₦airaland Forum

veryme:
hello all
please could anyone tell me what the challenges of mergers and acquistion in nigeria are?

Depends on whether you are referring to horizontal or vertical mergers; or between domestic-domestic companies or domestic-international companies.

In my opinion o, the challenges are the same - Inconsistent legislation. It seems that investors are not confident in Nigerian business because the laws are always changing on them - Nigerian law suits the people in power.

@Veryme - If this is school work, I think you will have a good start there.

Much respect to the UK.

But if it was me, I would choose USA. Especially if you are paying for your education with conversion from Nigerian Naira and no scholarships. US schools are definitely cheaper, and Eryck has said it all for everything else.

Siena:
A bit long, didn't get the real point . . . . . .

It appears we are no longer welcome in Kenya

Hey Dantecmu:

Sorry to hear about your experience with the Embassy. I will give you a wild guess on the reason you were probably denied (especially for a visitor's visa):

- Your age (Young people with short/no "established" career history)
- The number of family members in the US - If you have a few people or close family in the States, the Visa Officer has the freedom to decide that you will be remaining with your family there, and not returning to your home country (This happened recently to a friend of mine and her family, But their case was for a student visa).

However, the US system is based on discretion/the VO's subjectivity, so your situation could have even depended on his/her perception of your papers/story that day, no matter how straightforward you were.

I am no longer a law student, but I agree with you - Law school admissions offices are getting over-enthusiastic with accepting students, and it's an employer market now (at least in the United States - Canada is not as bad).

It depends on where you attended law school, of course. I don't know what the legal market faces in Nigeria at the moment, but to answer your question, you have to be willing to start out at a small firm (solo practitioners, if possible) if you are not fortunate enough to land a "Big Sisters" law firm job.

And no, law school is not easy.

@ Young Digi:

Yes, you can go to Canada (or Mexico) to renew your US visa. As long as you have a valid I-94, you will be allowed to re-enter the US on an expired visa. It's called the "Automatic Revalidation Rule." You can stay outside the US for up to 30 days under this law.

The problem though is, if you are denied a new visa at the US embassy in Canada or Mexico, you will not be able to re-enter the US.

Visit the US Department of State website on this link to get the details:
http://travel.state.gov/visa/laws/telegrams/telegrams_1441.html

texazzpete:
However, there was a CV from this applicant that stood out for him. Under the section on his academic experience, he talked about a project that he did configuring a computer to act as a server. He went into detail about this project, using technical expressions to explain what he was doing. That tied in with one of the company's requirements – that the applicant should be familiar with computer terminology.

Then in describing the project, he talked about one or two problems that he faced during the server configuration. He talked about how he diagnosed what the causes of the problems were, how he researched a solution to these problems, what alternative solutions he came up with and how he chose and implemented the eventual solution. Again, this description showcased two skills that the company was looking for – analytical and problem solving skills. And he repeatedly did this in other areas of his CV.

So the point is that his CV wasn't just some dry fact sheet with a list of dates and events. It was richly filled with stories and incidents

Do this and probably have your CV thrown out for being too long! Why do you think many employers ask for a 2-page CV? Nice article, but i think it falls down a bit on this point. . .

You don't need to have a four page CV. Just write about your experiences in a cover letter to the company, and why you are perfect for the job. This means you are going to have to personalize every cover letter that you send to every employer that you are applying to - But job hunting is a full time job so, it's worth the effort.

@ Orinkinla:

Thanks for the picture of Moz Hall o It brings back good memories, I used to be a jambite at Great Ife, but left after we were closed down for about three to six months.

Quote from 'My Peace': "Anyway, whatever, shes wrong by throwing away the CV, but I hate when people submit unsolicited CVs, it makes them cheap.  You submit CV when there is vacancy".

@MyPeace
That's not the way it's done here in the West, and maybe that's why the States, Canada, the UK and other nations over here are advancing so admirably.

In the States, they teach us to submit resumes/CVs even if there is no public advertisement for a position. It's called networking. Employers appreciate that initiative. There is no way that a candidate would be considered "cheap" for submitting a CV without a job advert. I would hire the person who saves me the trouble of putting out an advertisement - It demonstrates certain leadership qualities.

Unless you are in charge of hiring at your company, mypeace, which you probably are not, I am pretty sure that many HR departments in Nigeria would accept CVs even when there are no positions posted.

baba_jee:
thank you soo much Omanla,

can u please tell me one more thing ,

that wht should i write in a letter , to inform them about my issue

again i tell u my english is not good ,

,
i want to tell u my all details first
my appeal has been allowed in jan 2007, and 2 months have been passed but still waiting for a visa from embassy.
i called to embassy in my country so they told me that we hve not received determination letter yet.

now how can i get my visa , and my classes will be started from end of next month,

please write an application with request that i can send to them ,
plzzzzzzzzzzzzz
,
thanks for your help ,

