₦airaland Forum

Its only in Nigeria that people will do anything to get material things. Our mentality is so warped that if you do not own flashy things, you are regarded as a failure. And that's why we fail to develop as a country because no one thinks outside the box. Nigerians suffer from a herd mentality where one ignorant fool leads other fools like him and they fail to question why he's leading them. BlackBerry phones are expensive, even in developed countries and they pay for them in monthly installments. In England for example, a Blackberry bold 9900 is on £36 per month (around N8500 a month) and you pay that for 24months (comes with minutes and internet though). That is a lot of money for the average British person when added to other bills, electric, television,  water, mortgage repayments, groceries, broadband etc. No one goes to pay £500 (N123,000) to buy one phone in England! We pay for them on monthly contracts. And that is supposed to be a giant economy. Nigeria is a developing country with astronomical poverty rates, yet you see them clutching BB phones everywhere. They say employment is high and graduates have no job, yet they own expensive phones. Who is fooling who? If you are struggling financially (which is not an offence), you should try to cater for your basic needs first and then material things later. Always separate your Needs from your Wants. That's very crucial. Blackberrys are Wants if you are struggling to put food on your table or pay your rent. But it could be a Need if you own a business and want to keep up with your clients and advertise to get more customers. You have to determine your own status. You may own a Nokia 3310 today, but you may have more focus and common sense than someone who's every thought is dominated by vanity and materialism. Remember always, the end will justify the means. Look to the future and not the moment. Don't get carried away. BB is not everything. Many Nigerians are shallow minded and only think of how to impress their neighbours, even if they have to steal. And that's one reason why corruption is endemic in the country, it is almost as if its written in our DNA. It is our culture to show-off and use a loudspeaker to shout how rich we are. It is not only stupid, but ignorant. Without us freeing ourselves from this shackle of vanity, we will never develop as a country. Forget the government now, we are over 160million people, the people in government are less than 200,000. Yet we say government is the problem. We are our own worst enemies in Nigeria. My 2cents.

I have been following the recent political storm making the headlines in Nigeria, from the frequent mass murders carried out by a notorious terrorist group in the north, to the mass protests across the country against government's removal of its subsidy for fuel (petrol and petroleum products). I have listened to arguments from both sides of the fence and tried to find some sense amidst the madness. The situation is bad to say the least. Hundreds of lives have been lost over the past few months to bombings and massacres in the north while threats of even more killings has gripped the country with panic. Fear of reprisal killings in the south have raised the possibility of a full blown sectarian conflict. On the other hand, security forces sent by government to quell mass protests organised against the removal of the government's fuel subsidy have been accused of shooting at protesters. The country is on the brink and some now fear another civil war might be looming.

My question is how did we as a country get here? How did we get to be ruled by a president whose every statement infuriates the citizenry rather than inspire them? President Goodluck Jonathan has displayed a shocking incapacity to provide neither hope for Nigerians in times of despair nor support in times of their greatest need. A slow-speaking intellectual from the southern part of the country, President Goodluck has made it clear to everyone that a PhD afterall doesnt guarantee knowledge to lead and govern. I dont care if the removal of the fuel subsidy is a good or bad economic move, but whatever decision a government makes, it must have quantified the reaction and put adequate measures to mitigate impact. These measures must be trustworthy and believable. President Jonathan addresses Nigerians as if they are in primary school, spinning promises without specifics and making sweeping statements without evidence.

See more on my blog @ www.issuesinthenews.com

I saw the video allegedly released by the leader of the terror group, Boko Haram, yesterday afternoon and it sent shivers down my spine. Immediately it cast my mind back a few years to the chilling videos of the Al-Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden when he was trying to inspire a violent Jihad against the West. The video released by Boko Haram has all the trademarks of Al-Qaeda, namely Kalashnikovs and bullet-proof vests. The man in the video, claiming to be the leader of the group sat in-between two rifles and had a camouflage bullet-proof vest on him. He attempted to explain the reason for the violence attributed to the group which has claimed more than 600 lives till date. He openly challenged the government of Goodluck Jonathan and warned people trying to cross the path of his group to stay away or be crushed. This is the first time Nigeria is witnessing terrorism on this scale. I began to wonder what has gone so awfully wrong?

See more on my blog @ www.issuesinthenews.com

Check out my blog for more on this story http://www.issuesinthenews.com/

@others  Actually i think you are all just fulfilling an expected societal obligation by getting married. Is it really necessary for you to obtain legal backing for your union (which is marriage) if you are sure of what you are getting into? Do you really need a pastor to tell you that you will love your partner for better or for worse? why do you have to spend loads of money arranging a marriage ceremony when it actually has no impact whatsoever on what your union will be like? In my opinion, marriage is actually a hypocritical gesture as it says "look at us, we love each other", does anyone really has to know? Isnt love actually a personal journey? You are the only ones who go through the highs and the lows together, not the people who come to eat chicken at your marriage, so whats the grand ceremony for? Once again, hypocrisy, to say you have enough money to spend, isnt it? When actually lots of people borrow and get into debt to throw a marriage ceremony in Nigeria.

