Johnathan for President!!!!!!!!!

A very good point was made here earlier: national growth can come from people participating in their countries out of the prospects of personal gains rather than altruism. The fact that there is personal gain for the acting individual does not negate their action's impact on their society or their heroism. If you think it is not not heroic to return - even if one has not been 'successful'- try doing so when in the same situation. You should understand that there is no guarantee for success upon return and that most people in Nigeria want to emigrate even if the gains are marginal. To return takes guts and any one willing to do so should be commended and not criminalised as an opportunist.  

The prospect of material gain makes the return of the diaspora sustainable. Consequently, it makes their impact at home also sustainable. This is the only way the country can reverse the ongoing brain drain and get the badly needed skills it needs to develop.

Apart from the feeling I get that this story is dubious, who is Obasanjo to tell any one to abide by an agreement - albeit a flawed one? Is he not the same person that wanted to change the constitution to run for a third term?

Shock and co!! I don't know where you get your idea of civil rights. The president reserves certain powers to issue orders in the interest of the state. Eg. US security has a list of people on a no fly list, including US citizens. Forcing me to open my belongings and spread my legs for a pat down can be argued to constitute an invasion of my privacy, sexual assault, violation of dignity, racial profiling, racism etc. I am sure we can find many ways in which the acts constitute an abuse of power by the state. But, the state argues these actions are necessary to keep the generality of its citizens safe. They did not need a court order to do this. This is not to say that the US is a perfect example for us to follow. The point here is the powers of the state to make orders in the interest of the state, even if those orders deny some citizens their civil rights.

The judge is right to dissolve the marriage. He would have erred seriously in Law and Justice if he sends the woman packing. If the man is tired of the marriage, he should move out and find another home. He must also keep providing for his wife. This would be fair to both parties.

Exactly. People need to know this before attacking others. Whether they accept it or not, the training doctors receive is no where comparable to other health professionals, with all due respect to them.
And again, i know this would raise a few eyebrows, doctors on average have a much higher IQ than nurses. Imagine when we all were in secondary school, the most brilliant guys/girls where did 70% of them end up? How many of them went on to be nurses? JAMB cut off marks, tell me year on year, whats that for medicine compared with other faculties? Whats the entry criteria to be a nurse? How many gcse/o levels are needed?
You cant deny the fact that you need a smart and intelligent person to be your number one health officer, because its human lives we are talking about and not machines.

The above is the kind of ignorance that has lead us no where.

I am a academic and wife is a doctor. I have the experience of teaching both gifted and average students. Let me tell you: 1) that leadership is not dependent on academic intelligence, 2) Memory recall which is the basis for passing uni. exams in Nigeria is different from critical thinking (to evaluate the merits if diff. sides of a debate). The doctor who remembers everything in the book to pass his exams may not necessarily be a critical thinker or a critical humanist (to question the implications of all action on humanity). The last two are necessary for leadership and management. My experience living and working with Ph.Ds and doctors suggest they are by no means better qualified for leadership than a nurse. In fact a Nurse with an added degree in public health management or any management training or experience is better qualified to run a hospital or the health ministry than a brain surgeon.

The cry by NMA is just plain prejudiced, elitist and any thing but noble. I have no sympathy for them and I think they should bow their heads in shame and let the NURSE prove himself. Decades of appointing same NMA doctors to the ministry has gotten us where?

Considering the shear number of applicants applying for each position advertised in Nigeria, it has become far more important for applicants to hone the application skills that can easily distinguish them from the rest of the pack.

While the resume or cv contains your experience and achievements, many employers are unwilling to go through each of the hundreds or thousands that land on their desk. What can determine whether the applicant’s very rich resume is binned of read is the cover letter. Thus, the achievements have to be projected in the cover note. I will now outline some of the key things applicants should focus on in their cover note.

1. Save your time: apply to jobs you feel strongly that you a qualified for. If you think it’s just a shot in the dark, then, it most probably is and poised to miss its target. Take the time to think about the job while revising your cover note and resume to talk directly to the position. This may prove far more efficient than forwarding same applications to different openings.
2. Length: while a three-page cover note will hardly be read, putting down three lines of text is grossly insufficient. A sparse cover note shows the applicant is inattentive, impatient or just incapable of projecting their skills in their first impression. I suggest one page for most jobs.
3. Content: spending your words on your biographical details is unproductive. Some applicants start by saying when and where they were born, their village and state of origin and all the places they schooled – starting from primary school. This is wasteful and I would recommend the following order:

a. Start by asking the employer to accept your application while spelling out where you saw the job advertised.

b. Follow this by stating your highest qualification or the qualification that is most relevant to the job advertised. PLEASE, if you have second class ‘lower division,’ stay with BACHELORS (in whatever) and LEAVE out the ‘second class’ and ‘lower division’ out of it. There is no gain emphasising your weaknesses.

c. Now state where you are currently working or what you are doing as a vocation. This part is tricky.  If your current job is relevant to the position advertised, by all means state it very clearly. If not, talk about it as an interim economic measure while you wait for an opportunity like the one advertised. The reader will understand but also may see it as evidence of your resourcefulness.

