₦airaland Forum

Who is this Ishola Balogun? What is his background? What has he done before? What kind of 'business' is he into? What are his verifiable records? Anybody can wake up and dream up promises but their records and background are pointers to their capability when appointed to public office. What has Ishola Balogun done for his local community (either in US or Nigeria) before? Someone talk about change and introducing new faces. My question is change into what? Bad record is much better than no record at all. I've googled the guys name. I can't seem to find anything other than his promises posted on this thread!

violent:
Yes they do recruit at the summit, but bear in mind that there are always lots of people attending and looking for a job, so you need to be very competitive as well, last year, from what i heard, the number of Nigerians alone were over 3000

3000 Nigerian job seekers?

Chimaroke Nnamani - US Import - Great Vision - No performance
Chinwoke Mbadinuju - US Import - Great promises - Zero performance

I'm not trying to disparage US returnees in Nigerian politics. The point I'm trying to make is that we've heard all the promises before.

omonaija12:
Herein lies my predicament: Ill provide some background to help.

I have a finance undergraduate degree and an MBA in international business from a top 25 program. I've worked in the insurance industry for 10 years, with roles ranging from large scale, big commercial market underwriting, loss control, product management to sales and have also had a managerial role. I have not been a financial analyst in the true sense, but will be taking the CFA in december 2010: what kind of position would be available for me in naija, I'm open to any ideas, i know that the insurance market is not that huge, which is my concern, any help would be great!!!!

I'll advice you to pay attention to the policies that CBN will be rolling out within the next couple of weeks. They'll show where the boom will be within the next 18 months and also enable you to position yourself. Like other posters mentioned, nothing is happening now but everything will be back to business as usualby this time next year. I guess your CFA coupled with your experience might come handy then. I won't bother myself with careers in Africa until next year (which I believe fits perfectly into your plans).

hamaseyo:
@hillstate: apparently, you didn't notice that this nurse you are talking about was only appointed the Minister of State. The senior minister (a doctor, of course) will soon be appointed.

What have the so called 'doctors' achieved after all these years of appointing them Health Ministers? The health ministry needs a good administrator who is well grounded in public health policy and who can bring about real change in Nigeria's public health. Does being a doctor automatically makes one a good manager or administrator? No!

You can earn 3 CPE credit for most e-Symposiums at http://isaca.brighttalk.com/

If you do 7, that's 21 CPE credit for you. Please note that your internet needs to be reliable and you need to pass the test at the end of each symposium. You'll print/save a certificate for your record at the end of each symposium and you can use it to report your CPE at the end of the year.

In addition you can earn 1 CPE credit by taking the quiz that comes with each ISACA journal.

If you have the money you can attend any of the ISACA annual conferences. You can also claim CPE for some relevant formal training that you attend (check ISACA website for guidance) or by perticipating at the local chapter (also check the website for guidance).

Hope this helps.

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AjanleKoko:
This is something that happens everywhere in the world.
In NY, the Columbia, Yale or Harvard IB scions dominate the world of Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan. Likewise for the Ivy League lawyers, they are usually set for a career at some of the most prestigious law firms in the US, mostly founded by some ex-alumni.
Most people know about Stanford/Caltech/UCB and the Silicon Valley connection. In fact, Sun Microsystems is basically owned by ex-Stanford comp sci grads.

My question is, do we have anything like that in Nigeria? Is there really an 'old boys network'? Do we have firms primarily dominated by ex-alumni of some certain institutions? In my early job-seeking days, I came up a number of times against an 'Ife clique', in places like Telnet, Spar Aerospace (later GS Telecom), Philips Projects Center, and even Resourcery. These days, I hardly hear of such things among the fresh guys coming up. Though I hear Renaissance Capital is dominated by Ife people, that's just about it. All the places that I have worked, and indeed most organizations these days, people join from just about anywhere.

I think it's not so bad to have an old boys network. The only thing I have not seen in Nigeria, is what I consider to be the next level: old boys actually going on to set up their own outfit, and taking it up there. With all the Ife domination of Telnet and GS Telecom, I haven't still heard of any homegrown outfit founded by a bunch of Ife guys competing with those chaps. Pretty disappointing if you ask me.