@Rokiatu You said marriage is like a new adventure but why will you want to lock yourself with one man for the rest of your life, what if he is not even the one for you. You have never lived with him before so how can you guarantee that you will have a successful union with him. Some people see partnerhip actually as a way of knowing what you are buying, or simply put, test-driving your new car. What if you dont like what you see? Until you start living with someone, you never know what they are like.

Many in the developed world are choosing the option of co-habitation known also as partnership over marriage. Many couples now live together permanently and sometimes even have children without necessarily getting married. To them marriage is just an official ceremony and they believe they do not really need a piece of paper saying "Married" to actually get on with their lives. Many Nigerians abroad actually practice this as well. What do you think?

I recently graduated from a UK university with a Masters degree ( with Distinction) and i also hold a BSc (2.1) from the University of Ibadan but i am finding it hard to find employment. I do have pockets of experience here and there, but not a long experience in one place. My field of study is Natural Resource Management and my work relates to NGOs and rural development. I intend to set up my own NGO in the future, but prefer to gain some significant experience first. But the situation leaves me wondering whether work experience is actually more important than the class of your degree. In Nigeria grades seems to be everything and we expect to land a decent job as soon as we finish with a 2.1 or first class, but does it really work this way elsewhere (or even in Nigeria). My experience in developed countries is that work experience counts more than your degree. Whats your opinion?

I hold a Masters degree in Rural Development from a reputable UK college and i wish to contribute my knowledge and experience to a reputable Nigerian NGO involved in sustainable development and poverty alleviation. I have strong research skills and well developed IT skills, particularly in Content Management Systems (CMS). I have experience within a major international NGO in the UK (Oxfam GB) and i cant wait to work within the NGO sector in Nigeria. Please contact me on gbengayooye@yahoo.co.uk for further communication. Cheers.

I hold a Masters degree in Rural Development from a reputable UK college and i wish to contribute my knowledge and experience to a reputable Nigerian NGO involved in sustainable development and poverty alleviation. I have strong research skills and well developed IT skills, particularly in Content Management Systems (CMS). I have experience within a major international NGO in the UK (Oxfam GB) and i cant wait to work within the NGO sector in Nigeria. Please contact me on gbengayooye@yahoo.co.uk for further communication. Cheers.

I recently graduated from a reputable college in the UK with a Masters degree in International Rural Development and i have experience working with Oxfam GB in the UK. I was trained by Oxfam GB in the use of web content management systems (CMS) and i wish to contribute my knowledge and experience of working with a major international NGO to the charity sector in Nigeria. I have a solid academic track record and strong research skills, hence i could work in the capacity of a Research Assistant or Project Assistant with any reputable Nigerian NGO involved in sustainable development. You can e-mail me on gbengayooye@yahoo.co.uk for further communication.

Whats up brother, i can feel your frustration, but i want you to listen to me carefully as i am in the same shoes as you are. I am Nigerian and i am curently in the UK on a Post-Study Work Visa since November 2008. I finished my Masters degree in Oct 2008 (with Distiction) here in England and i can proudly tell you that i have not got a job yet. I still work the low-skilled job i've been holding since i was a student, in fact getting another low-skilled job is almost as difficult as getting a skilled one at the moment as i lost some hours to budget cuts where i work and i'm trying to find another one but not yet successful. Anyway, I have made over 50 applications for graduate-level skilled jobs since i finished my studies in Oct 08 and have only managed to secure about 5 interviews and all were not successful. But i was able to secure a volunteer role (unpaid) with a reputable UK organisation in March 09 where i have been working since while maintaining my low-skilled job to pay my bills. Its a scary situation bro, my 2years is fast running out and i cannot get a skilled job that will pay me the minimum required amount of salary that will enable me to switch to the skilled worker category (Tier 2 (General) visa) which is £20,000 per annum minimum salary. The UK government has raised the bars so high now that only a tiny fraction of immigrants can pass through. Well i try not to bother about that and try to just get a job and hopefully move from one job to the other within the 2yrs to get to my target salary, but bro all that plan is falling apart right now. There are no jobs here for immigrants, full stop. The "British Jobs for British Workers" policy and the recession has proven to be a toxic mix for me and people like me. With a Distiction level Masters degree from a reputable UK University College, i still cant secure a decent job, what else will, Think carefully before you take that step man.