provided there is enough interest and seriousness from those who will run it.

This is the heart of the matter.

Please provide links. I don't know where the posts are or when they were written.

I said this topic, not this site.

It's tough living in a place where basic needs are a complete luxury. How does anybody expect success in Nigeria, when so much time is wasted battling trivial stuff such as getting a credit card or getting a paypal account? While a typical Nigerian is pondering ways to get around road blocks, other people around the world already have their business up and running.

Of course, my comment here is not unconnected with people advocating a return to Nigeria, willy nilly.

Thanks for the link.

My cable service includes several channels dedicated to religion.

One thing I'd like to see online is a site dedicated to African sermons/hymns.

@funloving

Wow! Very few people see facts for what it really is. You clearly do. Good job.

How are you such an expert? Please tell us your background. Are you Hausa?

Have you read all of my posts on this topic? Do that first.

Dont even think about relocating to California.
Non-californians are charged like 'em foreign students.
If u were not born in Cali u will pay the same fees Nigerians pay.

Why do you post misleading information such as this?

You can earn california residency after being there a few years.

http://www.glendale.edu/AR/info/residency.htm

The truth of the matter since posted my question about networking no one has given me a very much impressive answer. i simply want to go into computer networking and from the Little information i gathered i have to first get to no the basic which is network administration, but apart from that i would like to no what come after must have gotten the basics and as for u Typewriter can u plse send me the book u have on networking please

Ask clear questions, and you'd get clear answers. Nobody here is psychic, or a mind reader.

Do we have to go drag the Hausa/Fulani stock to this forum to mingle with their brothers and sisters? We need them around to help us understand how to co-exist as Nigerians. Where are you Guys? We love you all.

Hausas don't wanna mingle. Their conviction is primarily rooted in religion, and tribe. For example, a deep seated animosity exists between Hausas and Igbos, and to a lesser extent between Hausas and Yorubas.

If you're not a muslim Hausa, you're unlikely to get along with another Hausa.

I have two friends who have returned home and currently earn 13M and 7M naira respectively. That is prettyy much more than a lot of people earn abroad.

Of course we all have a sprinkle of success stories. But do you know examples of any failures? I know plenty.

10 million Pounds will do.

He's got jokes.
Comedian in the house everybody.

@Gridlock
@Zahymaka

You don't know what you're talking about.

What is 2048 factorial?  That is how many permutations needed to crack this monster.  The most powerful supercomputer cannot do it in a million years.

Learn cryptography, then come back and prove your point to me.  Before then, be quiet.

all it takes is to follow the decryption process in the registers and you will know what's happening: then the cracker doesnt have to crack the encryption, he only gets the process.

Utter rubbish.  This has nothing to do with memory, or process, or whatever you choose to call it.  It has everything to do with sheer mangling of 1's and 0's. Lot's of 1's and 0's.


BTW, 2048 factorial = infinity

As long as it's humans that wrote the software, then it's humans that'll crack it. Persistence is the key -- especially when you have more than hundred times the guys who wrote the software trying to crack it.

It just has to give.

Huh, some things are next to impossible to crack. Try cracking 2048 bit RSA encryption.

In practice, it is still effectively impossible for you or I to crack a message encrypted with a 512-bit key. An organisation like the NSA who has the latest supercomputers can probably crack it by brute force in a reasonable time, if they choose to put their resources to work on it. Now, if 512-bit presents so much headache, what do you think about 2048-bit?

How many former civil-servant pensioneers are lining up everyday at the Civil service? FYI, some of these guys-pensioneers were counted right there during this last census. They have no home to go to. When it takes 3-weeks to "process" a single piece of paper, and this new processing is not going to reflect in the records until the next 3-months and its until then(3-months) time that another mistake will be discovered, its just better for them to sleep there and become pests in-order to hasten things up.
* Now, If the people that are currently agile, young and active are not getting paid salaries, how much less those retired oldies.
* Former Millitary/police men - pensioneers, disabled in service are also on the queue for years. So why wont those still in service do all they can to wreck everything before they leave, grab all the money they can, with the hope that they wont need to come and fall-in-line for some unsure pension.

A few terms that describe what you just said:

vicious cycle
domino effect

Nigeria is caught in a vicious cycle, and we don't know how to get out.