@ baba_jee

Unfortunately, I don't really know anything about the U.K. immigration system. I have worked only in the United States, and recently, Canada. The experts of the house, Mr. Akolawole, Mr. LondonCool, Mr. VOR, Ms. Funkybaby and the others, might know a whole lot more about how to write an application letter for U.K. immigration. I hope you get a response soon.

baba_jee:
hiye guysssss n gurlzzzzzzzzz
i have been waiting for the reply from your side
,
please help me out
i have attached a recorded file, my english is not well so i can't understand the email address saying in recording
,
plzzzzzzzzzzz listen this recording and tell me the rite email address
it says determination?.team?@gsi.go.uk
plzzzzzzzz make it rite by listening the recording ,
, i m waitinggggggggggg
,

thank u all for previous help , specially londonkool, akolawale, n big_bumper
,

Determinations.Team@ind.homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

"Determinations" and "Team" must start with a capital D and T.
All the best.

muyiwabank:
Jim, an estate agent, carried out a homebuyer report and mortgage valuation in July 2001, for Ms merret whislt working for ABC agency and Surveryors Limited.Normally , this work would have been undertaken by Alfreda, a Chartered Surveyor but she was otherwise engaged, instead of loosing a fee of £475 (incl. Vat), He decided to go ahead with the instruction as He was under pressure to meet pipeline figures for that month. During the survey, He noticed some minor damp patches on the lower section of the ground floor walls but thought taht was a minor issues and did not comment on it as he has seen this type of minor defects many times. In April 2003,He left ABC Surveyors LTD to go to work for the local Authority. Unfortunately, in September 2005,Jim read in the paper that ABC Estate Agency and Surveyors went into bankruptcy.

Explore the legal issues that arise.

@ Muyiwabank

Did you get an answer to your question yet?
A couple of the issues I saw, like Mr. VOR said, are negligence and vicarious liability.

You could also consider these:
- Principal and agent issues
- Is Jim an independent contractor or employee?
- Liability to a third party
- Disclosed, partialy disclosed or undisclosed principal
- Respondeat superior (comes under vicarious liability)
- Frisk or detour (Was Jim within the scope of his duties or substantially departed from it?)
- Strict liabilty (Estate agents are required to warn of any defects - In the U.S. anyway)

The MBA is more lucrative in Europe and the States. Couldn't tell ya how valuable it would be in Nigeria, though, especially if you are competing with other students returning from abroad. I guess best case scenario is to get a job/internship in Europe (or North America, wherever you do your masters) and seek a transfer to Nigeria. A lot of the oil companies do the expat thing a lot (ExxonMobil, Shell, from what I've seen).

Yeah, word on the street here is, employers are so desperate for workers that they are practising what we call "poaching" - It means that employers call up employees at other companies and offer them better salaries to lure them. I've seen it happen at my firm too. So, it may be a good idea for you to move to Calgary when you are done.

I have heard of that law firm but didn't pay much attention to it - I believe it's in Edmonton, I should have guessed from the name that it was owned by a nigerian, then .

No, I didn't know about the gold reserve in New York. I am a little behind on Economics at the moment

I don't work in the oil sector - More like the Legal sector

The story of oil being sold in U.S. dollars dates as far back as WW2 and the Vietnam War, from my understanding. The Dollar was the reserve currency of the world then. In addition, U.S. was the supplier of provisions for its allies in WW2. Kinda led to a lot of foreigners holding too many dollars so that at the end of the War, when the States couldn't pay back foreigners for the dollars they held, there was an inflation that became imposed on the rest of the world.

So, there is still that exchange of international goods for U.S. dollars till today, including oil which is backed by the U.S. dollar.

Tents? I haven't seen that yet, but yeah, there are a lot of jobs and people moving here too fast, so that it's taking real estate a while to catch up.

I work here, but went to school in the U.S.

Calgary, Alberta

Hey Beecrofty,

My email is still available there, you probably saw it in the YIM field - But what was your question about visiting Canada?

1. Admission letter from your school
2. Form I-20 issued by the school
3. Form I-134 Affidavit of Support - Ask your sponsor to fill it out in attesting that you will not be a public charge to the U.S. government
4. Proof of payment of the semester's tuition - and accommodation (Accommodation if you will be living on campus or will not be living with family in the U.S.)
5. Proof of intent to return (And come up with as many as is available to you based on your family's assets/establishment in Nigeria) - Letter from a bonafide company in Nigeria, stating that they will employ you when you return (if possible); Title documents to house(s), land(s) or other real estate that you or your family may own; letter from your employer (if you are working) stating that you will return; your parents' bank statements

You can be as inventive as you like with regards to documents that will prove/show intent that you will return. Each applicant has different resources available to them and you may have more (or less) than what is listed above.

Depending on what you are going to study in the U.S., let the consular officer know how beneficial it will be to return to Nigeria with that degree (e.g. setting up a business, working for a specific company etc).

All the best.

Interview question "So tell me about yourself."

