₦airaland Forum

IamE:
Thanks for the tip.

But the context Paki. Is just as it is to me saying "9ja" or "whitee" or "brits"
No racial whatever in mind. Just slangs.

P*** is considered a racist term offensive term.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/aug/13/race.world

patoski39:
congrats sir,,,,, can u help me confirm how much it will cost for someone to enroll into a football school there

I no dey understand un kine question sometimes. Can't you google from Nigeria and find out yourself? Or do you need visa to enter google uk?

9jaHustler:
Hey guys, it's our first time ever outta Naija. Currently at Heathrow Airport waiting for connecting flight to Manchester which is our final destination.

Update: It was almost 9:30pm when we left Manchester Airport but it was like 5pm in Nigeria. Everywhere was still day. I though my wrist watch was incorrect until I check the dash board clock of the taxi

Welcome to the UK and congratulations!

lightnlife:
I'm shocked about the reviews on NHS and access to health in this country.

Apparently, one has got to maintain his/her wealth well and prepare for the unexpected.

Insurance schemes are always a good way to promptly access healthcare.

Based on the shared article, the rates aren't out of reach, especially in the face of impenetrable NHS "A healthy, non-smoking 35-year-old. Prices ranged from £688/year to £935/year. A healthy, non-smoking 70-year-old. Prices ranged from £2,238/year to £2,834/year."

May untimely and deadly illness or ailment not hold us down ooo.

The health system in the UK is based on preventative measures and promoting healthy lifestyles.

The system simply could not cope if all were to fall sick and need emergency care at the same time. Advice of healthy eating, (like if you buy any package product like biscuits, cereal, drink, snack the traffice light system will tell you how many calories, level of fat and salt etc and this is a legal requirement by the FSA.



The NHS offers free advice on anything from mental and physical well being. Cigarette packages carry heavy "Cancer can Kill' signs. It is all by design. The dangers of drinking alcohol are also well advertised even though the Brits like to drink like they are competing in the Olympics

Gyms and leisure facilities are also easily accessible for all in the UK with free facilities for children. Activities like Cycling and walking are also encouraged. There is even a health inurance company that reduces your gym membership fee more you attend the. I think it is called Vitality health.

These measures prevent the system from being clogged up by people making poor health choices which lead to sickness so that key services for the elderly, pregnant women and children and those unfortunate to develope illness through no fault of their own are or accident emergencies are not compromised.

For instance a grown man goes into A&E with a stomach ache, and there are 2 pregnant women who are ill, a sick child, elderly patient or someone who has just been involved in a serious accident waiting to be seen, the aforementioned man will probably not be seen a priority.

The GP (General Pratitioner) as the name entails is also not someone to see for an urgent health issue. They are good for repeat prescriptions, for referring to a specialist, basic examinations or health advice.

The NHS is not perfect but it works for most and encourages people to maintain healthy lifestyles so the system is not overrun.

Lexusgs430:
You forgot to add the most important bit ....... £200 per month..........

Eheheh now. People are complaining about the TAX funded (free at point of Service) NHS care so they should find up to £200 a month for Private health

Going back to Nigeria to deal with what they have there in terms of healthcare is also an option...

lightnlife:
Interesting!

Thanks for the insight.

I go like live in London and also buy a house there too sha.

You will achieve that in Jesus' name.
One thing I would encourage all Nigerians to do after settling down in the UK with a Job etc is to take full advantage of the government schemes to help with home buying, tax free savings like an LifeTime ISA and others. One can save up to £4000 per year and the UK govt will add £1000 which should go towards buying your first home. One should start saving before the age of 40.

This newly arrived Nigerian couple bought a house utilizing the full benefits of the scheme in two years, although I don't think they bought in London.

That being said, most places you buy in UK is bound to be profitable as we as homes are always in demand. Even if you choose to go back to Nigeria, then monthly rent from a house in the UK can easily meet the mortgage payments and provide a healthy monthly income for you in Nigeria.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6PMqSF3nnA?t=429

Viruses:
How does this private work. How can one register?

