from Abuja since April 2012!

Was just wondering the other day why inspire of the fact that there's little or nothing so garden like about Port Harcourt it is still being called the garden city whereas Abuja is the true picture of what you could call a garden city with the numerous lush greenery around!

It's so good to know people like charly boy exist, so care free and fun to hang our with!

Abuja being the capital city of Nigeria naturally attracts a sizeable number of visitors from all over the world especially diplomats and foreign investors. People who come to Abuja on short stay often do so for business rather than pleasure. However one noticeable trend especially by Nigerians who have lived abroad for years is their decision to settle for Abuja over other cities when they decide to relocate to Nigeria. There are many reasons but these five stand out:

Abuja is more Secure

Abuja is relatively safe compared to most Nigerian Cities and State Capitals. This may be due to the fact that the city is very organized and has a large presence of security personnel who are readily available to maintain law and order. If you’re pondering on why you should settle to live in Abuja this is a very good reason as crime rates are mostly on the outskirts rather than the city center and the police respond promptly to distress calls.

Improved Infrastructure

Abuja has functional and numerous street lights, traffic lights, good expansive roads, decent housing estates, recreational parks, well organized markets and other relaxation centers. A quick tour of the city in your car is often a delight especially on Sunday Evenings when traffic in the city center is very low. The lush green pedestrian walkways and impressive housing in highbrow parts of town such as Jabi, Maitama, Asokoro and Wuse 2 give you insights into just how well off Abuja is compared to other Nigerian Cities.

Decent People

In Lagos and Warri for instance it’s not uncommon to run into uncultured people on the roads in traffic or sometimes on queue in banks to mention a few instances. People may talk irresponsibly at length without weighing the gravity of their behaviours of show disrespect for other people’s feelings and time by being rude and un-courteous. That is not holding brief for all Abuja residents as a sizeable number of them are ill-mannered but you find them less in Abuja where everyone is trying hard to live up to the Jones’s.

Beautiful Scenery

In the hey days of El-Rufai’s administration the capital city bore an appealing look in the form of beautiful green gardens and parks taking up spots across the city. The lovely trees and ornamental lineups on Akintola Boulevard or Alvan Ikoku way to mention a few gives you the impression that Abuja will for long remain the Authentic Garden City of Nigeria.

Centrally Located

From Abuja you’re almost equally spaced out from the rest of Nigeria. The shortest distance between Southwest and North East passes through the Federal Capital Territory even through popular roads within Abuja metropolis. All Federal roads in Nigeria lead to or point towards Abuja meaning travelers by road in Abuja have an edge when travelling far across than others from more distant places – good news for those who travel home during holidays with the usual exceptions of people who hail from the middle belt.

http://www.abujafood.com/lifestyle/travel-a-tourism/1260-5-great-reason-to-live-in-abuja-.html

The deadline remains July 16th. Take note

Applications are still welcome!

Only Abacha is missing in this picture and I wonder why!

omar22: TYPICAL!!!!

I knew this rubbish would come up.. Tell whats positive about hawking condensed milk?

People are trying to make a mountain out of a mole-hill, a Lady refuse to dance with a singer, Wow NEWSFLASH its on the 9:00 CNN news. A bottle was thrown at DWX it didnt hit the National Ennquiry, The Late Amy Whinehouse threw a punch at someone at her concert nothing happened, just because the members of Don Jazzy's a$$-kissing fans cannot stomach the fact that their arrange marriage has ended, the next step is to smear Dbanj.

If you were offered 1% of what Don Jazzy was paid I'm sure you'd gladly accept even if it means carrying it on your head to sell in traffic! *People and the way they run their mouths*

Applications are still welcome! Do well to apply if you qualify!

Ride on Sule, you have a right to contest should you decide to.

Send your applications to info@abujafood.com

tjskii: Errr and d moral of d story is ...

......... to be continued?

Lunch on a tight budget is not as bad as it may seem. Thankfully in Abuja there are delicious edible options for the Big Spender and the Not-So-Big spender. Our guess is you must fall into one of these lunch categories;

The Big Spender

Range: N2000 or more

Lunch time for the "Big spender" is usually an enjoyable experience for the Big spender and everyone around them. The Big Spender likes to have a proper meal, either delivered to them at the workplace or drive down to an air-conditioned restaurant, complete with waiters and lounge music for their lunch time experience. Big spenders usually don't like to eat alone, so count yourself lucky if you happen to be near the Big Spender, say around Noon time.

The Tight Fisted Spender

Range: N1000 to N2000

The "Tight fisted Spender" has the monetary resources of a Big Spender but refuses to splurge daily on a lunch time meal. These tight-fisted spenders tend to eat alone, and don't like sharing. If you fall into this category, then the price of a meal is always the deal breaker for you, guiding your lunch time choices. Upscale restaurants are not your environment of choice, Fast food is usually your lunch time meal of choice because it is relatively cheaper than eating at a restaurant. They are hygienic, customer friendly, convenient but most of all reasonably priced.