What do you guys think?

Sounds like you just want to take pot shots at OAU guys.

Although it is nostalgic when interviewing and you see someone from your old university, even more nostalgic if the person finished from your department, I don’t think there is anything like old boys network in Nigeria. Maybe a pocket of places like GS Telecoms, Telnet and Resourcery but these companies are a drop in the ocean and they don’t go out of there way to recruit people from a specific university. I’ve worked what seemed like an OAU ‘old boys’ network before but it was a coincidence. It wasn’t like HR was told only ex-OAU has to pass tests and be presented for interviews! Most likely vacancy information flowed more freely in OAU ‘old boys network’.

Commenting on your assertion that ‘old boys’ should join hand for entrepreneurial ventures, you ought to know that businesses in Nigeria is not for the faint hearted and enabling environment (competition laws, legal system, fair trading, infrastructure, venture financing, equal opportunity procurement/contracting, etc) has not been created to encourage entrepreneurship. The odds are stacked up against the would-be entrepreneur in Nigeria and most people would not take the risk to break away from their employers to start competing business if they are already comfortable working as employees.

Katsumoto:
You have found yourself in a place many Nigerians find themselves in the UK. The UK as a society does not place emphasis on qualifications like other advanced countries. There are several companies in the UK with CEOs that do not have first degrees. They place more emphasis on experience because the people at the top do not always have the qualifications. This is unlike what you find in Germany, Japan, or the US.

Secondly, obtaining a masters degree without experience is usually the route for individuals who want to go the research/lecture route. The ideal situation is to get some experience before going for a master's degree. The minute you get a masters degree without significant experience, you become over-qualified but inexperienced. There are many Nigerians who have taken this route and found out the hard way. You may either have to go the research/lecture route or apply for volunteer positions. What makes the situation worse is that, if you are looking for a job in this recession, you are competing with a lot of people with significant experience in a high unemployment economy.

Its going to be difficult, but your best bet is to concentrate your efforts in rural places in the UK. Forget the cities, you have to concentrate in areas such as Wales and Scotland or the coal regions in the North of England.

Katsumoto has said it all.

@poster

Even if you’ve got good work experience from Nigeria, you’ll still run into the conundrum of ‘UK Experience’ requirement by potential employers. Most volunteer work is usually not paid but you’ll get your valuable UK work experience and references. You don’t have to state that the experience is voluntary unless you’re asked. It should be easy to get volunteer positions for field. In addition, cast your search further afield. It might be easier to get jobs initially in all those places that Katsumoto mentioned than in places like London, midlands and South East.

Abu-Maryam:
In my opinion Jonathan is preparing for 2011, it started from the removing of NSA sarki Mukhtar, he wisely choosed Gusau, whereas Gusau is a focal point of IBB and OBJ. what i mean choosing Gusau will buy him a favourable hand from Babangida who still have political influnces. which he has succeeded. in a pretencious move he removes Micheal Aondoaka, the movement gives some credit to Jonathan. Now that Jonathan has scrapped the federal excutive council and brought people that are his alike, tell me what will happen?? In a sharp- sharp way the ministers will declare Yar'adua incapacitated.
When this is achieved the next bulk step is to remove Vincent ogbulafor for chairmanship of PDP, then PDP National Excutive council with Obasanjo as head of board of trustees will quickly dis-associate itself with Ogbulafor's statement when he saJonathan will not be given 2011 presidential ticket". There will be jeers and ranting from the north, but Gusau will serve for that, he willl be telling IBB we are in the government nothing will happen. A new campaing to keep Jonathan with the affairs of the state beyond 2011 will be kick up, All those that are circulating rumours of the coming back of Yar'adua are prophets of Doom.Jonathan has come to stay beyond 2011.