Some useful information here.
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/insurance/cheap-health-insurance/

Check with your employer to see if you are already covered if not I estimate that full cover can be provided for £200 for a family of 4.

mamatwiny:
It is really terrible. As we speak, my hubby has terrible chest pains. He was given appointment yesterday but on getting to the hospital, he spent the whole day there. He was told doctors were having a meeting. After spending thewhole day , they rebooked him to some day in June, that that is the earliest appointment they have.

The two times my son was terribly sick , vomitting and purging , even the a and e sent us back and said he must have picked a virus , that we should allow his body immunity heal him. They went on to say he should be fine in 2 weeks max. Except you are dying, the system here wont give you attention.

I dont know if it is location dependent, but it is really bad here. I told one guy in a group that some sickness have up to 2 years waiting time and he was doubting me. I am so disappointed.

This is the most difficult time of my life. I have not had it this bad. I should have waited.

Sorry to hear what you are going through. Have you dialled NHS111?

If your hubby's chest pains persist then go to a&e. You don't need an appointment to go but you'll be seen by a Doctor.

Also you could look into paying for Private health insurance if you are not happy with NHS care.

Viruses:
Make God no allow person sick for this country. I called GP yesterday and they were giving me NEXT WEEKEND appointment. By that time person never well. I finally got walk-in center today.

Is this how it was pre-covid or you could walk in anywhere pre-covid.

Call NHS 111 if urgent and want to be seen immediately.

MadeMen4Life:
My wife called the GP to see a gynecologist for something that need quick attention, they gave her 52 weeks appointment…

Nobody should mention that the health sector in Nigeria is bad please, if you have your money you would be attended to almost immediately, same cannot be said of UK…. It’s really worse here

Yes the Health sector in Nigeria is bad and you have misunderstood what the GP is for.

The GP is not set up to deal with emergencies or urgent health issues. If you want urgent help with a health issue then go to the nearest A&E (Accident & Emergency ) Department or ring NHS on 111.

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/urgent-and-emergency-care-services/when-to-use-111/

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/urgent-and-emergency-care-services/when-to-go-to-ae/

Failing that, if you are not happy with the NHS then you could always sign up for Private health care at the cost of around £100 a month.

lightnlife:
Ahaha, I see.

I'm considering getting an E-scooter or a bicycle ooo.

I'm encouraged to by the road structure and usage of bicycle and scooter thus far.

By the way, what's the average Council tax in London? Aside that and other regular bills, what bills are peculiar to London? Thanks.

Good idea re: Bike. Boris will love you for that as he is an avid bike rider. Not unusual to see the UK PM bike riding around Westminster with his security.

Council tax depends on the band based on the value of the property as it was in 1991 and the local council you live in.

E.g. For a 3- bed house terraced in the London Borough of Newham in East London we paid £109 pm so not too bad

I think council tax in London is actually cheaper than elsewhere in the country. However I heard one does not pay any council tax in Northern Ireland.

You can check council tax bands by postcode here. https://www.gov.uk/pay-council-tax.

The link will tell you the council the property falls under so you can check charges from there to get an idea.

I can’t think of any charges peculiar to London other than the £15 per day congestion charge if one drives into Central London during peak times.

To be honest, no one with a clear head drives into central London during peak times (7am to 6pm mon to Friday or noon to 6pm weekends) unless they have specific business there such a delivery vehicles plus traffic can be quite trying at those times. Plus you would have to think about parking charges which could be anything from £1.50 to £2.30 per 30 min.

The congestion charge can be avoided if you take public transport which is really efficient. However, travelcard prices can go up to £200 a month depending on how many zones you go through and time of travel ( can be avoided if you have a remote job ) or only need to travel off peak.

