₦airaland Forum

Don't fall into the trap of bad advisers. Below are things you should be thinking about:

1. Nigeria generally has a bad educational sector. Graduating with an Engineering degree does not necessarily mean you'd be a great Engineer.
2. The physical sciences like Maths, Physics and Chemistry can give you competitive advantage if you know how to navigate the terrain.
3. The most important thing is that you are in Year 1 - use that to your advantage and since you love Physics, push to get the best grade possible. A first class in Physics opens several doors for you. A strong 2:1 with skills like coding can also do wonders.
4. With a great grade, you will be able to fight for jobs in almost any sector in Nigeria. But more important, you would have the opportunity of getting full ride scholarship to American and Canadian Universities. That should be your goal. And I mean it.
5. In your spare time, pick a programming language. Be ahead of your peers. See if you can even do some of your assignments using such a programming language. The best software developers I know are Maths and Physics graduates. This is another career path that you can excel in. And no one would discriminate against you for not having a computer science degree.

Life is what you make of it. Also great to have mentors who can tell you the truth about the work place and not beer palour discussions. People told me back then that a Maths degree would only open doors to teaching career. It was the greatest lie from the pit of hell.

Again, do your utmost best in school. Get curious. Learn complementary skills. Browse the Internet for the advances in Physics from top Universities around the world. Go to Coursera.org and see Physics courses you can do online that challenges what they teach you in Lautech. And you are on the way to a great life.

Please stop confusing Marketing with Sales.
They are very different!

Most of the jobs touted as Marketing jobs in Nigeria are sales jobs. Marketing is much more than going to beg someone to buy something from you. It is actually the science of knowing customer needs, developing products that the markets will respond to and churning out strategy for positioning products and services in the minds of consumers. That is my own simple explanation of Marketing. You can google for more comprehensive definitions.

I can't blame you for taking the job - most people would in your circumstances.
Be assured- you have nothing to fear! The only reason their argument would hold water is if they gave you a lump sum as sign on fee but these kind of slave camps called companies can't even do that. Immediately you are ready to leave - just resign, in fact giving notice in such a company is suicidal as they will stress your life. Just make sure you return any equipment they may have given you and get a signed document stating same. After that, you can resign by email.

I won't give such advice if you are working in a company that has human face and treat people like humans. Even good men treat animals better. Nigeria needs a total overhaul of the labour law. Such things should not be happening in this age and times.

You would only be shielded from a global recession if you produce everything you utilize in your country and don't export anything to the outside world. Yes, Nigeria is a largely cash economy but that does not shield us from the effect of problems in the global economic environment.
China actually took some knocks - maybe not in 2008 but later. Remember that China is a big manufacturing hub and their competitive advantage is the ability to produce at very low costs and an abundant skilled labor. When they manufacture, they don't sell everything in China- most of the goods are exported to Europe and America. Credit crunch in Europe and America translates to fewer access to funds and subsequently, lower demands for goods from China. That is why the Chinese economy is showing some signs of slowdown but they are still much better than their western counterparts.
In the case of Nigeria, we saw how capital flew from our shores in the wake of the recession. That is an effect on our economy. We also import machinery from Europe and America, escalating prices affect us.

With regards to Maku - no comments lol. A government that goes all out to defend itself by spending money on newspaper ads is a money waster and there is no need to say more.

@ OP

I mailed you and it bounced back -- Robertomatteo@yahoo.com
Delivery has failed to these recipients or groups:

Robertomatteo@yahoo.com
A problem occurred during the delivery of this message to this e-mail address. Try sending this message again. If the problem continues, please contact your helpdesk.

@Ajanlekoko - he already took a blue collar job : "Currently, I am working with a guy dealing in phone accessories just to get money for daily meals"

@ Poster,

As Jarus rightly pointed out - your writing skill is impressive. And before someone asks how that should influence job prospects - it does a lot actually. Most jobs apart from Engineering, Medicine and other highly specialized fields need articulate and intelligent graduates who are trainable and can communicate effectively.
I think you have not put yourself out enough in a more positive light. Let's start with your CV. The chance of getting shortlisted can be improved if your CV is well written. I will assist by revising your resume if you want. Drop your email address privately if possible and I will mail you.
Please don't get discouraged, you should not be too far from a breakthrough. And note, going into a life of crime never helps. The end is always bad.

