₦airaland Forum

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marioxbenita50: Thank u brother, U hv enlightened me I really appreciate this useful information..for the passport I know is going to give me problem cos the one I have right nw with me is an ordinary passport. And my problem is that am living for ghana first thing 2moro morning from owerri and by God's grace I will definitely reach ghana on sunday...the place u mention (Osu) in ghana do u hv any ideal if they do open on sundays because my appointment is by monday 8.am in the morning...thanks in anticipation

I don't know if they open on Sundays, but I doubt it. If you get to Accra on time you can go there to check. It's Flash Photo Lab, just on Osu roundabout. It's on the side of the roundabout opposite Oxford Street. There's a big sign so you can't miss it.

Remember, it's a Dutch passport passport photo you want, and not visa passport photo! (confusing, I know). That distinction is important. Costs GHS 15 for four photos.

If they don't open on Sunday, still go for your appointment on time (they say you won't be allowed into the compound if you show up >30 mins late). When you enter, there's a guy in charge of checking through applicants' documents. Tell him you want to go and quickly take a passport, and you should be able to leave.

Getting a taxi to and from the photo studio should take less than 30 mins.

Another tip: taxi drivers in Accra DON'T know places within the city so they won't know where the embassy is. Tell them you're going to the same road as TV3 (a TV station), but opposite Prudential Bank.

Btw, how did you manage to get an appointment for Monday?

To be fair, I once lived (and was involved) with a girl for several months and I forgot her birthday (which took place after she moved). The sad thing was that my birthday was a week before hers, and she called me around midnight to say happy birthday...

Did you actually mention your birthday to her, or are you just assuming she knew the date? In my own case, I mixed up the date - so it's possible that's what happened here.

It's annoying / heartbreaking, but don't make a big deal out of it. She could have had a lot of stuff on her mind. It happens.

marioxbenita50: Is unfortunate that this thread is moving backwards, anyway please houz I need an advice on hw to process my documents in ghana. The IND has approved my visa so I have to summit my application in ghana next week. my question is how many days will it take them 2 access my documents b4 stamping my passport? Secondly, will they interview me based on the whole stuff, and will I have 2 pay for the MVV visa...lastly I dnt have anybody in ghana...

Read this page on the general procedures: http://hongkong.nlconsulate.org/services/visa%5B2%5D/visa-for-long-stay-mvv-over-90-days. It's the HK embassy, but it should apply worldwide.

You can either submit your application in Accra or Cotonou. You need to make an appointment (4 weeks ahead) for Accra, but you can apply at Cotonou without making one. In both cases, they'll take your passport from you, so prepare to spend at least a week waiting for it. Could be a bit longer for Cotonou...

However you can easily cross the border from Cotonou back to Nigeria to wait until they contact you (lots of car buyers and agents cross it every day). It's not so easy for Accra, so you're essentially stuck there till you get your passport back.

Go with the relevant documents and passport photographs made to Dutch requirements (this is very important). The system uses facial recognition, and it won't let them create a file for you if the photograph isn't to its requirements.

If you decide to apply in Accra, you have to take the photograph at Flash Photo in Osu. It's Dutch passport (not visa!) passport you want. Advisable to get this done the day before your appointment.

I don't know where the Cotonou embassy uses for passport photographs, so you'll have to email them to ask if you decide to apply from there. Alternatively, you can ask the Abj / Lag embassies to see if they can recommend any local studios.

If you go with passport photos from anywhere else, they'll most likely be rejected.

As for hotels, I can only comment on Accra. The hotels are fairly expensive. Obviously there are cheaper guest houses / hostels not advertised on the Internet, but the cheapest place I stayed at cost $54. Sorianna hotel along Spintex road. It's FAR from town and, combined with the traffic in Accra, prepare to spend over an hour on the road.

I stayed at three other places costing between $84 - $100 in Osu (the town centre) where the shops and beach were a short taxi ride away.

Spending over a week paying that kind of money just for accommodation will definitely hurt your pocket!

Personally, I'd advise you to apply from Cotonou - no need to wait for over a month for an appointment. And you can easily cross the border (unofficially) back to Nigeria while your application is being processed. Email both embassies to enquire beforehand though.