The Economical Spender

Range: Less than N1000

For people whose lunch time budget falls into this range, you either eat junk food like snacks and soft drinks or choose to patronize the numerous Mama puts in Abuja. Most workers in Abuja fall into this category. The Economical lunch time spender tends think in terms of the price of a meal. They usually weigh their monthly salary over the cost of a daily meal. You'll usually find the economical spender either eating a Gala sausage roll with a bottle of Coke or sharing part of a short and shaky bench, out in the open, under the hot sun at a local mama-put.

The Broke Spender

Range: Less than N500

For the Broke spender, perhaps N500 is a bit optimistic in the price range they have to work with. We sympathise with anyone who finds themselves in this situation. But if you ever find yourself in this situation, hungry at lunch time but with no money to spend. Wait till a collegue courteously asks you to "join them" to share their lunch or just sit back comfortably in your office chair and dream about eating something delicious. You can also think about pre-preparing a meal from home so that you have something to satiate your hunger at work. If even this is beyond your means, try standing close to the office kitchen and savor the aroma from the sweet smelling food that is being prepared. If while doing this you discover you’re thirsty, swallow some saliva that could help out a bit.

http://www.abujafood.com/food-matters/dining-matters/875-lunch-time-on-a-budget-in-abuja.html

Hi peeps sorry about the errors and not replying in time!

Please send your applications to info@abujafood.com thanks!

This OP is jobless because he made this whole thing up. Listen to his story and see how ridiculous it sounds anyway let me play along.

If I was in your shoe I'll jump out of it and enter mine!

Very Disappointing stuff! Madam Ojikutu please show up and clear your name!

When I was in Secondary School I experienced a similar thing but this time it was my pocket that was picked! That was in Oshodi in 2000.

Sometime in 2012, a lady in Abuja was on her way to FRSC head office. Her money and ATM card mysteriously disappeared from her purse after alighting and she only realized this after the taxi had zoomed off!

How these thieves succeed in stealing people's money without them even knowing still baffles me till date.

faith722003: great

All these advert signs you guys add to your Forum Profile makes posts look boring! Try something less invasive if you must advertise! And why must all your post comments be great?

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d5/Souvenir_Seller_-_Moscow_-_Russia_cropped.JPG/250px-Souvenir_Seller_-_Moscow_-_Russia_cropped.JPG

Boredom is a feeling associated with being uninspired and dull. It accounts for why people are lazy and could actually make you embark on fruitless tasks that will further complicate the situation. Boredom can make you lose focus, procrastinate and make other fruitless decisions that might slow down your productivity and ultimately your happiness.

Tips on how to overcome Boredom

In order to fight it and put it where it rightfully belongs, it’s only proper we learn a few ideas that will enable us overcome it:

Avoid draining Routine

Doing the same thing over and over again doesn’t inspire or energize. Just like the law of diminishing returns people experience decreasing desire to push forward an idea or process or do anything when they constantly have to face the same tasks day in day out. They become bored and lose interest and ultimately focus. Variety is the spice of life and the lack of it represented by unrewarding repetition brings boredom.

Tip: Get yourself out of the routine trap by withdrawing from anything that makes you feel bored, it will save you a lot of stress later.

Do some sight-seeing

Go out of your way to see new interesting things happening around you. Take a walk around town observing places, events and people you’re not used to, this will help burn some boredom off your system and offer some fresh input to feed your mind with. Sight seeing is oftentimes a source of comical relief, use it.

Engage in fruitful conversations

Conversations are ice breakers that help overcome awkward situations. Unfortunately not all conversations are worth having because like routine tasks they could become too cliché making for more boring experiences. The way out is to participate in lively conversations with interesting meanings such discussion forums, online social networks; twitter, facebook chat, BBM, 2go to mention a few. But conversations should at least be about things that add value and meaning to your life.

Pick up New Hobbies

Hobbies are things we do when we’re less busy or relaxing. These past time activities make and enrich our lives in many ways for instance helping us find new ideas, acquiring skills, discovering new talents or even making it possible to meet and engage with other interesting people. If you have a few hobbies how about adding a few more to what you have, that’s another way to overcome boredom.

Feed your mind with deep Productive Knowledge

Boredom is mostly a thing of the mind. What you think and how you feel about it can determine whether or not you’ll be bored and we’re all different. Some people feed their minds the wrong way with new knowledge and information that does little or nothing for their spiritual and social growth. On the other hand having the wrong set of values or aspirations can make almost anything not pleasurable seem boring. So start by feeding your mind with useful and usable ideas that have impact on your life.

http://abujafood..com/2013/08/5-tips-on-how-to-kill-boredom.html

A travel and tour business is a going concern which involves the rendering of travel and tourism services namely; flight and hotel reservations, preparation for visa and other travel and immigration documents as well as city and regional tour guide for travelers. Travel and tour businesses also engage in pilgrimage and flight charter services. It is the business of ensuring that travelers are as safe as possible, arrive their destination on time and receive the most convenient and affordable services available. The duty of every travel and tour agent is to ensure that clients get the least expensive, yet most pleasant and convenient visit possible to their desired locations. A travel agent is saddled with the responsibility of planning regional visits or travel schedules for business and fun seeking travelers, thus saving them time, money and wasted efforts.