Nice thread.
Maybe the time has come for people studying Statistics in University to understand they are sitting on a gold mine.
They just have to be more proactive and source practical textbooks online. Ask anyone studying for a MBA at a decent school, and they will tell you that one of the most feared courses is Business Statistics. It is not enough to have the capacity to analyze data, but the practical interpretation and using same to solve business problems as well as scientific problems. In every thing we see, there is a pattern and we can even predict the mad Lagos traffic and other phenomenon we see around us. Obama's victory has been attributed to solid data analysis. Companies can't also cope without good data scientist who understand the business. Pricing of goods and services as in cost management is only done well if organizations use Regression Analysis. I think the time has come for the big data professionals.

1. A good MBA program shouldn't be admitting fresh graduates.
2. An MBA degree should have both theoretical and experiential learning. What experience would a fresh graduate bring to the class?
3. Good business schools use case studies. A fresh graduate will struggle to contribute to meaningful discussions that.are based on work experience.

If you finish from physical sciences or engineering degree from a good Nigerian uni, I won't advise you to take any job but get a MSC admission in The US or Canada with the option of going straight for PhD. U won't go wrong with that. Those countries are big on expanding their scientific n Engineering faculties. Apart from those programs, don't waste your time.

The safest way to get an MBA right now is if you are working in a country and can do part time MBA in a good school in that country or even block release in another country whilst still holding down your good job.
My advise for you- take the GTbank job, forget about MBA for now. Get some great skills. Do certifications relevant to where your career is heading. In 4 years, u can even start Manchester biz school block release MBA which takes 3 years. But gain mad skills from now. It will help u.

This is the biggest problem with Nigeria - Amnesia.
It beats me when we constantly try to rewrite history. For those who were old enough when Abacha's dark regime was messing us all up; I guess you are not happy and I am very angry right now. The fact that other thieves are stealing more doesn't mean we should now start praising such a man with a dark heart. A crude and unrefined soldier. Even though the other idiots stole as much or maybe more than him, but there was constant fear and Nigeria was heading towards the political system of Libya with a life president. A forum like Nairaland couldn't even exist back then with the threads dissing government - people couldn't even have beer parlour talks in buses and elsewhere. The atmosphere was tense.
Yet people try to distort history. Again I say that other despots were not better but you cannot abuse our intelligence.

It is not only in Nigeria - it is all over EMEA :

http://www.news24.com/SciTech/News/BlackBerry-services-collapse-20111010

@OP
You changed your ID and you think he won't know you posted this just because you have assumed a new identity? How smart?
If this is not a tale by moonlight - he will know it is you without thinking.

Meanwhile - the woman said kids and not even a kid. How old is your boyfriend?
I think it is simple - someone already advised that you send your relatives to find out for you.

@OP
If you are Yoruba, the following saying should appeal to you:
Ori bibe ko ni oogun ori fifo. This translates to - "Beheading is not the cure for headache"

Some people are in worse situations doing jobs they don't like and being paid peanuts for same. Your situation is better and it will be good if you make the best out of it. Have you spoken to your manager about getting more responsibility? Sometimes you just need to ask. Are you also very good at what you do right now and have you been putting good efforts? People notice these things and if you have been docile and just collecting salaries at the end of the month, then you will be setting yourself up for failure.

I will also advise that you sniff around for possible redeployment within the organization - that will be easier if you are making the best use of the present opportunity. Try your hands on certifications and as some said, find something to do in your spare time.
Cheers.

@ OP.

Please define rich.

Good one Fashola.
But we need more than that. There are many people dying from various ailments. When will our government provide good hospitals to aid treatment of Cancer and other diseases? This is not only about Fashola but the Federal government and other state governors.

hahahahaah @Ajanlekoko
My exact sentiments. The guy probably hasn't ever seen any of those things he mentioned.
I hope people don't fall for such simple tricks.

I think it is incredibly naive to think that a president can implement Sharia all over Nigeria. Is he the one who will pass the law at the national assembly?
Please give us better reasons to destroy Buhari's ambition. That is lame.

Wow - why is this thread not on the front page?
So many truths here that I feel like crying. And don't forget our environmental advantages that ensure we have no need for innovation to battle harsh elements. And then the abundance of natural resources which is more of a curse than blessing. Whilst the first world considers innovation, information and conceptualization as catalysts for social and economic developement; African countries are totally dependent on the volume of natural resources they can sell.
We must also not forget the pull him/her down syndrome where those with ideas are never encouraged to blossom. We require a huge paradigm shift starting from individuals before change can happen. Leadership is such a huge problem, democracy has to become cheap and political office must become unattractive to those only interested in the financial gains.
Apart from d politicians, the corporate sector has to undergo a shock therapy. The top guns there are equally bad.
It is a big call to duty.