You want to have it at the back of your kind that the interviewer has many people that they need to see, and are probably bored with the same responses given to them by candidates.
If you are asked this question, it is your chance to give a five minute or less narration of why you stand out amidst all the other applicants for the job, and what makes you the perfect fit for the position.
Do NOT give personal information. Your answers must be restricted to your professional and/or educational experience.

Assume you are applying for a job as an accountant. Example of a short answer/five minute narration about yourself:

[b]"I attended University of (fill the blanks); and graduated from the accounting department in (fill the blanks, but it's not necessary to provide the year of graduation). While in school,  I was the treasurer of a student organization called AIESEC which entailed a substantial amount of responsibility. I was in charge of the organization's finances with regards to fund raising, and keeping a balance sheet of all cash flow. I managed our spending as well to ensure that we never went over budget.

"Also, last year, I volunteered for XYZ Supermarket as an accounting assistant. My duties involved preparation of spreadsheets to keep up with inventory supply, and assisting the manager with payroll preparation.

"Overall, these experiences have taught me to be detail oriented, and I am able to abide by deadlines and definitely learnt how to prioritize tasks. From reading the description for this job, I know that these are skills you require for someone in such a position. I am certain that I have a lot to bring to the table, and I am a perfect fit for the job."[/b]

The summary I have given is just one example of how you should answer their question. If you've never been an officer in a school organization or had any previous job/volunteer experiences, there must be something you did at school (e.g. a project) or some other opportuntity you had which enabled you to gain some practical experience in the type of job position you are applying for. Tell the interviewer the story about your practical experience. That is the point.

All the best.

I don't know a lot about the credit card business, but I have an idea of how destructive your plan would be to your reputation.

You mentioned being desperate - You don't know how worse it will get if just one tiny loophole occurs in your plan. If you are not a Canadian yet, you are ruining your progress to become one.
If you are Canadian, you may not get gainful employment again, not with reputable businesses anyway. And social assistance is not going to pay all your bills if that happens.

So just a suggestion - Get a second job or something, till things smooth out. There is a God.

@ Afrikana

I don't know what your situation or status might be in Canada.
But regarding the business "opportunity" you mentioned with other people's credit information, please don't do it.

And I'm not judging, just concerned.

Awesome picture, Hunter.

'Omonla' (Big kid) is a nickname I got, growing up, because I'm the exact opposite of big. They also call me 'small but mighty.'

Hi Hsmpwise,

I will send you an email shortly. My email address is available on my Nairaland profile as well.

Look forward to chatting with you.

Hsmpwise:

Before your friends/colleagues begin the Canadian immigration process, they have to determine whether they qualify for skilled worker immigration.

Ask them to go to this weblink, the Government of Canada website, to take the free skilled-worker assessment test:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/skilled/assess/index.html

The test is made up of some basic questions on whether they have family already in Canada, whether there is a job offer awaiting them, highest level of education achieved etc. Points are awarded based on the answers they provide and their mark will be given to them online, immediately after taking the test. The passmark is currently 67.

If they make the passmark, I can be of assistance, if additional help is required in their application process. I have done previous work in U.S. and Canadian immigration law. Note that they may apply by themselves, but there is nothing wrong with getting a little aid.

Their Global/African careers website is:

http://www.chevron.com/operations/africa/

Contact Information
Nigeria
Chevron Nigeria Limited
2 Chevron Drive
Lekki Peninsula P.M.B.12825
Lagos, Nigeria
Femi Odumabo, General Manager, Public & Government Affairs
aood@chevron.com

and;

Resaco Nigeria ETD
8 McCarthy Street
Victoria Island
Lagos, Nigeria
Uju Ifejika
Company Secretary/PGPA Manager
ifejiuc@chevron.com

Yankari Game Reserve

Nothing as good as a mixture of romance and adventure, y'all.

No, if you go to the States on a student visa, you can't "decide" not to continue schooling (well, unless you graduate). The other option to leave school without completing the program would be to obtain a working visa, otherwise known as H1B. You would have to find an employer that is willing to file the visa for you/sponsor you. However, without a degree, it's nearly impossible to get such work, because you would fall under the "unskilled workers" category - Unless you already have a degree now, with a lot of experience that a U.S. employer would find valuable. Or if no degree, at least extensive experience.

"Specialty" jobs where there is usually a demand for employees in the U.S. are: computer science, health care, university teaching, engineering, law, accounting, financial analysis, management consulting, architecture and scientific research positions. (There is a lot of competition to get those H1B jobs because the visa quota is about 65,000 per year). 

If you fall 'out of status' by leaving school without switching to another type of visa that will keep you legal in the U.S., the SSN will not help you to do much. This means you can't get a real job with your SSN unless you get a working visa first. You can buy a car, open a bank account, buy a house etc with the SSN, but the mortgage/home-loan lenders, car dealerships etc would not deal with you if you can't show a source of income. The banks would probably do business with you, but you would need to have money to deposit first, right?

Well, the bottom line is, staying in the U.S. without going to school or without a legal job is 'sufferhead'.