I registered for a PVC before the 2011 elections and was able to collect it in 2015, after having used the temporary one for a while.

In preparation for the 2019 elections, I learnt that new PVCs are required. Went to register for one but was told that since I had the old one, no need. I'm a little bit worried because I know the PVC serves as a means of identification, post elections, amongst other uses. A few persons I know have registered for a new PVC despite having the old one...

They claim that the old PVCs will be invalidated during and after the 2019 elections...

What do I do?

Response needed, please.

Nice.

Bookmarked.

UKmigrant:
I took a train from Manchester piccadilly train station to Leeds, it was a pleasant experience.

Lord, please pick my call, Abeg

Following

Long process

So lovely.. Congrats, Man..

tyosho:
It will be nice if this thread is restricted to info about life in australia.Not questions on how to secure visa or gain admission.

My family and I made use of IOM to secure our travel tickets.We went with emirates and had a stopover in Dubai.Nothing special about the travel experience.We were entitled to 40kg per adult,40kg for a child and 23kg for infant.We also paid for 2 extra bags of 32kg each but i hear prices have gone up so cargoing is cheaper.You can cargo through certain airlines like saa,emirates and etihad.
All in all we had like 12 luggages.
I went with ALL kinds of food stuffs except beans(becos of weavils).With my food items,i put them individually in transparent bags and labelled them.Fish,egusi,dry pepper,garri,amala etc.
Got to melbourne,declared i had food items but was not searched and was allowed to go through.

We opened accts with NAB and commonwealth bank but didnt transfer any money from nigera.We went with some cash and left the remaining in a GT dom acct and transferred from there to our OZzy acct when we arrived.We also opened a dom acct in OZ(commonwealth bank was seamless) for ease of transfer.There might be a cheaper way to transfer funds but this is what we did.

We stayed with family in Northern suburbs initially but got our own place in the Eastern suburbs,somewhere not far from Dandenong.We settled for the East because its quite busy,more factories and industries in these areas.If i dont live in the East,I will go for the North and West in that order.West is cheapest but people say it has a history of crime.I however have friends who have lived in the West over 10years and have never had any incidents.Anyhow,wherever you decide to stay is fine.Just get somewhere close to the train station and mall.

In melbourne,you can use your naija license for 6months.My husband passed his victoria drivers test on first attempt,i havnt tried yet for my drivers license.People say though that it can be quite tough cos i know someone who failed 5times!I was able to start driving within 2months of getting here.Just remember,you drive on the left always.

No ideas on how mortgages work but when choosing a neighborhood,also consider ones with good schools if you have kids.If your kids are still of daycare age(below 5),use careforkids.com.au to compare prices,reviews etc.

Settling in was not bad for me cos i had friends and family here already.My kids settled fine as well.

Upon arrival;
Get a mobile sim(i use lebara)
Apply for TFN(tax file no)
Open a bank account or go and activate the one you opened from Nigeria
Go to centerlink and medicare for registration
Get a travel card(MYki card if in melbourne).

Update your linkedin profile and make it very appealing to recruiters.You can also search for recruiters on Linkedin.

With regards to work,there is always something to do.It might not be want you want initially but there is work.Some people start off working at factories,aged care homes,disability and support centres etc until they eventually get what they want.Some people also end up going into nursing,community welfare,policing etc.But like i said,if you dont mind chopping humble pie to start somewhere earning money with these blue collar jobs,you will be okay.I know people who have houses with money earned from these blue collar professions.
There is dignity of labour here so people dont care what job you do to earn money.

For transportation,if you can afford it,pls plan to buy a car asap(carsales.com.au,gumtreee.com.au).please buy cars with roadworthiness and valid registration(at least 6months).If no car,you can use the metro system until you can afford to get a car here.

For housing,a friend referred us to her agent who leased us an apartment even though we didnt have jobs at the time.She accepted our bank statements as proof of income.We pay just a little below 2k monthly as rent.

Then i also just found out about NRAS housing scheme from a colleague days back.Its for families who fall within a certain income threshold.IF your rent was like 350,you would pay like 260 and the govt will pay the balance.I dont have much info as i dont qualify anymore since hubby and I both work now.But im certain most freshbies would qualify.

With furnishing the house,we went across gumtree.com(for people who were selling their furniture due relocation or other reasons),kmart stores( for kitchen items),bestbuy.com(this is a company that sells new electronics at reduced prices because they have scratches or marks on them;there are plenty stores like that but this is the one i patronised) and ikea stores(for kitchen and beddings)

For people that dont mind as well,in order to save costs,you can patronise Salvos stores(its a charity shop that all kinds of household items in great condition).