That is d good thing about competition. The customer gains more. But for information sake, RIM collects monthly license fee on each activated BB from networks. So, the money u pay for BIS isn't exclusively for the network but a part of it is paid to RIM. That means our dream of very low BIS price can come true when d naira competes favorably with d dollar.

eldee:
You know why your elders said silence was the best answer?? Because they  didn't make their money from being in the public eye.
It's because they didn't do press releases on everything that happens in their marriage after doing a track to say their wife was fluting their bet friend.
Silence from the onset is golden, but you don't shout at first and then resort to silence when it's more convinient.

And abeg cut your elder talk . . . they were people like you, only difference is that they lived in times when it was cool to trade their people for mirrors and lumps of sugar.

What more can one do but , I can't shout!
If you read my post well, I never even mentioned 9ice's silence or the lack of it. My point was only to understand why you have to comment on such a topic on a forum like Nairaland. And even much more exhibiting such emotions. I won't even expect Rugged man to say anything in a place like this even though he is a party to the rift. But it is ok, since we now think that our "Elders" were not wise - it is fine to keep exhibiting our own wisdom. Good luck man!

Madam Onyeka sincerely has not right to do this. I think it should have been the other way round. Toni Payne as her publicist should be the one releasing press statements, etc. I think it is even a slap on the face of a top publicist when her client is now acting as her defender. What an irony.
Maybe it would have been better if madam went straight to talk about Toni Payne and not drag us to many years back to regrind axe with Journos who wronged her. I love her music and all, but I dislike the fact that she roped Abati into this case. Abati has his bad days a la the younger generation music saga but when it comes to talking about the unconstitutional and corruption ridden office of the first lady; madam abeg. Shebi she is a politician now, so should we expect a first man when she becomes governor .

It is immoral for her to defend people like Maryam Babangida, Turai Yaradua and now Dame Jonathan. Abati doesn't come along as being chauvinistic, it is far from that. He was only stating the obvious about the institution that has caused many harms than good. So when someone releases such statements as madam has done; it is always sensible to stick to good points and not confuse issues. Anyways, it is not so surprising. I am not interested in her private affairs, I am only concerned about her stands i.e. always supporting the government of the day. In other climes, musicians such as her stand as the voice and conscience of the people. They sing to bring about change and not campaign for the Abachas of this world.

I hope hope the Eldee on NL is not the same Eldee that I respect so much. The man who sings with intellectual flavor attached to the lyrics and a swagger to die for . If he is, I don't expect him to even comment on such a thread. You might say silence is not so golden; but hmmmm , our elders know what they are talking about. Leave it to people out of the industry to do all the analysis and what not.

tensor777:
Honestly I don't know what you are on about there. Maybe you are mixing up doing what is right because it is the right and proper thing to do and doing the right thing just to avoid harsh punishment. This leads to the might-is-right philosophy and the idea of being cunning and deceitful if you can get away with it.

There is also a culture of oppression which is certainly not the case in Western countries. {You can say that the oppresive behaviour at boarding schools mirrors that in the wider society}

On the other hand, in Europe even the lowliest worker is treated with respect and dignity and parents actually take the time to explain things to their kids and answer all their questions as opposed to just blustering. This has a salutary effect on cognitive intelligence and received wisdom.

I think you should also read "A Tale of Two Cities" which chronicles the suffering that was rampant in France and how the revolution happened. Man is man anywhere. It is just that some men know how to present their slave master tendencies better.
And as for what u don't understand in my post. What I was trying to say is that it is not African to be a crook. Things happened that brought that part of our lives out. To add to what Ajanlekoko said; the average African was even a subsistence entrepreneur(not employees). He was a farmer, fisherman, goldsmith who only wanted enough to feed his family. The white man came, seized his lands and converted him to an employee who relies on salaries to feed his family. It became like the biblical fruit of the knowledge of good n evil. His appetite grew n grew and see where we are today.

And there are many of these Caucasians who force archaic thinking to their kids. A lot of these guys still resent the black skin. Just last month, a friend was called a Nigger in one European airport. And there are some who explain the truths. Once again, it is a matter of choice. I am a black man and I have an environment and the open mind to help my kids grow up to become responsible adults who are not swayed easily by the wind. Adults with respect to everyone and without prejudice but treat everyone on a personal basis.

tensor777:
Certainly there are strong cultural factors at play there. In traditional Nigerian culture , for some reason, acting like a fraudster or rent-seeker is something that is actually commended and admired.

There is also the bluster and bravado in talking which is caused by the way they were brought up. This might is right philosophy as opposed to actually trying to reason and explain things to your subordinate or ward. This is in sharp contrast to Western culture.