Dont talk bad about Nigeria.We are working on the problems and things will get better.Even if you will never set foot on this country again, I respect your choice and will not abuse your adopted country.But Please for decency sake, do not call my dear country names.The realities that are true for you may not be another person's reality!

If people don't berrate Nigeria, would Nigeria know to get better?  To the contrary, Nigeria needs to be bashed for your currupt leaders to know what time it is.

You talk about Russia, India, etc.  Do you have any idea the opportunities provided for these people by their government?  Check out http://www.russianinternet.com/.  You'll see how many tv/radio stations from Russia broadcating live.  Then visit shoutcast and search keyword "russia".  How many Nigerian stations are broadcasting live at this time?  Well, none that I know of.  Do you know why?

It's because bandwidth in Russia is cheap, thanks to their government effort to ensure that is the case.  Food is cheap in Russia.  They have high quality roads.  They have 24/7 electricity.  They have 24/7 running water.  Public transportation is excellent (tramvae, underground trains, electric powered buses, etc).  Everybody is housed for next to nothing.

These kind of things are exactly what we're asking the Nigerian government to provide for it's people also.  Those basic needs weren't provided by the people, or by enterpreneurs.  They were provided by the government.  Without the necessary infrastructure in place, your  business has little chance of success.  Therefore, you're better off playing it safe and remaining abroad where you're doing better.

You cannot get blood out of a stone.  So if you return to Nigeria, knowing that the nation does not have the necessary infrastructure for your kind of business, you're a complete fool.

If a better life is working more than 10 hrs a day and still getting peanuts - £5/hr (by British standard), then it is ok.

£5/hr x 10 hrs a day = £50 = N11,100

Besides, anybody who thinks owning your own business means you won't be working 10 hours a day, needs to think again.

I don't mind going back to work, but am sick and tired of hearing people say that we should go back home and change the country, why arent the politicians changing it first then people would follow by their example

My point exactly. Nigeria is earning $1.3+ billion a week from guaranteed oil sales alone. Yet with all that free income, workers don't get paid salaries on time.

What is all the money getting spend on? Of course we all know the answer to that one - Swiss, English, American banks have the money. The little guy busting his butt going to work everyday is supposed to return to Nigeria and suddenly make things better? Any advocate of that insanity must be high on something.

In addition, when you try to over-analyze what the eventualities might bring, thats the beginning of losing confidence and interest in whatsoever you want to do. Get into it but making sure you are well prepared for whatever might want to pose as an obstacle

First you say it's wrong to consider eventualities too deeply. Then you say making sure you are well prepared for whatever might want to pose as an obstacle. How are you supposed to make sure you're well prepared, if you don't spend a lot of time working out the details?

I've done work for a few different people over the years. And I'm astounded at the details they present to me. In one case, the guy had been studying the market he was in for 6+ years. By the time I got done building his business for him, he came out as the best of the best, way ahead of his competitors. He has held the top position ever since.

You do have to spend a lot of time studying your market. By so doing, you increase your chances of success dramatically.

Or course I can understand the mentality of someone who's going into a business venture as a means of getting out of poverty, as opposed to another fella who's doing it to catapult himself into higher class status. The latter guy is likely to want to be better than the best, where the first just wants to rush in asap.

Oasis, sorry buddy, you sound so negative!

What is negative about making sure you're prepared for eventualities?

The way I see it, if you're already working abroad, and you're bent on going against the tide to return to Nigeria, you might as well load up as much as possible. If things turn out bad, you have a boat load of dough to fall back on. On the other hand, if your plan falls through, and your cash reserve is only good for 6 months, what are you going to do then? Pack your bags and head abroad again?

What I've written earlier is exactly how I'd proceed. I won't pull any dumb stunts where none is required.

@Hotstepper

Answer the question I asked you please.

What do you suppose is the reason behind this quietness you talk about? I know it couldn't be simply their nature, because Hausas are not silent in Nigeria. In fact, they're anything but silent.

Also, why do you spell Birom as Berom? I grew up in Plateau myself, so I know a lot about your tribe.

It's Official. I think I have a crush on Seun!

The question I think everybody should have asked is, why do you have a crush on Seun?