Very useful information given. Here's my commentary on the points made :

1.
Go with imodium or flagyl. There's nothing worse than developing running stomach unexpectedly.

There will be people willing to clean the toilets for a fee (the locals that run around camp). Pay them to clean a toilet/bathroom for you, and LOCK them with a padlock. If you have to give anyone the key, make them agree to flush after themselves. It's important you do this after the first Saturday because, depending on your camp, locked doors in the toilets will be forced open for the first sanitation.

2.
Buy plain white t-shirts and shorts before going to camp. Get white trainers too (as the pair given I'm camp are fairly substandard). My trainers had a giant blue Nike swoosh and no one cared. I hear in some camps your shoes have to be plain or they'll be seized, so YMMV. Around 3-4 extra clothing pairs should be enough... Although you can get these from the mammy market.

If you can't find anyone to exchange khakis with, don't worry too much. You can easily adjust them (if they're too big) at the mammy market. You'll have to do it after your swearing in (first Thursday) though, because the tailors will extort those who rush to adjust beforehand.

Contrary to popular advice, go with normal outfits
! You won't be able to use them in camp, apart from a few hours on Sunday. However you might be stuck at your PPA for a while before obtaining leave to travel home. Have some clothing with you just in case.

3.
Nothing to add here. Platoon leaders typically go to the first 10 to arrive camp. So if that's your cup of tea, you have to be in the vicinity of camp on the Monday.

You won't be allowed in before camp officially starts, though.

4.
Your belongings are more likely to be picked up by opportunistic thieves if your bunk is by the door. However in most cases that's the only source of breeze at night. And yes, your hostel will get hot at night. You decide which is more important...

5.
If you're late in getting ready, you can tell the soldiers/man o' war official chasing you out that you're in OBS. It won't work every time, but you could get some extra minutes to take your time.

Most band people are actually posted to the capital. They perform during your POP, so they need to be able to rehearse. There's even a band CDS in majority of states (as far as I'm aware). It's not worth the stress though if all you want is to be serve in the capital.

6.
Nothing to add.

7.
There are small children in camp that can fetch water for you, so you don't have to stand in line all the time. Pick two or three, and use them. They'll also wash your clothes for u.

8.
Nothing to add. You'll have to wear your khaki once a week for CDS, and then once a month for clearance. Might be worth sewing another one, although it's not necessary. If the khaki you sew isn't the same shade as the one issued in camp, it doesn't really matter.

9.
The camp lectures are useless, but not all of them. The state coordinator talks about the protocol to observe during the service year. Try to listen out for that lecture... You can safely ignore the other ones, unless something picks your fancy.

Unless you're interested, skills acquisition in camp is also a waste of time. It's your choice if you want to pay for lecture materials and/or certificate. In my experience they're fairly worthless. Don't join MDG unless you genuinely like that sort of thing.

10.
Goes without saying. Respect camp officials, soldiers, and even the vendors in the mammy market. That's common courtesy.

However, the soldiers are not God - they still have to answer to someone.

Now, for the ladies, soldiers can not influence your PPA in any way. The camp commandant and RSM may be able to request some specific corpers to serve in the Barracks... But that rarely happens. If you're genuinely attracted to a soldier and you're Hot, then of course you can sleep with him. Don't expect any favours however.

Your platoon officers can influence your posting - as they're LGIs or ZIs etc. If serving at a particular LG is so important to you, then feel free to 'trade favours'. There's no guarantee it will work though. The camp officials will exploit you if you put yourself in such a position.

11.
OP means hard drugs. When I served, a woman in mammy sold pot, and no one cared as long as it was used there. That was the exception, not the rule. Don't try bringing it with you. It's not worth it if you're caught.

12.
When I served the entire grounds were fumigated before camp, so mosquitoes weren't an issue. YMMV though.


I hope this has been helpful. Apologies for any grammatical errors - I used my phone.

You can bring as many electronic gadgets as you want. Those are not contraband.

When I went to camp they confiscated only clippers, cutlery and non-issue NYSC kit at the gate.

I went with an ipod, Kindle and camera. Some people who planned to be in OBS came with laptops. Some others brought saxophones for band.

Obviously anything you go with is at your own risk. If you don't absolutely need it during the three weeks, leave it at home. You can type up your posts on your phone...

No one cares about raw foodstuff, but I don't see why anyone would bring them along: you won't be able to cook. Provisions will come in handy though.

EBay automatically locks most accounts any time a log in occurs from a Nigerian IP address. As far as I'm aware, that is part of their fraud prevention system.