So no it is not smartness or intelligence but devilish cunning and trickery.

That is so so wrong. In the olden days in Yorubaland. You don't have to be present in the market to sell your goods. You only need to put the number of cowries beside your wares representing the price. Customers then come, put the exact amount and take the goods away. Our ancestors were very serious about truth and fairness. That is why most of their gods were used to punish evildoers. So it is not a cultural thing but an evolution that came as a result of the erosion of our values. I find it interesting to discover that a hunter who sleeps with the wife of another hunter signs his own death warrant. That was the nobility that existed in the olden days.

I recently read Wole Soyinka's second autobiography - You must set forth at dawn. The revelations were mind boggling, some of them most people knew about from beer palour banters. Who would ever think that the first census figure in Nigeria was doctored by the British to favor the North in the first elections. The first election was also rigged. This is not an attempt to put all the blame on our teachers as Fela calls the British who taught us nonsense according to him. But, a wake up call that we should stop thinking that the Oyinbos are saints, a lot of the nonsense happening in our country is traceable to them even when they keep coming across as saints. Imagine if IBB n the other thieves don't have Switzerland to keep the loots? Imagine if d US disgraces them by revoking visas n seizing their loots?

Finally, most of these funny bosses were once subordinates. Just like juniors in high school, where many promise not to maltreat juniors when they become seniors. But we all know the end of the story. My advise is that those of us talking now should decide to do better when they get to that level. Conscious decisions to keep getting better at our jobs, treat subordinates with respect and be incorruptible. I don't think it is a lost battle but it is possible to evolve new thinking with people at our level if we want to.

Nice topic.
I think it is an individual thing. It is not enough to generalize but for each person to think deep and ask a personal question - Do I know my stuff and can I be relevant outside the local scene? Erosion of values in the country contributes so much to the way people think. Imagine a father advising his son to get employment in a federal government parastatal because of the kickbacks so prevalent there.
But there are still many Nigerians who have the spirit of excellence even in the midst of rot. I have worked outside Nigeria and my objective is always to leave a lasting impression as a value-adding team member wherever I found myself. I know others doing same but the bad eggs are there too. What we need to also understand is that most times, it is not always about the skill but attitude. I believe that skills can open doors for u, but attitude will keep you there.

To close this, even on this forum, I can attest to the level of professionalism of 1 person at the minimum. Ajanlekoko is on top of the list . And the last time I checked, he is Nigerian and there are many more like him I have had the opportunity to work with.

The matter of male child carrying the family name was relevant in the dark ages. When only men could work due to the strenuous nature of the jobs. And that continued till the industrial age where heavy machineries and the mines provided the jobs. These days where the good jobs are done with brains renders that totally irrelevant. Who cares if the child is a male or female. What matters is the quality of parenting, guidance and education as well as achievements. Do u think Serena and Venus Williams' father cares a hoot about their gender? Would u choose to have an "heir" even if he is a ganja smoking i d i o t ? And what silly inheritance are we talking about here? The small money left in the bank? Only weak men are afraid of not leaving a male child cos that is the only way their name can continue.
Do u think Clinton or Obama give a hoot about not having sons? Their names would continue forever. And gone are the days when girls couldn't aspire to great heights. For me, my greatest legacy would be a good name, achievements and lives touched. Not children sired by my loins. They will be my achievements too but the gender matters not to me.
By the way; I have a gorgeous girl who gives me joy. If she is the only child I will ever have, I will always bless God for the privilege.

Its a clear case of money laundering.
The bankers with their cronies look out for accounts with owners who don't have much transactions. They move the money through such and the owner won't even know. They were just unfortunate that the guy went to cash money on the same day.
The Nigerian Police, if effective have a good case on their hands.

Most of these one man company don't do proper analysis before opening their businesses. They also don't have good backing and maybe a board that can aid them. I worked for one of those in 2004 and it was tough. The first month, the salary was paid. We were in a big building (nonsense as we didn't need such a luxury). The MD and top management had big cars (cars were later repossessed). The business plan was faulty because most of what we were doing will most likely not bring in so much. In fact, at a point Police started harassing us in the office. Our boss was owing a lot of people including staff salaries. He started letting people go and at a point, I voluntarily resigned without having gotten another job. Till today, the company owes me 3 1/2 months salary. Imagine walking from home to the office, not small journey o. And I was supposed to be developing web and sms applications for the organization, I suffered, chei. The decision to leave was the best thing I ever did. I did better on my own than in the time I spent there.
My advice, if you are ever going to take appointment with a small business; do your homework and maybe interview people working there. It will save u a lot of heartache. But in these days when jobs are scarce, I bet people don't have much choice.

