₦airaland Forum

http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/news/article07
It is embarassing that another country has to show us how to fight corruption.
Dariye is an embarrassment to the whole nation and we should lock him away as soon as possible

Remember he is just one of many

Transcorps technical suspension was lifted today, surprise surprise the price immediately went down again.
Some people are obviously in a hurry to get out

remember to get out if you are not comfortable with the share price ( stop loss) and hold if you are brave and willing to wait

DEAP
They are a firm with stockbroking, securities and fund management as their core business
They also have interests in Oil & Gas, property, savings & loans.
They aim to raise about N800 million through an IPO of N2 per share

The onus is on DEAP to explain why they made a loss of N11 million in 2005 and how they recovered from their losses. Its not mentioned in their prospectus

If they can't explain that  loss how can they explain a projection of N193, 295 and 422 million in profit for 2007,8 and 9? rather ambitious i would say unless they are intending to put their newly acquired funds to hard work

More can be found in their prospectus, this is defintely one to be scrutinised closely.
N2 seems fair looking at the books but do't expect a quick profit just yet. 2007 is a crucial year for them

http://www.deapcapital.com/prospectus.doc

Relax guys
We should see the funny side to the post

We should learn to have fun in life especially when we are learning the hard facts of reality, we are more likely to remember the lessons learnt
419 is a real problem affecting all Nigerians including those who have never been involved in it

I find it funny but it doesn't mean i condone it

Razor bumps or shaving bumps are common in people of African extraction

Due to the nature of African hair, hard and curly; a very close smooth shave cuts the hair just below the follicle.
The bumps are caused when the hair instead of growing straight out like it would with straight hair grows into the side of the follicle or root
This causes local irritation and a bump which is actually an ingrown hair buried inside the skin. In extreme cases this can lead to a small abscess forming and scar formation with repeated infection. This obviously leads to facial disfiguration

Cures
1. Stop Shaving
2. Do not shave too close, IE electric shave rather than extra smooth close Gillette shave
3. Exfoliation soon after shave with mild exfoliants to lift the hair out of the follicle and off the skin too
4. Use special razors designed not too shave too close but still do the jobdesigned for African people Wahl do one
5. Try to keeo the skin clean before a shave, wash lightly with mild cleanser and pat dry to reduce chances of skin infections ( you may need to wait sometime before actually shaving this depends on hair type)


These measures are not foolproof but they work for most people

Bottomline is as an African if you don't want unsightly bumps don't shave very close and exfoliate regularly

You can not configure outlook to use the free web based mail services such as hotmail and yahoo any more
This is to protect their advertising revenues

You need to have  proper mail client to be able to configure outlook

anizzle:
seun might ban me for this but i don't reall care when it come to issues like this.


1.i seriously don't believe that this guy is 4 real
2.it is quite teribble and horribly dismaying that it is nigerians that are discouraging someone that intends to invest in d very country that even nigerians will not invest the very wealth dta they stole from the country. i mean: wot does this say about us? nigerians are thiefs? u tell them to beware before u tell them how great the country is? its absolutely terrible that nobody believes in the possibilty that there still are honest nigerians,
well wotever u guys think, it remains a fact that nigerians are great people
every prospecting investor has to do his homework just like in every other part of the world.


if u like! don't believe , na your toro be that
i love nija, 4ver.
na we tite pass

Mr 'tite' Nigerian
Whats the 'dizzle' with your america derived handle?

Read the threads above carefully.
Nobody here is dissing Nigeria, afterall we are all Nigerians
We have warned him to do his homework like any discerning businessman should

Nigeria has its particular dangers which he has been warned about. You can't change the fact that some of our Bros are crooks so don't hide your head in the sand

If he was going to invest in Iraq then Iraqi peeps will tell him to watch out for roadside bombs and machete wielding fanatics who want his head forcibly removed his neck, so let him take heed and not say nobody told him so

As for you hope you have the Naija flag hanging from your window but don't let your large flag obscure your vision

I suggest a fact finding visit  first

Setting up a business in Nigeria is not an easy task. It is fraught with obstacles and bureaucracy
There is also corruption you have to deal with which pervades every facet of life

Bribes are required for almost everything legitimate or not
You will find that doing something as mundane as getting from A to B is not as easy as you may be accustomed to, police check points, fuel scarcity, lack of good roads etc