If you are completely unemployed, state something creative you are doing which will appear to position you better for career advancement or make you more fitting for the job advertised. If you are applying for a sales job, stating your experience hawking on Lagos traffic and what creative ways you brought to the craft to beat other competitors will attract an employers attention more than another certification you added to your line of certificates. If you are a recent engineering graduate, talk about how you have deployed your skills to solve structural and technical problems. Talk about your struggles with an idea or invention at your school or even at home. This is certainly as or even more important than announcing the ‘PRESTIGIOUS UNIVERSITY’ you attended. Students who worked on thesis projects should include it in their cover letter if relevant, stating the new and interesting ideas explored in and through it.

Demarcate your various achievements with paragraphs for emphasis.

d. In one line state that your achievements make you fit for the job.

e. And, if you have enough detail about the company and the position, use one paragraph to tell them how you intend to add more value to the company with your skills.

4. Conclude: in one very short paragraph, use representative phrases such as ‘my education,’ ‘projects,’ ‘work experience,’ to sum up your achievements and state that you think they make you most suited for the job and you would be happy to work with the employer.

5. NOTES: Be honest yet strategic. You may be sabotaging yourself when you are heaping dishonest praises on a company you hardly know. It shows you are insincere. If the employer warrants the praise, say EFCC or UN, put it across constructively by hinting at what warrants the praise such as: ‘your tenacious fight against corruption’ and ‘global or humanitarian position’ respectively.

Read you application letter twice at least and if possible get someone to read it for typos. Remember, this is your first impression; you don’t want to spell ‘Sales Assistant’ as ‘Sales Assistance’ when it is the title of the job.

If you are applying to similar jobs, you only need to change few details to adjust a cover letter template. If you are applying to different kinds of jobs, create different and fitting templates, which you can tweak, to suit each related application.

Good luck!

irohadis

The above was my post. So thanks again.

Ok! I see how easy it would have been for you to identify me. Need to change my handle. Too much of a giveaway. My person, na you de waka like snake?

I can't identify you with your Nairaland handle. I am on facebook and madam is well.

Face, you must know me indeed. I went to UNN and lived in Ireland for 6 years. How do you know?

This is called privilege. Being able to do what you love, live where you love and hang out in bohemian circles without worrying about money or supporting any one but yourself? This is called privilege. I am also an artist who 11 years ago made a splash in Lagos. Got my first ticket out of the country to Europe and took it and ran. I so badly wanted to go globetrotting, meeting other artists around the world and showing my work along the way. But, one look at the waiting hands in Nigerian changed my course. I stayed back in a country I didn't love, under less free conditions, and significantly changed my career trajectory. Yes I got a PhD to show for my time there, yes I have money in the bank, but I barely know who I am and still trying to retrace my steps back to before I left. Reading your article reminded me that there are lots of Nigerians who would like such freedom but can't afford it. That is, I am not talking about those who can't leave the country because of no money; I am talking about people who would move to America or Europe when they can be happier in Namibia or Ghana or India because they are moving to make cash.

Thank you all for your insightful and kind suggestions. My inclination is to aim for a middle ground since the business is also expanding and taking in more staff. Since I had big plans for him (company car, increased capacity, responsibility, income, equity etc), he has severely limited his real options for upward mobility in the company. I will allow him to maintain his contacts with his pool of clients. However, I am completely taking away his responsibility for managing payments or contributing to managerial strategy, that is, he can now function only as a salesman - strike the deal and then refer the clients to a cashier (non relative). Payments now can only be accepted as cheques or receipts and confirmation of bank deposits from clients prior to releasing their goods. He will also report to a (non relative) manager with higher authority and compete with other (non-relative) salesmen/women for sales and consequently, commission. I think this treatment would humble him without destroying him or my goodwill at home. No one will listen to complaints at home if they know he still has a job and I am sure he will be miffed as my relative to have to report to layers of authority he thinks he should be in or above. Where he gets angry and refuses to make sales, then he will go hungry. His call.

Dear Nairalanders

I am expanding my small company in Lagos and looking to hire a number of staff. My aim is to pay a fair wage to my staff but I also would like to keep costs in check. This is why I want to sample public opinion on how much I should pay my new staff in Lagos for a start. Company intends to grow vigorously and will adjust compensation and promotion accordingly.