To get the best energy providers,internet providers,insurance etc,you can make use of iselect.com.au

During cold weather,you wear jacket and use heater(we paid almost 200 a month for heating during this past winter)

I do most of my shopping at Dandenong Market as food stuffs there is cheaper than everyother place I know.There is also Marmara market at Dandenong(all kinds of food items including shaki,cowleg,cow tongue etc) and an African store not far from the market(cant rememeber the name).At noble park is SUR african shop where i get dry fish,palm oil,egusi and stuff like that.

With departmental stores,woolworths is most expensive and aldi is cheapest.Coles is in between.
I know of only one nigerian restaurant that recently opened in the city and i have never been there before.
There is also another popular naija shop in the West called Fatimoh"s shop

With centerlink link claims,we were paid family tax benefit part A and B,family rebate and child care assistance.This all sumed up to $621 forthnightly for the first 4months,it came down to 550 and then now sits at $89 fortnightly.It reduces with every income increase.
Childcare rates was $113 for two kids initially (5days a week) and now is $370 a week.

We also got a concession card which has now been cancelled since we both have jobs.With the concession card,we paid discounted electricity and waterbills,half price for transportation,free ambulance cover,susbsizied fees if we had done any studies at the time and my first kid who is in kinder got 15hours free of daycare weekly .

With jobs,for me,it was just God.I got a job in the Tier 1 team of an IT company with no technical knowledge whatsover.It was my 3rd video interview and i got the job two months after arrival.I commute 54mins by train to the CBD which is quite a distance by OZ standard.But i dont mind really.I got the job through indeed.com which i prefer to seek.com
There a couple of recruitment agencies i know and i will list as i remember.

Strategy one(blue collar)
Adecco
Hoban
Ozstaff(blue collar)
Randstad
Sharp &carter
Hays
Smaart



cc Bellong,vinsmuft,funkjo,oknee,hordunayo,incemay,abeg you guys should come and add o

Wow!!!

Deep thread..

Interesting thread.

Ishilove:

Not twinges, dear. Buffets!

Many times when watching and listening to old movies and songs, I feel this deep yearning and nostalgia that can't be explained

I know the feeling...

Ishilove, you are an old soul.... You sometimes "feel" twinges of consciousness from the "other life", dont you?

simiolu1:


The problem with a lot of training programs in this country is that students are not given proper orientation. That is why I like foreign training programs. Before you start a course, you should be told the things you must know, the things you should know and the things that are nice to know.

For instance, if you have no knowledge of what a database is and what database management systems are, you have no business learning Oracle. You should be well grounded in the principles of databases, database design and implementation first before learning about a specific database engine.

Oracle is a database software by Oracle. It is usually used by enterprise companies because it comes with a hefty price tag. The reason it is not so common is that there are Open Source (free) alternatives that would do the job quite well. Some include MySQL, MongoDB, PostgreSQL etc.

If you had the fundamental knowledge of databases, learning a new software to manage a database or a new database engine would be a walk in the park. For instance, I use MySQL engine for programming. To manage the engine, I have about four software installed on my laptop: PhpMyAdmin, HeidiSQL, DBForgeStudio and MySQL Workbench. They all do practically the same thing but have their use cases. One engine; four softwares.

So my brother; go learn about databases; know how to design a database schema from the ground up. Learn about relationships between data entities and how they can be modelled; learn about normalization and optimization. When you know all these; then go relearn Oracle, MySQL, SQL; NoSQL and learn how to write queries!

You seem well grounded in this field... Is there any hope for someone who has just basic computer knowledge to learn all these? Where do we start from?

Graphics Design Vs Database management vs Networking vs Programming... Which would you suggest to a Microbiologist?

Cool.

Following

Useful.

YourTerror:


Will you keep Kwayet you criminal. Umunne anyi na anwu na ike ugbua makana Nnamdi Kanu sara ha isi (brainwashing). Has Nnamidiot Kanu not sent his wife and child back to London? Why is his wife running? You thieves compare him to Mandela. Was Winnie Mandela not flogged and beaten? Where is Lolo Kanu to collect Python beating?

I know this will come as a suprise but I will not support the breakup of Nigeria again. After taking my time to go through stories on both sides, I have come to the conclusion that;

(1)IPOB looked for trouble and should bear the responsibility alone. You can't fight a federal might and win.

(2)We Igbos brought trouble on ourselves. We first of all declared war on Buhari. Prior before election, we filled the cyber space with hatred and malice against him even Even though He should have forgiven us as a father knowing fully well that we are his children and he is a president of all.

(3)Further championing the Biafran cause will alienate us further from the Nigerian bread and make the needed developments not come to our side.

(4) We Igbos are very arrogant and have refused to learn to stop chest beating. We see every tribe as not suffering and we ourselves as the only people that suffered to make it. This is a pure lie.