You should go and investigate things like location, required machinery, power supply, labour, running costs etc just to give you a quick run through but i am sure you would have thought of most of these things anyway

The list if things you need to do is endless, but always remember to watch your back and trust no one as you would anywhere in the world that is new to you not just Nigeria

Its always a good idea to touch base with the local chamber of commerce for potential contacts and advise regarding bureaucracy

But then Nigeria is a very progressive country and there are lots of people making a difference

Do your homework

@Londoncool

Thanks for enlightening me. I will pass on the tel no to my friends dad if he is still interested.
My money took 3 days to get to Nigeria which is very good, i have no complaints about that

I actually haven't been turned down or snobbed by any bank in the UK, (1) because i know the points system behind applying for loans (2) I don't ask for unrealistic loans with dodgy information and claim that i have been discriminated against by the white man in the bank

The comment about him being snobbed by a white man was not made in the context of him being white but that he, dealing with Nigerians daily should know that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

I'll ask him to take his Bentley Continental and park on the double yellows outside the bank next time ( i am more than happy to chauffeur him there too )

If its private banking only and no "kobo kobo" accounts they should make that clear by calling themselves a private banking facility
I suggest a one to one meeting to discuss requirements would be better, rather than asking someone as soon as he walks in whether he has up to £5000 to open the account in such a rough manner

On a personal note, I was called up by Amex to arrange a meeting to discuss opening a private banking account out of the blue, i turned the invitation down, because i am not in that league yet and it wont be value for money right now. Thats aggressive marketing with insight, if Amex account managers see me face to face they would pprobably cancel all my cards

I can call someone an idiot and make him smile and call the next man an idiot and get him angry it all depends on attitude and demeanour. Anyway from what you say one man does not make a bank so i will put that down to a bad coffee day

Anyway lets not make this a thread for personal spats and the like, I am pleased to note that First Bank is not what I thought it was but you can see first impressions do count

For those who might be reading check out the previous thread

FBN UK assist in opening First bank accounts in Nigeria, Domiciliary accounts, foreign currency transactions and also UK mortgages, plus lots more

As a passing shot you have an ex employees bias anyway

Have a nice day

Good luck with Transcorp

I avoided it like the plague, the way the company was set up didnt sit right with me
I wont be surprised if a can of worms situation is revealed soon

Even Dunlop seemed like a better buy

Remember the warning "the value of your stocks can go down as well as up"
Well, the company may even collapse like Enron

I suspect many people bought transcorp as a gamble

Hope it pays off

@Londoncool

I see my remarks have led to a heated outburst
I will take your advise state my facts and be objective without causing offence i hope

Most people who patronise banks do not want to carry out multimillion dollar transactions all the time. Nor do they want to deal in Oil and Gas and the likes of what you mentioned, that is the premise of a few privileged, or smart or well connected people

HSBC, RBoS and the Barclays group made their name by looking after the pennies, the 'small fry' and then consolidating the gains over the years by acquisitions and mergers etc
You as a Banker will know this.
No Bank started big except i suppose only in Nigeria where one politician can steal enough money to open his own bank

You never know who you are dealing with. A good impression always lasts and a good word will go a long way on helping any mans business

The Nigerian banking mentality  that "we are a big bank and we haven't got time for small players like you" applies to FBN (UK) too,

I say this because my friends father went to FBN UK to open a bank account, the snobbish attitude of the staff put him off

I actually directed him there as he wanted to use a bank that has a presence in Nigeria and would help him manage his affairs with First Bank in Nigeria. He was told that they have nothing to do with First Bank Nigeria and are a separate business entity   

The general impression he got was that he did not have enough money to open an account there. Did he have to bounce in with a suitcase full of stolen Nigerian petrodollars before they catered to him?

The minimum opening balance of £5000 is small change to him but he took his money elsewhere because of the hassle they gave him. The man he dealt with wasn't even Nigerian otherwise i would have eexcusedhis arrogance and perhaps ignorance

May be he was having a bad day when my friends Dad went there but does this excuse bad manners?