Opportunities

Being an agency type of business, travel and tour agencies are entitled to commission on total fees payable for the service package. People travel all the time. Business people travel, traders, diplomats, civil servants, tourists, clerics and entertainers. Most of these travelers don’t have the time, knowledge and skills to enable them successfully plan inter-regional visits and travels especially when they are first time visitors to such places. Hence the need for people who can specialize in this line of business is very essential indeed. In Lagos Nigeria, there exist a lot of opportunities to be reckoned with as competent travel and tour specialist considering that aggressive but immature competition and inefficiency are common place in the sector.

Challenges

The major challenges peculiar to the Lagos Nigeria environment for this kind of business include poor road networks and traffic situations which might hinder prompt and orderly meetings with clients and partners. Inefficient transportation and I.T infrastructure are also hindrances to the successful running of this business. Also there is a great deal of discontent with Nigerian travel and tour companies particularly by the expatriate community owing to poor service delivery and past sharp practices recorded against some indigenous travel agents.

Requirements

Being an IATA certified agent is by far the most important requirement. However, you may also need to have a well established network of Hotels, Airports, Airlines, car rental companies and other travel agents to be effective in the business. Most travel and tour agents work in partnership with other related businesses as well as government recognized agencies like the federal airports authority of Nigeria. Having a very convenient and suitable location is a must especially when it is close to reputable hotels, car rental companies and airports. It is advisable to work this way as you are not only close to the client but could also benefit from profitable alliances with other related businesses.

Conclusion

Like all other agency businesses, Travel and tour services offers possibilities of fast and enviable growth especially in terms of sales but only if service delivery is far superior to what the competition has to offer.

You'll find more business ideas here: www.lagosbusinesses..com

Nice! Hope your dreams come true someday!

Meanwhile contact ACN secretariat and Aso Rock for updates on the scores!

We have watched closely events over the last one week following the ban of mini green buses popularly called Araba in Abuja metropolis to see what its effects on residents and commuters alike.

The FCTA defended the ban citing the need to restore sanity to Abuja and improve socio economic life through people friendly initiatives that will create employment and improved use of social infrastructure.

Up Sides of the Ban

The ban initially was greeted with hostility by a large section of the public and this is understandable considering that majority of the City’s residents patronize the Araba and they would immediately feel the impact of the ban. However we have observed the following:

Reduced Traffic Congestion

Due to the fewer number of vehicles on the road owing to the ban of the Araba there has been less traffic congestion on some busy routes especially at nights such as Berger round about, Wuse Market Area and Area 1 although now the taxis are taking over and causing mayhem at nights when the security agents are fewer on the road. Less traffic congestion means other road users will spend less time on the road.

Less Environmental Nuisance

It was common sight to find bus drivers park by the road side to ease themselves or even at motor parks directly on car tires. Also the absence of Araba now means good bye to road side touts at bus stops who constitute a serious nuisance to motorists and even pedestrians sometimes even harassing innocent passers by.

Down Sides

The scheme has also created a few downsides such as:

Increase in Transportation fares

People coming into the city from the outskirts now complain of paying more than they used to. A respondent said she spent N300 coming into Abuja from Masaka as against N180 which she previously spent before the ban and what’s more she had to stand in a tightly parked bus throughout the journey.

Serious Inconveniences caused

Commuters now compulsorily have to trek long distances to reach their destinations as the few BRT buses provided by the FCTA have designated bus stops which are slightly different from the routes the Araba buses could take. Also there is shortage of buses to convey teeming population of commuters which means many of them would have to wait longer at bus stops to find vehicles to take them to their destinations.

Unemployment created

The ban has led to another problem – unemployment for the Araba drivers and conductors. This has serious implications if left unattended to and one is challenged to ask will life become easier or more difficult for Abuja folks knowing that an idle hand is the devil’s workshop. Although the FCTA has countered by saying they’ve offered alternative employment through subsidized taxis and other palliatives for the former Araba drivers, it remains to be seen if this will work.

Our two kobos is that the ban is a good idea however the timing is wrong and the FCTA isn’t equal to the task in meeting the needs of the new policy and the effects its having on Abuja folks.

http://www.abujafood.com/news-digest/abuja-opinions/1249-our-2-kobos-ban-on-mini-buses-in-abuja.html

I agree with a commenter that said he's become the most popular Civil Defence officer in Nigeria. Ride on man!