(5) The Yorubas have every right to protect the Nigerian state. If they still want to stay in Nigeria, it is their right. I will forever stop calling them Afonja. Same goes for the good people of Calabar, Bayelsa, Rivers and Idoma who have made it clear that they will never be part of Biafra. I will now respect their opinion

(6) I have come to realise that even if Nigeria restructures today or separates, Igbos may bear the brunt more ooo. I have to be objective. Forget chest beating and making noise like wounded goats. We no get anything ho haa for our land. The Benue we insult for refusing Biafra has food oo. North has food oo and are preparing for post oil period. Our South East states have little or nothing to sustain us in the eventuality of a Biafra. Forget the oil in Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom. Those people are not our "brothers" as we usually tag them. Even the first secessionist state in Nigeria was crushed by an Igbo man... Aguiyi Ironsi They themselves have almost been rendered impotent by the Nigerian state of which the big 3 tribes are the champions in marginalization.

(7) Nobody is marginalising Igbos. We are marginalizing ourselves because we have refused to play smart politics. The Yorubas are better here. I must commend them for that. They are usually smart and play to the wind of what is in place. Those people saw on time that Jonathan is failed project and ran to align with North. The gamble favoured them. Mind you that prior before now, Buhari ha approached us with Chuba Okadigbo and that Nnewi man. We totally rejected him and labelled him a terrorist. He became a president and and appointed people the constitution mandated him to appoint. It is not a must we will be in his kitchen cabinet. Mind you that we labelled him a terrorist. If I were him, I wont appoint Igbo man oo. Period. Because we pose a threath to him. If you want, call me Afonja. Abum ezigbote nwafor Igbo. Anaghim atu ujo.
I swear.

[8] O Boy forget propaganda and fake news. Nobody offered Nnamdi Kanu any oil well and Vice President. That Young man na pure renegade, wounded lion and a failure that bought into the so called marginalization of the Igbos. Because some Igbos felt sidelined by Buhari, they now fell back on Nnamdi to get a pound of flesh. They don't necessarily want to pull out of Nigeria. If you doubt me, why are some of us giving subtle support for Atiku who is a well known...... let me leave it there.


(9) We Igbos atimes tend to be greedy oo. We have been licking this oil oo. The oil is not our own oo as we usually chest beat. Everybody has been licking it. Our politicians are now planning to lick this oil alone and sideline other tribes. Biafra can never work oo. If you doubt me, tell me why a state as small as Bayelsa with all its big federal allocation and 13% derivation still owing its workers? My eyes have opened that this is class warfare oo. Even if we get Biafra today, the same set of criminal elements will still not be satisfied even if you give them all.the oil wells!

(10) The so called SEDC failed at the house because of the arrogance of our representatives and senators. I may be wrong but don't be surprised that our politicians from the East failed to lobby others before submitting the application due to their chest beating and arrogance. We need to learn to work with other regions to achieve good things for our peopl back home. We see Yorubas as Afonjas and See Hausas as Animals. But I have come to discover that some Igbos are the ones becoming Animals oo.

(11) Even though am not an IPOB member but I have been an ardent sympathiser and supporter, I have gone come to discover that these people are Barbarians oo. Believe me when I tell you this. I have gone close to them to discover that these people are just waiting for rhe right time to become terrorists. They are metamorphosing. Believe me. And they will be more terrible than Boko Haram.

Ndigbo gekwanum nti. IPOB abughi ndi unu ga enye ochichi. They have already written down names of those they will kill when Biafra comes. Most times, you see them discuss about how they will revoke all lands and which buildings to pull down in order to build their Utopian Biafra. These young men are heartless oo.

(12) Most of the people you see screaming IPOB and Biafra online are jobless Igbo youths in Germany, Malaysia, Cambodia, London and CHINA. They are screaming war and battle from their room but they have nothig oo. IPOB is being funded by drug and illegal money. They also get legal money through brainwashing children of the poor and down trodden especially those from Ebonyi and Enugu. Believe me on this.

(13) I knew Nnamdi Kanu was mad the day he said he will go to Abuja and come back with Buharis head. That was when I started suspecting his sanity. You can't make such volatile comments against a presidency and expect to go scot free. He even went as far as floating a BSS.

(14) I swear down. Buhari is very tolerant and tried ooo. Forget all these brainwashing by Radio Biafra that Hausa hates us. Its a pure lie. Abum Ezigbote onye Igbo si Anambra. If I were the president and my powers wittled as Nnamdi tried to do Buhari, by now, I would have crushed the person oo.

(15) Forget these hoodlums like Fani Kayode, Fayose, Reno Omokri and other iddots that are playing Ludo with our emotions. These people don't love us. They are our real enemies. They only need us to distract Buhari government and when they achieve their aim, they will abandon us! Look at that foooolish Fayose that can't manage Ekiti wants to become president! Can you imagine? Fani Kayode the hoodlum is only looking for how PDP will come back so that he will continue looting. Same goes for reno omockri the criminal whose principal supervised the greatest lootocracy of modern times!