How much should I start the following categories with:

1. Accountant/acting GM (minimum education is Masters)
2. Sales Manager (Senior with at least 3 -5 years of experience in relevant area, minimum education is Bachelors/HND)
3. Sales Manager (Entry - no experience required, minimum education is Bachelors/HND)
4. Office Manager/secretary (2-5 years experience, minimum education is Bachelors/HND)
5. Cashier (minimum education is Bachelors/HND)
6. Logistics personnel (or Driver) (minimum education: Can read and write)

I look forward to your responses

I employed a cousin of mine 6 months ago in Nigeria as a sales man. Before then he lived in one room without a proper bed, never had a job and barely lived hand to mouth. Now I pay him NGR37,000 per high value item he sells for me. He has a constant supply of at least 5 of these every month and all he has to do is contact our dedicated buyers, close deal and pay cheque or cash in company account. He could do this in a week and have the rest of the time off. Now see the problem, he has now started withholding part of my money without even informing me. First one was 145K. I wrote it off as advance for his housing. Next 74K and I said ok, that's your advance on future commission. Then last week we sold a unit at barely breaking even price and he deducted 60K. I am mad. The lunacy in this is: does he not know that I will see the difference between sale price and amount deposited in account? I complained and he told me how hard he works and how he will move on to another firm if I insult him.

He is my cousin. What do Nairalanders suggest I do? I am pretty miffed.

@ rayray7

I must say that is just plain silly to hand over $40,000 to someone in Nigeria to help you buy a house without a paper trail. If you can wire it to your brother, you could as well wire it to your lawyer (leaving a paper trail) who would then check the docs. of the house against govt. database, pay the owner and collect receipt and docs on your behalf. You could also pay 2k to travel and conclude the transaction by yourself.

I must say that a lot of the bad stories I hear from people abroad are as a result of their carelessness. In the US, you don't give any one 40K without a paper trail. Why do you think you can do it in Nigeria? If your brother gave you a written acknowledgment for the payment, or you have some evidence that you gave the money to him, then you can use the law (yes Nigerian legal apparatuses -EFCC etc.) and repossess his business. Iron for Iron!

It is now on BBC 'Breaking News"

"Acting President, Jonathan Ebele Goodluck has dissolved the Federal Executive Council t put in place by Yar'adua about a year ago.
Details soon"

http://www.saharareporters.com/real-news/sr-headlines/5546-jonathan-dissolves-cabinet.html

"Jonathan dissolves cabinet"

"Acting President, Jonathan Ebele Goodluck has dissolved the Federal Executive Council t put in place by Yar'adua about a year ago.
Details soon"

http://www.saharareporters.com/real-news/sr-headlines/5546-jonathan-dissolves-cabinet.html

Laf no gree me stop

Apparently, this writer has no ideas of his or her own. The whole article is based on paraphrasing other western writers and thinkers and framing judgements based on the applied implications of the borrowed phrases. Take away the quoted phrases and there is little left. Again the density of the references to other authors, apart from diminishing his or her own place as a thinker exhibit the authors narcissism. The article is about the author, to attract attention, to sound so shocking to be noticed, to play with words and throw out names in order to be seen as 'well read.' Such literary masturbation can't be taken seriously. It will be more time well spent if author spent more text, fleshing out argument to compel readers. But, that is far from his or her intentions. I doubt if Idontcare paid for such empty promotion.

Well said. All this I too sabi people sef!

All Jonathan needs to do is refuse to take instructions from Turai and insist on seeing the president. Where meeting the president is not possible, he should make it clear to the cabinet that they take orders from him as the person 'running the affairs of the state.' If Turai disagrees, let her bring Yar'adua, to retake command of the state, return to his office and executive seat to run the government. If Turai becomes intransigent as expected and Jonathan refuses to move from his position, the resulting paralysis in government will set off a national outcry, fear of coup etc that the National assembly will be forced to impeach the president to save their own jobs.

The Ministry of Special Duties as the name implies is a special organ of government where the person in charge gets to know what the government is doing. The minister is the custodian of the government. Any government policy fashioned out is taken care of by the minister in charge. It is like the military police under a military set up. Because of its peculiar nature of operation, the Ministry of Special Duties is the only ministry that can inspect and supervise all contracts given out and approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

If the FEC approves a contract of N10 million for the execution of a certain work in any of the ministries, the statutory function of the ministry is to inspect and ensure that the job is properly executed and report to the Presidency on what had transpired. That does not imply that the Ministry of Special Duties is the one that gives out the contracts. It only serves as a monitoring body that has the mandate and power to inspect. The ministry is under the control of the President. If the President at any point in time deems it fit to give a certain job to an individual or organisation he assigns the ministry to do so. In some cases, [size=8pt][size=8pt]the minister is like an errand boy so to say.[/size][/size]

Please can you post photos of the 2 bedroom flat? I need one.

Thanks

Sorry, Wrong number, that previous number is the shipment number. Her is the Vin: WVWYH63B53E074890

AGAIN SORRY FOR MY SLOPPINESS.

Here is the Vin for this car: X20091007013993

The cars is full 4X4 SE with leather interior.

I can be reached irotrade@gmail.com. The car has 74,000 actual miles. When you contact me I can tell you where to go in Ikeja to view the car.

More pixs