I quite agree. The list only tells me that Jonathan is preparing for 2011. The inclusion of Josephine Anenih is to buy Anenih’s support (in addition to the grandfathers already bought into the project). The joker will be Murtalla Yaradua who I believe will be given a very visible post. The guy is a young man, about 35, I presume. He will be very happy to become Jonathan’s running mate! Checkmate!

soldee:
Story, story---------, Once upon a naija time,

Both OBJ & Shehu Yar'Adua always wanted to be President and Obj made a pact when he handed over to Shagari that he would help Shehu achieve his dream. Fast forward, both were imprisoned, Shehu died, Obj made it, but Obj did not forget his promise to his childhood friend Shehu. Fast forward 2007, Obj handed over to Umaru to fulfil his promise to the Yar'Adua clan, taking a chance on Umaru's illness. What he did not anticipate was General Turai's coup on the Yar'Adua clan. Not only was she not the wife in the picture when Obj and Shehu made their deal, she also completely hijacked the presidency, like play-like play, and she created her own 'clan' (better known as Cabal).

Enter Goodluck, Obj's back in the drivers seat! Post Third term strategy 1 failed, so what? Enter strategy 2, time to get it right. Give the real Yar'Adua family the slot - but how?

Enter Murtala Yar'Adua. Draft him as Ministerial nominee. Turai sends delegation to beg him to say no! Jonathan needs a game plan to checkmate a worst-case scenario if Umaru wakes up - Oga, I still dey loyal! To secure his yes, offer him FCT Minister, so he's automatically Governor without need for election.

Enter 2011, Presidency's zoned to the North, AND Yar'Adua is yet to complete his second term. Haba, but the whole game plan was to favour Shehu na,

Enter Murtala Yar'Adua for President! Baba returns as PDP Life Chairman, yes ke

I LOVE conspiracy theories.

You've got very fertile imagination. I love this conspiracy theory!

platinumnk:
What happens when you work more for less?
For example If I went to a mechanic that was used to get paid 100 for an hour of treatment, and then they turn around and make him work 100 for 3 hours.
Im in school, skipping over words?
Since you fail to see the correlation, then I have nothing else.
I would not want a frustated mechanic that is forced to work more hours for less pay working on my car.

**Turns Sade on **


the System is one to be experienced
have a read:
http://www.liberty-page.com/issues/healthcare/canuglytruth.html

Is this in the bill? Have you read the bill? Please don't be sucked into Republican propaganda. It is all about mid term elections at the expense millions of ordinary Americans. I don’t really understand what your problem is with this bill. I don’t understand your arguments since there is no ‘public’ option. I think everybody wins with this bill. I sincerely think you just want to join the imaginary ‘my tax to fund them’ divide because you think it is fashionable.

Dominoifet:
@avenir
Are u trying to say we have two types of chevy volt or the Argentine wants to plagiarize Jelani. Or the first is Hybrid and the other basically electric?

I don't know. There is only one Chevy Volt and it has not officially launched. It will be launched later this year. Maybe it might be more appropriate to discuss the designer under a new thread. It seems 'Chevy Volt' is derailing this thread.

18 platoon:
@avenir,

Once again, another Nigerian has done his country proud. His name is Jelani Aliyu.

“New York, US, 01/24 – A Nigerian, Jelani Aliyu, has recorded a major breakthrough in the automotive industry in the US, with the design of a state-of-the-art electric car.“Chevy Volt”, described as an “American Revolution”, was designed by Aliyu at the US-based world`s largest automaker, General Motors (GM) plant in Detroit.A statement issued in New York by GM Tuesday, stated: “GM`s most electrifying advanced technology vehicle is the Chevrolet Volt concept, a battery-powered, extended-range electric passenger vehicle”.
Read the rest of the story here on Nigerianvillagesquare.com

While Mr. Aliyu is still basking in his glory, a debate has started on whether Nigerian Engineers are smarter than their American counterparts. Just because of one man, a debate has started. Wonders will never end. Anyway, let us hear you view here.

And just in case you want to be the next prodigy of the same institution that Mr. Jelani Aliyu attended, the Center for Creative studies (CCS), kindly contact the department of your choice for enrollment. I particularly love their webpage, the way it just changes like the screensaver of my PC.

@18platoon

I’ve seen your cousin’s name here:

http://africansuntimes.com/cms/modules/content/index.php?id=19
http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20070713/SUB/70713033#
http://www.allbusiness.com/automotive/automotive-overview/8590891-1.html

Accept my apologies for the confusion in my post above. Too bad that it seems only Africans are celebrating him.