I will continue later....

Apologies to Madridguy, Sarrki and a host of others. Some of them like madridguy are true patriots. Am discovering this late.


NB
Before you tag me Afonja, I was a former hardcore Biafran Supporter, A lover Of Igbo and an IPOB sympathiser.

Abughi kwam onye Hausa ma obu Yoruba. Abum Onye Igbo. I have only decided to live above hate and start loving other Nigerians.

I didn't do this for likes or favour. I am doing this because I love my Igbo brother. Nnamdi Kanu wife and son don run go London. Mazi Kanu has disappeared. Our brainwashed brothers are still shouting Biafra or death and being used to test run the new weapons the Nigerian army bought. Mind you that the Nigerian army has Igbo people among them.

I am now Python Dancing. Ndi Igbo unu etufukwele ndu unu maka Nnamiidiot Kanu. We have been sharing oil money but our politicians have been stealing our own and not working. Hold your politicians responsible. Case closed!

Nwanne, ihe nine i kwuru bu eziokwu... Nnamdi Kanu n'acho ndi o ga etinye na nsogbu....

Engine!!

Useful

wayaa007:


But bro, you guys often fail to acknowledge one fact, there are few jobs, what do u want a fresh Telecoms Engineer to do while there are no jobs? Run off to do a masters degree or go somewhere, get trained, study and get certificates rather than sitting at home.

I took a year off my job to visit India and gather knowledge and certificates. The field isn't too different from the classroom, especially in networks and Server. I remember several times using remote access to help my friends on the field. I used SOlved an SCCM problem without having experience on ever using a Live SCCM server.

Young guys out there, if you can't get a job, and you have the funds, please pursue the certificates and the knowledge, it will always pay you in the long run. Especially when you start working and have no time to study for any exam.

And like the poster rightly said, you need to have a Lab to practice. I UNL, and VIRL I use to test topologies, I even integrate them with active Directory, SCCM and cloud, and still try to hack them...lol, all for fun!

YOU MUST PRACTICE IN ICT

Useful!!

Davidoff2000:


True...

And to add, all these shouting cisco upandan, CCNA, CCNP etec, all that is just rubbish..you can do that and may not even get a job, clocking 8-5, thats fact. Infact, you most likely wont, because those are certifications even little kids are wielding.

If you want to be useful to yourself, first become a network technician before you metamorphose to a network engineer, if you want. that way, you know everything- in a new construction with a blueprint or floor plans, you can set up your entire data network from access points, comm rooms, cables, racks, switches and all. You can punch down, terminate your RJ 45 on modules and fix them on face plates, install them on walls, where a user will set up his computer. In the equipment, you know exactly where each wire or cable is going, you can tone to locate cables and patch them in, set up everything and genrally do plenty of management in there

To be a network technician, you are basically an electrician- albeit a low voltage one- you can set up data networks from cartons of cables doing cable runs- fishing cables through celings and walls, terminating them on patch panels, installing servers, and switches and installing and mounting racks, doing cable management and all- inshort you can integrate a data centre.

So interms of nomenclature, what are you? You are a low voltage technician/engineer, you are a telecom technician/engineer too (doing voice, video and data), meaning like i said, you can plan and design and install a data network, you can troubleshoot phones (66 and 110 blocks), do Voice over IP, install and configure IP Cameras (be it in shoprite, Next, or traffic cameras).

Knowing this prepares you to be a business man, doing cisco or all those certifications prepares you to be an employee- a big organization must have a network for you to manage, or administer, right? KNowing what i said above makes you confiddent- you can put in for any bid, or tell any developer developing, say- a hotel- 'hey, leave all your low voltage needs to me, i will setup your data network. For a small 50room hotel, you can collect N7m- labor, not materials.

You can put in for any bid- if EFCC are building their 23 storey headquaters, you put in for the bid- imagine running cables on 23 floors, installing access points, all over, communications cabinets on every floor, dropping everything down a main or central equipment room? If you have the capacity, you can collect N600m from there.

The only person competiting with you in Nigeria will be Huawei, but let Huawei take the big jobs of N500m or N1.2b, you will be pretty busy with all the small jobs within your neiborhood of N5m, N10m

How does being CCNA or CCNE help you? Can that help you fish a cat5 cable or fibre, through a hollow wall? or concrete wall for that matter? Or through a ceiling? Or mount a rack? Or install blade servers with hundreds of wires running underneath the floors? You must do all this before you go and start troubleshooting and subnetting and creating subnet masks, no? We are talking practical knowledge here.

And there are certifcations for this- level 1 installer, level II installer, copper, or installer fibre and the likes, then you move to OSP- Outside plant. Where the real big money is- those who run fibre optic cables outside- on poles or underground.

Learn all this, thank me later

Please, where and how do i begin learning all these? I stay in Kaduna.

cool