The latest charge for cars is the ULez (ultra low emission zone which is £12.50 per day and operates 24 hours). Applies to cars which are considered to be too polluting to be in the London area. So if you have a newer efficient car the charge won’t apply. There are a lot of electric cars on the road now because of this.
Cars can be checked by number plate here https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/check-your-vehicle/ to see if they are ulez compliant

Rents are also high in London but that is more so due to demand. A lot of people want to live near a station for fast accessibility into Central London for work, business or pleasure.

sukkot:
its not the case anymore. f you are a talented young person nigeria will reward you handsomely. look at all our young afrobeat musicians ? and young entrepreneurs are blossoming in naja. look at the guy who created flutterave ? look at okonkwo the real estate developer who came back from london where he was nobody and has developed and built close to 500 houses n lekki ? naija is wide open for business but only the brave and strong and enterprisng would make it here . another young man is building contaner homes, another young man bayo adio is creating a self sustaining community in ogun state etc etc. if you have the ideas you can make them happen in naija.

Afrobeat artists aside...(sorry don't consider them influential or noteworthy) how many of the ones you mentioned managed to achieve what they did without nepotism at play or government contacts. And also how many of them came back from abroad? which proves my point. Even if it is just to leave to see how a structured society operates outside the restrictive boundaries of Nigeria, it is worth it.

sukkot:
tell me the percentage of peoplein the UK who have 4 children ? less than .00001 percent which is why it is an aging population. my pont being the poverty in the UK is not so obvious because people dont have children to complicate their own circumstances. however if you have 4 children, to be above poverty level you are on a higher threshold of what you need to earn than the average brit because the average brit does not have 4 kids. and so for 4 kids you need to earn at least 6000 pounds a month or you are finshed

No be only oyibo na dey UK.

The Indians are taking over the UK. They marry young and have at least 5 kids minimum each. Areas like WhiteChapel, Southall and various parts of East London are completely Asian. Most own businesses raking in at least £20k month or some are in other Industries where nothing less that £5k after tax is achieved. I am in Tech and proud to say working with Nigerians who are on £800 a day (£500 a day after tax) but the Indians are doing it bigger than us as they have monopolised the Tech industry here in the UK. An Asian colleague fresh from India told me that they learn coding over in their country like it is a second language.

We also have Indians in key positions in Government like Priti Patel (Home Secretary) and Runesh( Chancellor of the Exchequer)...It is my hope one day that we children of Nigerian immigrants and our offspring reach such levels. No be to run back to Naija where dreams are crushed and buried before one even begins to walk.

GloriousGbola:
A 15 year old is not a responsibile adult

I never said that they were.

However, a 15 year old child can be left alone with younger children but not overnight.

https://www.gov.uk/law-on-leaving-your-child-home-alone

Ilekokonit:
Good point.

Even if he gets the touted 2M Naira a month net pay his former boss is getting as a Security guard, that translates to maybe £2,500 net per month. Now if his 4 kids need child care so Mum and Dad can go to work, at £1,000 per month for a registered child minder, his net pay will not cover his 4 kids monthly child care costs talk less of the more than £1,000 rent to accommodate his family of six.

This is before he factors in the fact that his kids will be bullied in school by both black and white kids for their accent and their brilliance and affinity for study. Does he want to put his kids through such. The story of Damilola Taylor the young 10 year old Nigerian kid stabbed to death in London by some school mates because he was a brilliant student comes to mind and this resulted in his parents divorce as his Dad did not want the Mum relocating the boy to school in London.

If he jacks in his 600K naira montly job in naija where he is treated with respect to go abroad as a "student" with limited working hours and start relying on menial jobs to house and feed a family of 6 he is in for heartache the likes he has never experienced before in his life.

My advice to him is to stop comparing notes with his former boss and friends abroad as they are not telling him the FULL story especially the DOWNGRADE to their status in having to resort to menial work after living a middle class life in naija.

If the kids are school aged then it won't cost them much and it would be easy for both mum and Dad to arrange their work schedules around the times the kids will be at school and school holidays. Also after school clubs, if needed will cost no more than £50 a month for each child.