Dominoifet:
@Avenir

A-V-E-N-I-R!!! Why did u have to lie about platoon's cousin. Don't u know that Bill Gate, Henry Ford, Churchill, Phillip Emegwali, Gabriel Oyibo etc even Ghaddafi are all abokis living iin diaspora. Aguntan

@Dominoifet,

I didn’t quite understand the last part in your statement. Maybe you might clarify that. You don’t have to call me a liar. He didn’t mention the name of his cousin initially. Only an Argentine name came up as ‘the designer of Chevy Volt’ when searching with Google. I didn’t tell a lie. I simply asked him to confirm the name.

18 platoon:
@dominoifet, what are you saying about intelligence, mehn it depends on an individual's capacity, have you asked yourself why on earth will jonathan bring back gusau as his nsa, alani akinrinade is there, ogbemudia is there, azazi is there so why bring gusau. north have the most intelligent officers in the armed forces, hate it or like it. am from the core north, i've got Msc defence leadership from cranfeild in the UK and am not even upto 30yrs and i got it on merit, so what are saying that we're not intelligent. ive got a cousin working in general motors and his car design won the first place out of more than 200 competitors (chevy volt), but he's not celebrated cos he's from the wrong part of the country, but you know what, we dont give a F++K.

Is your cousin an Argentine (Maximiliano John Larroquette)?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximiliano_Larroquette
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Volt

EzeUche:
The irony of this story. Now where are all the proponents of "One Nigeria." I mean the Yoruba are some of the biggest supporters of "One Nigeria." It seems like the children of the Uthman dan Fodio, are starting their reconquest of Yorubaland as we speak. They are going to finish what they started over 100 hundred years ago.

To your tents O Children of Odua.

My question is, how will to your tent solve the current problem? Even if Nigeria is 'divided' into 36 countries, if the culture of impunity continues, then nothing will change. Maybe then, an Ekiti farmer will kill another one when they disagree on ownership of a plot of land. If I believe that nothing will happen if I beat-up someone, or I kill the person, or I swindle someone, or I embezzle (wether public or private funds) then I will likely do all those things (unless those things are against my personal values). If criminals are made to pay for their crimes irrespective of their social, political or ethnic status, then the number of this crimes will reduce. If the law enforcement agencies know that they will pay if they fail to act to enforce laws, then things will become better. That will be the start of a just and equitable society where justice is not only always done, but is seen (publicity) to have been done.

ndu_chucks:
df2006, Its a complete waste of time to have a logical discussion with a dimwit that cannot distinguish between sarcasms and other forms of expression. Same is true for those who take statements out of context and attempt to use them to make cheap points. I will therefore give you the best answer for a fool in this instance.

df2006, crawl back into the hole from which you came out. olodo

I'm really disappointed that you have to resort to these cheap insults to df2006 valid points. He called you out on your points and when caught in a corner, you can only respond with an insult. That was very childish!

biina:
The transportation issue is not a northern one alone, as it is a case of per-unit-length costs. Outside of fossil fuels and nuclear, I cannot think of any other power generation scheme that is not seasonal, irregular and/or situational. I dont think the government has granted approval to build nuclear stations.

The problem of the Nigerian economy is one of Nigeria as a whole, and the core issue is the cheapest way to deliver power to these cities/regions, while at the same time keeping an eye on future plans and scalability. I dont think siting in the above locations is optimal, as opposed to having the fossil fuel units in the south and complementing them with the undeterministic sources in other regions. The latter solution requires a serviceable transmission network.

I agree that transportation will always be a big problem in the north since in any event you have to transport whatever fossil fuel (gas, coal, etc) from the south to the north. But there are several viable hydro sites in the north. They don’t have to run on fossil fuel for the north.