I am sure if they improve their customer services they will make a lot more than the £3.6 profit you mention. Hardly megabucks in the Banking industry in the UK but i admit it is still a profit so they must be doing something right
I would rather have my mortgage with a Nigerian bank than the Imperialist Banks here that help hide stolen money from Africa (Another story all together)

I have used FBN UK and yes mainly as a bureau de change to send money to First Bank Nigeria
They do not offer any services that can not be obtained with sometimes with better quality elsewhere, dom accounts, internet banking, correspondent banking you name it most banks offer it. Its quality of service that counts

The Nigerian Banking industry needs to wake up if they want to compete internationally
First Bank  and other Nigerian banks should not rest on their laurels because they now have an international office and continue to work towards excellence instead of behaving like a typical first generation bank

So Londoncool my comments are made out of personal experience

So for Zenith Bank too, the jury is out the customer is always right!

@all

Back to topic
when are these new uniforms going to be launched

I would like to see new equipment and a better pay & welfare package to go along with the new uniforms too

Whats this i hear about the NPF going on strike, does the Nigerian constitution allow this?

In the UK, the poilice are not allowed to strike as that would lead to complete anarchy

This shows the NPF are at breaking point

We need to support our police force in order to achieve change in society

@coleslove

When a man comes across a dog barking in the street he does not stop to bark back at the dog

Nuff said!

This is good news for UK based Nigerians
Does anyone know where their branch is located and whether they have actually opened for business

I hope they don't end up like FBN Bank UK (first Bank) who are simply a bureau de change with little else to offer

Source: Businessday

@coleslove

I can see from your posts that you are the type of person who has a lot to say about nothing, Especially things you don't even have the foggiest idea about.

It is plain to see you are the type of person who gives the most vivid account of an event that took place when you weren't even born or nowhere near, for what ever twisted reason a megalomaniac like you can only understand

If you don't know the facts dont' make them up
It is a known fact that school dropouts hang around schools and council estates roaming around in gangs which prey on pupils, and other vulnerable peeople in the area who are too scared to tell the authorities.
The boys who killed Damilola Taylor (may his soul rest in peace) belonged to a local gang, many members of this gang are still at large protected by the very society they prey on

By the way, I can write you an invitation latter, send you a ticket and even organise a taxi and a guide to take you to the airport, but i am sure on arrival at Heathrow airport when they start to ask you routine questions instead of a simple 'yes' or 'no' with a smile of one who knows when one is trying to do their job.
You will puff up your chest, boast about who you are, where you are from, how much better you are than everyone else and start to ask your own questions, giving them information which they didn't request in the first place with a display of arrogance and immaturity only your type can muster

You are obviously suffering from lack of exposure

For your type,  Get a life!

Nuff said!

@coleslove

Damilola Taylor was not killed by his classmates
He was killed by local school dropouts who tried to bully him on his way back from school

Dont spread rumours and give his classmates a bad name
YOU were not even there and have probably never been to Peckham before

Get your facts right! Next you will be telling us who killed Anna Nicole Smith (if you know who she is that is)

You owe his classmates an apology, Rumour Monger!

and stick to the script too, Nigeria police uniforms have nothing to do with Damilola Taylor

The quoted interest rate of 8% is compounded over the year so in essence every month you get
8% / 12 = 0.67% per month.
This is roughly N3333 paid every month for N500,000

Not very much and lower than the rate of inflation which is given at 8-10% depending on your sources so your money is losing value due to inflation each month it sits in the bank

You are better off investing in a stock market fund
Fixed deposit accounts are for sums of money you will definitely be needing at a specified time, come what may ie house purchase, school fees etc in 3 months and want to take absolutely no risks with the money

In summary it is very low yield and very low risk. Your money will definitely be waiting for you at the end of the fixed term

I have fixed my money recently, i use the interest to offset the COT on my account so i dont end up with less than i put in and i also use it as an emergency fund
I will be taking it out as soon as the tenor expires as my investment plans have changed

Life in the UK as a foreign Dr is indeed tough!

I know a lot of people who have been floating around for years and i mean years with no job no interview no prospects thats why i said earlier the US is your best bet

If anyone insists on coming to the UK they must be prepared to struggle

There is a new system just kicking off in the UK for training Drs, this is still in its infancy and so has lots of teething problems
This is even making life difficult for UK and EC graduates not to mention foreign Drs
There has even been a protest march concerning this issue in London

I am happy to advise anyone who wants to come to the UK after all this, though i would advise you to steer clear of the UK for now.