Also if oldest child is over 15, then the younger ones can be left with them in the daytime until parents get back from work.

charles009:
Hello Folks,

I need una inputs, I tried scanning through nairaland threads and I am getting more of technicalities and rules lol. I need real experiences. As everybody around me dey japa so I decided to give it a thought. I work with a fintech company and net a little over =N=600k monthly. I am considering relocating to either UK,Germany,New Zealand, Australia or Canada. I am married with four kids. They said study route is the best .

A few of my colleagues that travelled just dey dull my ginger. My Oga who nets over 750k, we spoke today and he is considering a security man job, and claims net pay is over 2M monthly. Biko I cannot come and kill myself.

My friend, we spoke this evening and he responded oboy make I no lie you, na shit i dey pack for here, the good news is they say it will always get better with time. What if person no come eventually become citizen, is it a must you go become citizen.

I don talk to over 10 persons today and they all saying everything is though. Me I don't like stress, where me and wify go dey overwork just dey pay bills. Ofcourse I no get strength for menial jobs, make one oyibo use me take dey shine lol....

I no get any exceptional skill, I be sales man ooo.

Would you advise I still gamble and go with family abi make I hold my job oooo.

Please, I would welcome suggestions and advise.


Thanks Guys

You should compared your monthly living expenses in Nigeria to what you could potentially pay in the UK.

First off your monthly pay will deduct tax, national insurance and pension. So someone on £25k a year would take home around £1720 or someone on £30k will take home around £1963 From your pay after deductions

Rent
Council Tax
Gas & electric
Water
TV licence
Phone bills

Then you have to think about
Food & toiletries (toothpaste, washing powder,
Transport
clothing

Depending on how old your kids are, schools for ages 5-18 is free as are books, (text books can be borrowed from public libraries for free) pens etc but you would be responsible for school uniforms, shoes etc. When they reach 18 and wish to study the children themselves could apply for student loans a 3% which they only pay back when they earn above a certain amount.

Also note that when you go in as a student you are only allowed to work 20 hours (many find their way on that) but your partner can work unlimited hours.

So compare the above to financial comiitments and outgoings to Nigeria.

adubam:
This UK roads are very tiny ooo. Unlike US where the roads are very wide.

lightnlife:
Oh! That's one thing I've been worried about here.

The roads are so tiny with street-parking ooo.

The driving culture has been cracking me up, big time. The first day I got on an intra-city bus, I had my heart in my mouth, pressing the brake with the driver. Very small roads.

Thought I'd buy a car ASAP but seeing the roads and driving culture, I am having a rethink to delay the purchase.

It depends on where you are sha. In inner town/city residential roads surrounded by a lot of houses and schools ect, driving is not really encouraged. In London, they don tax us tire and most roads have been narrowed for that cycling and walking lanes with speed limits at 20mph.




And yes those bus drivers are experts at what they do because sometimes the bus appears bigger than the road and I wonder how they get down it.

@Lightnlife these your write-ups dey sweet sha. You have a talent for writing.

BigBashiru:
The statistics speak for themselves. There are less deaths in Nigeria. From the onset, UK had more casualties from covid-19 and continues to have more casualties from covid-19 yet FG took a practical approach with them. UK flights to Nigeria should be indefinitely banned until they can contain their pandemic. Enough of white worshipping and inferiority complex.

Come..which reliable data system or statistics model dey Nigeria for you to boldly assert that there are less deaths from covid in the country? People in Nigeria are dying mysteriously everyday and we can't say for sure wetin dey kill them.

Ayodele is still a Nigerian regardless of which country he represented.

Daley "Ayodele" Thompson. One of the greatest Decathlete of all time...but he competed for Britain.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sSF1a2dww0

Hi I started a thread on a question relevant to this topic which I think can now be deleted as I didn't see this one.

My questions

I have never held a Nigerian passport and would like to apply for one.

All I have is my birth certificate which states that my parents were born in Nigeria and a UK passport.

My parents are not around so I can't get any of their passports data pages or guarantor letter from them.