Ofcourse you don't have to look outside fossil fuel for the south and there are many types. Over 60% of world generators are coal powered. You can enter into purchase agreements to guarantee your supply. Gas fired generators would have been the cheapest for Nigeria due to abundant sources of natural gas. However the current problems in Niger delta will not encourage anybody to invest in gas pipeline business.

netotse:
thats why i used the term captive generation, the industrial parks or whatever they're called will be turned into islands, so they wont be tied to the national grid(although there are ways to tie them in in such a way as to feed the excess power). . .prioritizing some states and regions is what we have on ground already,more importantly and since this is aimed at improving the economy, the 'masses' are not really important in the sense you're considering, what the CBN wants is to encourage industries i.e. create more jobs, you having light at home doesn't create more jobs


as per the idea you mooted, our distribution and transmission networks are already in a sorry state, cos for a while there has been little or no work done on them, most of the work has been on constructing new generating stations(although i admit a few new txn stations have been built), the networks are already overloaded in a lot of places(both on the transmission and distribution side) so i think it would be better for the private investors to concentrate on the OPS where they have a better chance of recouping their investments.

P.S. if they cater to the industries, in a sense it will increase the MW's available for non-industrial use. . .

@phemmy
we're talking about a professional sector, not something you go on training for 3-6months for. . .common sense is not the most important thing. . .relevant knowledge and skill are far more important.

biina:
Did you observe the proposed sites? Lagos, Kano, Onitsha, Nnewi, Port Harcourt, Aba, Funtua/Gusua/Malunfashi/Zaria, Lokoja and Maiduguri/Gombe/Bauchi.
Maybe I am missing something, but I dont see how it would be cost effective to site the stations in those areas and now transport the fuels to them. I dont think gas pipelines will be more cost effective than upgrading transmission system.

@biina,

I didn’t see where netotse mentioned gas pipelines unless I’m missing and/or misunderstanding something.

@ topic
I think it’s a brilliant idea from Sanusi if it is true. The source needs to be posted. I like the idea that even though the funding is being provided by the Government, it is being made available to the private sector through private banks. So it will be driven simply based on pure business risks and rewards and it won’t go the way of other Government funded projects.

Someone mentioned that every tom dick and harry will want to own a power station now. I don’t think so. The framework for getting power generation licenses are stringent and are not for the faint hearted. You have to know what you’re doing to get a license. Even if you didn’t know what you were doing, you’ll know by the time you get all the required documents (business plan, financial projections, EIA, design plans, project plans, etc).

I quite agree with netotse. You can’t build new power stations without upgrading the existing transmission and distribution network. Hopefully, banks will be encouraged to provide long time loans for prospective transmission and distribution business operators. Government will have to do more to privatise the transmission arm of PHCN because PHCN as currently owned cannot provide effective electricity network and a new entrant will not be able to compete with their monopoly business.

Bottom line, if you build generating plants that will come online by say 2013, their should be electricity network ready by that time that will get the electricity to the consumers without suffering too much transmission loss.  Otherwise, those investing in generation business will only get into debts they will not be able to pay!

, and the kitchen cabinet fights back! ,    To think that people calling themselves Niger Delta allowed themselves to be used!! Is this another Association for Better Nigeria (ABN)?
And to think GJ has just spent three days and he is already facing this and this (https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-397690.0.html). I guess more will come next week. The plot thickens! Let me get my popcorn and watch as the drama unfolds,   

It seems like we have a lot of keyboard militants here. You guys need to cool down and understand how the world works. I'm no apologist for IBB, Obama or the US. USA is only trying to move fast as Nigeria is fast becoming a fertile ground for Al-Qaida, emergence of military government, civil war and/or worse. US has to move fast to protect its interest (oil, potential 120 million refuge problem that will destabilise West and Central Africa, Osama Bin Laden training ground, etc). They don’t have to wait until Nigeria becomes a post civil war Afghanistan, Somalia or Yugoslavia before they act. The consequences are just too dire to contemplate.

Since we didn't seem to know how to put our house in order (it took intervention of international governments before our senate and house decided to resolve Yaradua's absence), the US has made it there business to manage our house for us. How are they going to do that if not by contacting the guys with political clout in Nigeria. Talking about political clout in Nigeria, IBB will be in the top 3 (you know the other 2)! I guess the US is acting based on the intelligence from its spy agencies.

Who had a hand in the removal of Shagari? Who removed Buhari? Who annuled June 12? Who set the stage for the emergence of Abacha? Who had a hand in the emergence of Obasanjo (second coming)? Whose blessing was required for the selection of Yaradua? Which two people do you need to consult to resolve the opposition to Jonathan taking over?