I am in the UK because of family ties etc I consider myself lucky to be making progress here and have almost finished my training, but if i had to make the choice again would probably go to the states. i would have finished my  training a long time ago instead of having to do twice as much and be twice as good as everyone around me

Good Luck

Also check the Vanguard,

NEW POLICE UNIFORM: Press Conference: Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero (middle), flanked by DIG Mike Okiro (right) and DIG Ogbonaya Onovo (left) at a press conference in Abuja, yesterday, to introduce new police uniform. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan.

The Champion newspaper

http://www.champion-newspapers.com

Can't get the links to work properly sorry

Apparently the Nigeria police force is to be issued new uniforms
Here is Ehindero and co modelling them for Baba at a conference in Abuja 
I hope they have oversewn the pockets too

They do look much better than the old ones
What do you think?

Hmmm some saying about new wine and old bottles comes to mind

@sweetchick

You have to wait 4-6 months before the HIV virus has overwhelmed the immune system enough to become detectable in the blood and for the body to start producing antibodies to the virus which can also be detected in the blood ( the antibodies are largely ineffective)
It starts by attacking certain types of White blood cells which are responsible for fighting and preventing infections.
When it has destroyed all these cells called T Lymphocytes the individual develops full blown AIDS.

It is ususally unchecked and aggressive infections that leads to the death of an AIDS patient as the body has not got enough of these white cells to fight even simple infections. In countries with a good treatment programme for HIV infections can be treated aggresively icreasing teh lifespan of HIV pos individuals. But then the other complications of HIV seen in the heart, brain, skin and certain types of cancer become more of a problem

Anti-retrovirals prevent the growth and multiplication of the HIV virus and so protect the White blood cells giving them a chance to recover

For all you 'Drs' in the house


AS + AS = AA, AS, AS, SS

This means statistically that there is a 1 in 4 chance of having an SS child each time there is pregnancy (25%for those who like percentages)
It doesn't mean that only one AA or 2 AS or 1 SS child can be born in the partnership or the fourth child will be SS as you can see from the posts above

Depending on your luck or if you are a Christian Gods wishes ,you may have 4AA 4AS or even 4SS children

Probability is not a stated fact that an event will occur, it is chance of an event occuring. The event does not have to occur

Question for the floor
If you have married an AS person and you are carrying an SS child will you abort?

The concept of borrowing money to invest in the stockmarket is very interesting. especially in Nigeria with its high interest rates
It should only be done by those who have heavily researched the market and have a well laid out plan

What you have just done is akin to shooting first and asking questions later

I hope you learn form the advice given above but i suggest you go on a crash course on investing in the stockmarket
Most people here are self taught and you will notice they make informed decisions about stocks they buy
Nevertheless they have learnt their lessons over time, the hard way i suspect

You need to think of your position if your plan doesn't pay off and have a plan B

What do you say forum?

Hi
I work in the UK as a Dr
You can not do your internship abroad unless you pass the regulatory exams such as USMLE for the US and PLAB exam for the UK
This is the same for most countries in Europe and Australia

I did the PLAB before i was allowed to do my internship in the UK. I would advise you to do the USMLE rather than the PLAB if at all you are planning to work abroad as the job and political climate in the UK is not looking very good for foreign graduates
I happen to have UK citizenship so it was slightly easy for me in the beginning

Do not let me discourage you though, many still come over and succeed but you must work very hard

Hope this helps

Oz

Then greatest obstacle to the HIV positive individual is the amount of myth, disinformation and false information surrounding HIV
The only way an HIV positive person will not develop AIDS is if the virus is suppressed. Thats the whole point of anti-retrovirals
I notice most of the comments on HIV are made by people who have never seen or treated an HIV positive patient in their lives

If the Gambian president can treat HIV why isn't everyone with HIV flocking to Gambia for an instant cure?
We all remember what the South African president said about HIV. He, by his utterances became single handedly responsible for a lot more deaths in South Africa by promoting the myth that HIV doesn't exist!!

Wise up and educate yourselves from the correct sources please hearsay is dangerous

Nuff said!