Whenever I need to use my eBay account from Nigeria, I go through a vpn. Otherwise my account gets suspended - even if I don't do anything after logging in.

digitite: Take it easy bro. Since you have forwarded your fees and documents to the school and applied to IND, you don't have much to explain to the Ghanaian staff : what is her position at the embassy ?

Just stay connected directly with the IND and main consul at the Dutch Embassy : who would actually be a Dutch right ?

Keep us updated, at least so we can learn one or two things from you.

Thanks, I definitely will. I'm not going for study though, I'm going to work.

I just wish their embassy in Abuja still dealt with visas. This Ghana business is long thing.

digitite: What experience and when did you apply ?

Just general incompetence and misinformation. The (Ghanaian) lady who attended to me didn't know what I was applying for, and kept saying my documents were incomplete. Even when I showed her a printout from the IND website listing the requirements. Instead she was asking me non-pertinent questions like 'how come I have a UK entry/exit stamp in my passport, but no UK visa on it'. I wasn't there for an interview; just to present my application.

They kept my passport for a week for verification (so I was stuck in Ghana) and didn't bother calling me when it got back from the Regional support office. I knew this was going to happen, as it's standard procedure, so I prepared for it. However when I called back, I was dismissed by the person on the phone without them verifying if I could get it back yet.

They were supposed to provide me with payment instructions at the embassy. This is according to the email I later got from someone at IND. The people at Accra told me otherwise.

I'll make a more detailed post when the application process is complete. For now, my main concern is for this to be over.

I applied around 6wks ago. I only came in contact with their Ghanaian staff.

Something else too: my appointment was for 9:45, but they ended up attending to me around 1pm. Lots of people who came after I arrived were attended to before me.

Any of the high street shops mentioned here will do.

If you want to buy online, check ASOS.

You'd need PayPal though, as I doubt you can use your card from Naija to pay directly. Most online stores won't ship items if the billing address and delivery address are different.

You can get next day delivery so that shouldn't be an issue.

Does anyone know if you need to make an appointment at the Accra embassy for them to put the MVV sticker in your passport?

I applied for a residence permit, but it should be the same procedure for study permits too. Hopefully I should get a positive decision from IND sometime in August. Seeing as you can only get appointments 4 weeks ahead, I was thinking if I should book one just in case.

From my experience there when I went to apply, the embassy staff are probably the most incompetent and arrogant set of people I've ever met, and they can't seem to give me a straight answer.

Vicjustice: Where did you come out from?
Look at the highlighted lines, can you see how you conflict your own self?
Confused people like you cause confusion to others who seek genuine information, you should realise the need to sit down and learn from knowledgeable ones so you may acquire knowledge youself for your own benefit before helping others. Got it?

Time for an English lesson.

If you don't have to do something, it's not compulsory.
However if you're advised to do it, that's the recommended course of action. Both are not mutually exclusive.

That said, there's no point arguing back and forth. The correct information has been provided. It's up to the OP to decide if they want to inform the embassy or not.

Btw calling yourself 'knowledgeable' doesn't make it true. Most of the time, it implies just the opposite...

justwise: [/b] Under which immigration law did that fall into? Which immigration law has that person broken for not using that visa?

No one is saying it's a crime. You're not breaking any laws if you don't use the visa.

However, you're advised to inform the embassy. That's the main issue here.

Vicjustice: There is absolutely no reason to inform the embassy, and there is no negative implication for not using a visa, in fact, it will (most likely) work to your advantage the next time that you make a visa application

Wrong.

I have to agree with 3sha4lyf here: unused visas are not looked upon kindly the next time you apply for a schegen visa (or any other type of visa for that matter).

A quick google search will show you instances of people having problems getting a new visa because of an unused one that expired.

Please refrain from giving advice if you don't know what you're saying.

OP, you don't HAVE to inform the embassy. However, it'll most likely hurt your chances next time -especially if you can't explain to the person processing your application.

This entire affair reeks of incompetence.

I'm actually surprised Nairaland got this far, if its developer doesn't understand redundancy or know how to make regular backups.

Instead of explaining what really happened, Seun is telling us it's an "attack". Some NLanders might believe his village people are responsible for the loss of 6 months' data, but not me.

The outage and subsequent data loss are probably due to a corrupted hard drive. Or maybe Seun accidentally deleted the site's database. Who knows?

I just hope he's learnt from it though. This time, we all came back because there's no alternative... but that can easily change.