Of course all animals are equal but some are more equal than others. It is wisdom to know that this is very true in all developing, underdeveloped and 'undeveloped' countries of the world.

blacksta:
Jonathan is a joke - replacing semi useless with complete useless

udennaa:
fellow nigerians,na d same people,na d same people;dnt b deceived,na d same people.

Do you guys actually believe Jonathan should nominate someone new who will require senate's confirmation to become a minister? Do you think that will be a wise move at this time. I respect Jonathan for his swift decision. There is no doubt that Aandooka has become too powerful and a big nuisance and he needed to be removed quickly. However, Jonathan cannot sack him without consolidating his power and he can't nominate someone new to the cabinet. He has simply made the most politically expedient move to silence an enemy. I think Jonathan is very smart.

Both courses have equal prospect in Nigeria. You career trajectory will be determined by what kind of role you get as your first job after graduation. You'll have a good chance of ending up in a promising role in a great organisation when you graduate with a very good grade. Economics is a bit more numerate than management. You choose a course that will play to your natural strenghts where you'll be more likely to graduate with a very good grade.

What do you mean by 'school'? Is it a university? a polytechnic? a private computer training institute?

reindeer:
nice observations, but i beg to differ with the italicized part.
There are good ones everywhere and infact im sure there are more good ones in public hospitals than in private ones at least in lagos.i have worked in both and i can tell you that most private hospitals have no proper audit systems,even the very expensive ones,yes.I worked in a highbrow hospital in VI before and i know how many things happen or are swept under the carpet, fact is most clients are highly placed and they surprisingly dont ask too many questions cos they just believe that the doctors there have done their best.
More so, the doctors there were the same ones from the Teaching hospital many people have attacked on this thread, but i guess once people enter this classy hospital,they drop all bias against the doctors and are more receptive to treatment.
I have lost a dear one to treatment at a 'high class' hospital in ikeja during childbirth many years ago,i approached the MDCN for redress on the issue but the hospital management and the patient's husband pleaded to drop/withdraw the case.
So you see my dear, it will be wrong to say the good ones are in private practice(most of which depend on doctors especially consultants from government owned hospitals)
The problem like i outlined earlier is multifaceted and only concerted effort by everyone and i mean everyone can save the sector.

I didn’t know they have audit systems in Nigerian public hospitals. I guess we learn everyday. Probably the audit system doesn’t work well. My post is based on my personal experience at Gbagada General Hospital and Ikeja General Hospital. While it is true that the private hospitals rely on the consultants and doctors from the public hospitals, I have to point out that the attitude of these health workers changes depending on whether they are in a public hospital or a private one. I have to agree with you that we can all improve the service delivery in the sector by holding the health workers more accountable for their actions.

mactonnyso:
Hi NL, i am knew on NL and i sincerely need you guys sincere advise.
The company i worked for in Germany since 1989 is retiring Engineers with over 20 years working experience.
i was offered a retirement benefit of 1750 EURO per month, (350k per month) 30% less full pension for the next 15 years , while my full pension benefit will be at 65years.
i am confussed now, i wanted to accept the offer and return to 9 jaa after 28years in Europe. But my in-laws and some extended family members advised me that 350,000 Naira guaranteed pension benefit is not enough for me to survive with my wife, because of extended family responsibilities. Our 2 kids born in Germany are staying back to complete their University education.
i am planning visiting 9jaa to see things for myself, i got already a flat at ikoyi @750k per annum.
considering the high cost of living in Lagos today, do you think the Naira 350k per month will be something to return home for. Your sincere advise please , before i pay for the flat at ikoyi i have till June this year to decided

mactonnyso:
I
i really appreciate your genuine responces guys. the fact is i am 50 i am not going to fold my arms in 9jaa and just depend only on my 350k pension. i also have some offers to work part-time with some German estb. in lagos may be additional 250k-300k per month as translator for foreign expatriates. i have some 2 or 3 offers i am now considering

It is a known fact that there is no place like home. Considering the fact that you’re coming home with residual income, I’ll say go for it. You can always go back to Germany if it does not workout as expected. You’ve got absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain. I don’t see any problems with relatives. If you’ve been able to control your expenses in Germany for 25 years, you’ll do okay in Nigeria. There are chances that either you or your wife end up not liking the move (human beings inherently hates changes). You can do a trial visit with your wife for between a month or three months before making up your mind.

beneli:
What stops aggrieved health service-users in Nigeria from getting legal advice and going down the route of suing? 