To prevent duplication of gifts a polite note saying that cash would be preferred to gifts is seen as a more modern way of doing things
You donut have to give if you don't want to

Thats why in the UK we have wedding lists online, though the requests can be outrageous
They are usually a list of home essentials that the newly wed couple think they need
saves having to deal with 3 irons 5 toasters and an ugly flower vase that you will be throwing away as soon as you get home

@seun


I read your earlier post and i wan to use this opportunity to correct some misconceptions about HIV and HIV testing

When one is taking HAART (highly active antiretroviral drug therapy) HIV is still detectable in the blood so by definition they are still HIV positive.

They have been a few cases in the world of people proven to be HIV positive later seroconverting ie becoming HIV negative and not having detectable levels of HIV in the blood. This is because they have the rare ability of killing off the virus and eradicating it from the body. This ability was first demonstrated in some east African prostitutes who were repeatedly exposed to HIV

A lot of cases of people who have tested positive and then negative have been as a result of problems with the serological tests (ELISA) which are not infallible hence a blood sample is usually tested twice and in some labs three times if the first result is positive This is to reduce the incidence of what we call in the medical field false positives. In some unscrupulous labs which i am sure abound in Nigeria the sample is only tested once hence there will be a higher rate of false positives.

The newer methods of testing for HIV look for particles of virus rather than antibodies to virus and hence are very sensitive Theses are called PCR tests
SO if you are going to have an HIV test where possible ask for the more reliable PCR test

Cheers

Oz

One of the reasons why i admire him is he is a true self made billionaire not a treasury looting  good for nothing overnight millionaire politician who can't make a penny without resorting to theft
He has thrived in Nigeria from having good business connections, but who hasn't amongst the millionaires ( i mean true millionaires) of the world

He is also not a megalomaniac with delusions of personal grandeur even though he has every right to blow his trumpet

The only thing left now is for him to indulge in a bit of philanthropy to make him a good all rounder, a true pillar of society and role model for all

I would not be surprised to hear he is already involved in public works (unlike someone who indulge in public looting)

The deadly bite

— The most severe form of malaria is caused by the Plasmodium falciparum parasite, transmitted by the bite of the Anopheles genus, particularly Anopheles gambiae. It is spread by pregnant females

— Malaria killed people in the Fens until the 19th century

— It has been predicted that global warming may result in malaria returning to Britain

— Malaria infects between 300 million and 500 million people a year, mainly in Africa

— In sub-Saharan Africa, malaria affects mostly young children, with almost 3,000 dying every day

— Symptoms include neck stiffness, convulsions, abnormal breathing and fever of up to 40C (104F)

— Distribution of the tropical disease mainly affects developing countries. About 90 per cent of cases are in Africa

— It costs £6.8 billion a year in Africa in lost GDP. Death and disability lead to the loss of 45 million years of productive life each year

— Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Oliver Cromwell, Caravaggio and David Livingstone are thought to have died of it

— Those who had it but recovered include Lord Nelson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Gandhi and Hemingway

Source: WHO / UN / Times database

GM mosquito bred to destroy malaria


The fight against malaria could eventually be transformed by releasing into disease-ridden areas genetically modified mosquitoes that cannot transmit the infection.

Scientists in America have engineered a species of mosquito which is resistant to the malaria infection. Its ability to block the infection suggests that it could come to dominate mosquito populations if released into the wild.

The findings offer the strongest suggestion yet that engineering mosquitoes to resist the parasite could help to control a disease that takes up to 2.7 million lives each year, chiefly in Africa. Malaria infects between 300 million and 500 million people each year. Only HIV/ Aids causes more deaths from infectious disease.

Large numbers of GM mosquitoes would be released in areas where malaria is common, where they would interbreed with wild ones. Over several generations, resistance should spread through the mosquito population, so that fewer insects carry malaria. However, this approach would prove controversial with environmental groups, as it would involve supplanting a naturally occurring species with a genetically engineered variant.

From The TimesMarch 20, 2007

@arizona

I have the same predicament. Supposedly good reputation but very slow customer services.
It takes at least 2 days to get a reply to any email.
The online trading facility is a farce and non functional
Any instructions to buy shares take at least 2 days
My instructions not followed strictly to the letter
Funds not credited to my account several days after i know for sure they have left my account
I hold my hands up!

I am seriously contemplating setting up another account with another firm but then it starts to get messy with account numbers, CSCS numbers etc

Does anyone out there use multiple brokers?
Do you use the same CSCS account numbers for both or different ones