Is my BC enough which states my parents place of birth as Nigeria enough for someone like me to apply for a Nigerian passport? How long does doe the process of applying for a fresh Nigerian passport in London take?

I need to have it in about a month

How long does it take?
I only have a British birth certificate which states that my parents were born in Nigeria. Is that enough to apply for a Nigerian passport?

Please follow me @fashionliaison.com

God bless that woman!!

But I believe that there are people older than her in Nigeria. There are lots of old Mama's and Papa's walking around in the village and people assume that they are about 70s when really they in the hundreds. I recently found out that my cousin, daughter of my Dad's older sister was about 75 and all this time I thought she was in her 40s!! Apparently her mother who I thought was around 80 passed away and it came out that she was in her hundreds. Amazing! This lady was going to the the farm every day until a week before her death and then one day she fell ill and just died.

Had my aunt been in Europe she would have been long dead at 75 max. When one lives in the village and eats healthy organic foods every day and doesn't deal with the stress of city life they are more likely to clock over 100 years, I wouldn't be suprised if there 200 year olds walking around in Nigerian/African villages sef. :

I love Warri. Thanks for posting pictures and please post more if you can.

Koolking:
the guy wacks big time. smh at a guy call terry g

Keri hilson was absolutely right. a thousand and one self-acclaimed musicians in nigeria are just media overrated. they force themselves to sing when the talent is not really there. they are just wannabees, drown in their own folly, and being taken advantage of by the media. I have much respect for a few like Asa. she sings beautifully with a message. music is suppose to uplifts the spirit when listen to. embarrasingly, 2% of nigerian artists live up to expectations. even those they hyped as the biggest are just clueless in lyrical contents.

succinctly, i am not a fan to the nigerian media-acclaimed musicians. it is all business,

Your so right! Nigerian artists out there who can really sing with a beautiful tone and melody are scarce i.e ( Kefee, Omabele - sorry can't spell her name) and very far between. Plenty of talented singers in Nigeria I am sure but they are either not given the chance or they don't have the right image. We need to do better people otherwise the music industry much like Nollywood will become the laughing stock of the world and not taken seriously.



Love these girls though, too bad they are not famous yet but look out for them----Oh yes and they are Nigerian!!

[flash=600,500]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dzp3KqShmAk[/flash]

sara j:
Great. It's picking up a bit.
The right people were sent home
except Amelia. She was robbed. I
thought she would have made a great winner.
Janet should have been sacrificed instead.

I want The Risk to win. They really surprised me.
Their performance was class.

I would like to see a final showdown between The Risk and Misha with Misha winning I have £20 on here and will get £300 if she wins

I feel sorry for Matt Cardle. After performing to biggest audience in the UK, he only managed to make no4. People always laud Gary Barlow as this fantastic songwriter but the truth of the matter is that he was never really that great and the failure of this single proves that.

I felt bad for Amelia but happy in the sense now because Misha now has no competition. She is going to walk this -------Janet's weak voice and innocent act is only going to hold for so long and she will come apart when she is required to sing a fast song.

Loui is an idiot and should have got rid of Johnny.

I watched. My favourite is of course Misha, all the others need to go hard or just go home like Xzibit said, lol

I never liked that Rolling in the Deep song but she made it fresh and new. I just wish she had used the stage more during her performance.

manmustwac:
can't you start a thread yourself. Am not starting another one this year

Why now?

I suppose I'll start one when the live shows starts if one hasn't been started by then.

My money is on Misha, chick from Manchester. Are we going to start a 2011 thread?

warrior101:
After they help their parents as kids then they also help their parents when they are old right? This is as a result of poverty and it is unacceptable. People should not give birth to many children when they have no means of training them. I say their parents be dealt with.

Going on about why their parents shouldn't have given birth to them in irrelevant. The fact is the kids are here and they need to work for their own survival. This is not a new phenomenon in Nigeria so as I said I don't know why people are assuming the worst when the look at the picture.