The above is an honest question, which i ask, because i think that people should quit complaining and do something about the situation. I might be sounding harsh, but the fact is, even if we can complain until the 'cows come home', nothing will change unless the service-users (i.e. the patients) make the health professionals (i.e the doctors and nurses) know that they can-and wil-be sued for clinical negligence, improper conduct etc, if they fail to provide the service they are being paid to provide.

I have practiced in Nigeria and currently practice in the UK. While in Nigeria, i am sure that i would have stepped up my level of delivery a notch higher if i knew that somebody would sue me for phucking up (excuse my latin)!

But you know what? though i wasn't as insensistive as some of the cases described in this thread, if i will be honest, i wasn't really that bothered to brush up on my knowledge etc, because there was no motivation to do so. So in the course of my short practice there, i gradually slid down the slippery slopes of quackery!

Here in the UK, i have to keep abreast of what's happening around me, because if something goes wrong, some smart lawyer is going to get another of my colleagues to ask me some very very serious questions. So i am consciuos of how i treat my patients and what i say to them. Basically i am forced-or encouraged, if you prefer-to be a nice person and a good doctor to my patients. I don't want to be sued, even if i do pay a lot of money to be insured against bad practice!

What i am trying to say is that we allow things to fester in Nigeria because of too much complaining and too little action.

As long as the doctors and nurses in Nigeria are not properly paid; as long as the overall health infrastracture continues to collapse around us all; i doubt that anything is going to change that much in the kind of service you get. So instead of waiting for the doctors to change their attitudes or the government to start spending more on health, the service users could at least take their lives into their hands and sue whomever needs to be sued, whenver they phuck up (pardon my latin again)!.

That's what i would do, if i wasn't a doctor!

I quite agree with your point of view. However, I have to point to the fact that in the UK legal redress is not only available to the most financially comfortable. Even if you don’t have a penny, no win no pay lawyers abound that will be begging you to take up your brief if you have a good case against medical negligence. There are other options for getting lawyers to take your brief even when you are not financially okay. The converse is the case in Nigeria. No lawyer, not even the charge and bail ones, will take your brief without some pricey upfront payment. The topic refers to public health workers in Nigeria. Most of the users of public health services patronise it because it is the cheaper option and because they can’t afford a private hospital with similar facilities. How will such users be able to afford a lawyer to sue for clinical negligence? They will do the most sensible thing and move on with their lives.

In the UK, a health worker will even be investigated if the aggrieved complains to the appropriate body. Every public hospital has a clinical audit unit which performs quality assurance on the services. Each hospital unit have appropriate supervisory body to whom clinical data (including fatalities) has to be reported. Deaths are taken seriously and are investigated if there is a pattern even without anybody complaining.

In Nigeria, even when you sue, what relief can you get? If you get awarded compensation, are the public health workers insured? Do they have the ability to pay the compensation? If they get struck of a register (if any exists) can they practice again? Of course they can practice in some quack private hospital. So what is the use of suing?

I have lost two close relatives due to cases of clinical negligence at Nigerian public hospitals. This is not to say that there are no good nurses and doctors in Nigeria. There are many of them. The good ones are in private hospitals. The good ones are very few in public hospitals! I sincerely believe that if the government cannot run public hospitals (the bulk stops with the hospital owners) they should close them down and replace them with comparable and more practical alternatives where human life is accorded the respect it deserves and were the health workers are held accountable by their employers for the service they were paid (irrespective of how meagre the pay is) to render. They are not paid to be merchants of death. They are paid to be caregivers!

Why organise a party with full coverage by all major news organisations just because you're paying back a loan? Did he organise  a similar party when he was taking the loan? As there are no functional credit rating agencies in Nigeria and credit is given just on perception, Is Dangote scheming for a new mega loan (multiples of what he has just paid) and this is just a stunt to pull wool over bankers eyes and create the impression of high credit worthiness for Dangote? While he is at this stunt, why not fully pay up his other loans now too?