BTW, the company died a total death a few months after I left. The CEO is back working for a bigger company now

Some Nigerian men visited SA for 1 week in June 2010. Their chaperon took them to have a meal of Amala in a Buka in Yeoville (A notorious neighborhood in SA) and about 20 Nigerian guys showed up from nowhere and demanded Owo Ile. They obtained them with intimidation. As someone said earlier, what are those kinda guys doing in South Africa? I tire o.

Even when you are legit, your friends would still taunt you about selling drugs to them. The high commissioner is saying the truth. It is even so bad that some employers don't want to see Nigerians in their organizations. That is a bit high handed but almost every man is guilty of one form of perception issues or the other, so I cannot totally blame them.

The fact is that these guys who destroy our image outside do it all over the World and not just SA. If we have good leaders; those people have no business leaving the country in the first instance. Na wa.

Mr Cork!:
D’banj?? this boy cant even speaks english (no ofeince)

And u can abi? You murdered the English language in just a 6 worded sentence and you are here castigating another man.
Not that I am a D'Banj fan but I hate over sabi. Na wa o.

This boy can't even speak good English! Chikena

I am sure the guy is one of those who give testimonies in their Church when they were granted VISITOR's visa to the UK.
The guy just ranted throughout contradicting himself. Check it out well, there are many Nigerians in Nigeria who don't have the kind of money our guy here used to procure his visa and are doing small businesses.
He talked about his first multiple entry visa. The rule always spells out a condition of the number of months u are allowed to stay for a particular visit. So if u stay 2 years through, there is definitely something going on there. I understand truly how bad Nigeria is. But u cannot blame a country for protecting its borders. That would be highly insensitive and hypocritical.
Imagine your small 2 bedroom flat and how u protect it with your life. Even when your guys are bunking with u too often, there is a way u just grow cold and if they don't get the subtle message u start locking them out of your flat. Wake up guy.

Sagamite:
Really?

You sure?

So why were you judging here:

Can you prove these?

@ Sagamite

Let me start by reiterating again that I will never support cheats. Now u ask me to prove that our politicians steal money from shady deals. I know you love to debate very well, but I don't think we need to flog this one. Why else would everyone castigate the 50th anniversary budget where 30M Naira is earmarked for the logo design? Can we also ask for proof that IBB stole our money? About the wives of those officials - yeah man, I didn't concoct that. My mind is not that idle to weave all sorts of stories. In fact, the information is too easy to get if you are close to officials in ur LG and state. Maybe you didn't also hear that our first lady used one of the presidential planes and our presido got stranded cos the second one developed a fault.

I understand your pain very well and it is obvious you are not happy, or why would you give your precious time to reply all these posts just tonight. But if you read the rest of my post; I am saying that we need to look at the foundation of the problem and not just kill these girls. Most men have tendencies to cheat but their success depends on the system in place where they operate. Even if you love to lie about your age in the UK, the system would find you out. Same way corporate governance or lack of it determines how often companies get hit by internal or external hitmen. I don't need to kill myself just to guess the age of a girl representing my country - a simple database query should reveal that. If it doesn't exist, so how am I supposed to know if she is lying or not especially when I am not related to her?

I am also very angry with our country. But my own anger is directed at the fifth columnists. Not some simple girl playing soccer in Germany. I am angry at those whose vow is that we will never have a proper society where everything works.  Do u think it is moral to evade tax? It is done everyday in Naija and so simple because of this same lack of record. Apart from workers in big companies, almost everybody is guilty of this sin. I hope you understand the angle I am coming from? Cheers.

Well done to the girls jere.
Naija we don start again. I am in no support of cheating or anything but if u cannot prove it, why judge them without trial?
If these same set of girls were eliminated in the first round, these people would have said all sorts. Fielding over-aged players isn't even an indication they will do well. We have past age grade teams that failed woefully.
If you must know, Nigerian female teams always have players lasting for long periods.
I have also decided not to castigate players again. We must remember to ask our politicians to evolve a proper record system. The lack of the national database is affecting more serious aspects of our national life. Football is just too small compared to issues relating to proper planning, voters registration, criminal database, census etc that could have been resolved if we have proper records.
How many people do you know who are using fake date of births so they can serve and also be Under-25 to apply for jobs? Many, I can bet. And those same people will abuse Golden Eaglets and now the Falconets.
Lets wake up people. We have a fundamental problem and until we resolve it , we are just chasing shadows.