Hausas get a lot of scholarships from their respective state governments. So, they often don't need to travel far in search of greener pastures. I have firsthand information about this because I spent several years in Russia as a student. While the rest of us lived on the rubble, Hausas received thousands of dollars from their states each year. That made them rich students.

The Hausas that do travel to the US, either work for VOA, or the Nigerian Embassy.

On the religious front, most Hausas are of the Islamic faith. Since the US is predominantly christian, I believe they don't feel at home in the US.

Am personally not given up on Nigeria, I believe things will change Infact, am one of those insane ones as people say that have about 3-4 yrz 2 stay here

What is that statement based on besides fate?

What do you envisage is going to change about Nigeria, that'd make your statement valid?

Do you see our leaders putting a stop to all the looting of our resources?

However there are some good things that come out of our country but the western media hardly ever carries it, but as soon as something bad happens then it is all over the western news

The reason Africa is ignored is that Africa is dormant.  Most newsworthy events don't just get to the media, you have to send out press releases.  Do you people do that?  Your presidents and ministers have to challenge the international media.  Controversial issues have to come out of you for the world to notice you.  Start a nuclear program, discover something new that revolutionizes the way things are done now, etc.

One proof of Africa's dormancy is this: there is a telecommunications regulation in the books that says people should pay for long distance calls according to the economic means in that country.  That regulation is not enforced in Africa.  You are charged international rates.  You're taken advantage of because you don't know how to get in the news.

So don't tell me the media is ignoring you.  The fact is, you don't know how to sell yourself, or you are suffering from inferiority complex to the point that challenging the "white man" scares you to death.

This murder happened this year 2006

I don't see what this proves.  Of course murders are going to occur now and then.  Who said it never does.  The fact is that the Carribean is a safer vacation spot than Nigeria, or the world wouldn't be vacationing there.  The fact is that most tourists love being around water, which the Carribean has an abundance of.

Don't you think this is a cop-out.

This is a discussion where everybody brings their own input and backs it up with evidence. If your point is more logical then I will accept it, if mine is more logical then you should at least try to accept it. I don't think that as people we should be choosing to see things anyway we wish even if there are other points that are more logical than ours.

Again, see this issue the way you want.  Not every issue is in black and white.  Sometimes, you just have to stick to your opinion, since there is no yes or no answer.

For example, if you say Abuja is the capital of Nigeria.  That is incontrovertible.  But if you say England is better than Canada, then I just have to leave you to your opinion.  It's not a matter of being logical or illogical, it's just an opinion.

The reason why I said you should check out these countries (Uzbekistan, Kyrgyztan, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Laos, Nepal, ) is because you said this If we were a progressive continent, a matrix of solid R& like Asia, we won't get this kind of demeaning portrayal which implied that all of Asia was a matrix of solid R&. My point there was that not all of Asia is a Matrix of Solid R&. In the same way not all of Africa is a matrix of disaster; a point which you proved when you said that SA is technologically advanced. However there are some good things that come out of our country but the western media hardly ever carries it, but as soon as something bad happens then it is all over the western news

You're still not saying a thing.  Uzbekistan, Kyrgyztan, Mongolia are ignored as much as Nigeria is.  So how does it prove your point?  Pakistan has a lot of attention for many reasons.  Bin Laden is believe to be hiding out there.  Pakistan has a nuclear program.  The US uses Pakistan as a base in that region.  Do you now see why they're getting attention?  What are you doing in Africa that is noteworthy?  Give me a few examples.

I think those murders occur in the ghettos, far from where visitors roam. Same thing with Mexico where Americans visit quite frequently. But what part of Nigeria would you consider safe for tourists?


I don't think so

Again, that's your opinion, and you're entitled to it.  My belief is that if tourists are slaughtered in the Carribean at the rate that you would have me believe, they won't be flocking to that destination to vacation.  Unless of course, you're saying that somehow tourists are spared of the realities of the region, which would make no sense to me whatsoever.

Your argument about the Carribean is completely a waste of time. Read about the West Indies, and about Nigeria on this page:

http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/brochures/brochures_1231.html

Also, with the recent wave of religious disturbances / kidnappings in Nigeria, do you think that is a good message being sent to tourists about Nigeria?

I could go on and on, but nothing would convince you it seems.

It doesn't really matter. Have you visited slashdot? I don't like the design but it's considered an homour to be "slash-dotted". Just make sure your design has lots of alternative text representation and you're ok. For links, puting them in lists [<li>] helps a lot for search engines.

Thanks for reinforcing the point I'm trying to make. The design of a website does not matter that much. Content does.

that is so wrong, and am sure alot of people would agree with me on that. What kind of business do you want to do that you'll have to wait 3 yr for profit!! Nigeria is a very profitable market. . . if you have a nice idea, and capital, am sure you'll start making profit way faster, say in the first couple of months. . . it might take 2 to 3 years for you to be a multinational though!

Nothing wrong with succeeding that quickly. But there's nothing wrong with having a 3 year cushion, in case things don't go as planned.

The truth is, some business ventures do take a very long time to begin yeilding results.

This is one of the reasons why most things fail in Nigeria. You people don't have vision to put safeguards in place for unexpected situations. Call me paranoid, but I'm right, and you're wrong on this.

If you decide to build something before returning home, beware.  There have been cases of people returning home to find nothing, after having sent substantial amounts home for friends/family to build something for them.  My advice is that you wait and purchase or build a house/biz yourself.

As for how much is enough, you have to factor in:

1. Cost of building a house. Whatever estimates you come up with, double/triple it.

2. Same for building a business.  Think of exorbitant govt licencing costs.

3. Bribery money.  You can't escape it.

4. Be prepared for a pack of vultures who invariably are going to be crawling out of the woodwork, claiming to be relatives.  You're going to need to fork over cash, or make enemies real fast.

5. Be prepared that your business wouldn't start making money for the first 3 years.

6. You need to go home with at least a car.  Possibly another car to sell at a profit.

7. Be prepared for the cost of shipping your belongings home, as well as clearing them from the ports.  Clearing your goods could cost you a pretty penny.  Ask people who have gone though it recently.

8. Be prepared for the cost of healthcare.

So, the amount of money you need, would depend on where you choose  to settle in.  Places like Lagos/Abuja will eat you alive.

oasis, maybe what is ugly to you is simply not ugly to the people visiting the site?  For instance, some people think Nairaland is ugly, but I don't.  The real lesson is that overwhelming beauty is not important.

Are you kidding me!  Ugly is ugly.  And that site is ugly.  Compare it to these: http://www.n-sane.net/ http://www.photoshoptower.com/ http://www.phong.com/tutorials/ and tell me it's not ugly.

But the point of this thread is that it doesn't matter how ugly/beautiful a site is, it doesn't determine success.

I think those murders occur in the ghettos, far from where visitors roam. Same thing with Mexico where Americans visit quite frequently. But what part of Nigeria would you consider safe for tourists?

You can choose to see things the way you want, just as I choose to see it the way I want. There is no yes or no answer here.

I maintain that if we were progressive, more respect would be accorded us than we currently receive.

I don't see the point of all the countries you mentioned. Who said that the western media respects Uzbekistan, Kyrgyztan, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Laos, Nepal, than they do Nigeria? That statement is baseless.

South Africa is ahead of Nigeria technologically. Therefore they receive more respect in the west.

The only reason that the carribean is visited so much is that the crime rate is lower than say in Nigeria, and also because they're an island. White people love the water. As soon as crime rate begins to rise, tourists would flee from the carribean.

some people are making billions of dollars here in nigeria so what is all the noise.

Money stolen, is not money made.

The problem is that the Nigerians(especially those in diaospora) are not taking advantage of the things that the South Africans are doing well to be a part of.

Nigeria is going to come out so strong that some of the people on this page will be so embarrased.It is happeneing already.

We've heard the the same argument over and over, about how people abroad are not contributing.  Enough already. 

Do you think someone living abroad, who sends N1,000,000 home yearly to help family, is doing less than somebody else who lives in Nigeria and earns N200,000 a year?

You have got to be kidding!

If you're abroad and doing well, stay abroad.  Nigeria is not ready for development.  You'd do more for Nigeria living abroad, than if you live in Nigeria.

I'd know Nigeria is ready when the government stops siphoning our wealth into foreign banks.