₦airaland Forum

Rightly so, today 6th of June 2011, (barely 6days to June 12, the True Nigeria Democracy day), members of the NASS will be inaugurated.

Question: Do you know your representative at the SENATE and HOUSE OF REPS?

Question: Do you have the constituency address, phone numbers and mailing address of your representative in the SENATE & HOUSE OF REP?

It is hoped that NL members will fill this forum with the right information to the questions raised above. Better still, a spreadsheet could be created for these information to be uploaded in TRUST so that Nigerians can take advantage in the participatory democracy that is begining to emerge in Nigeria by contacting thier legislators rep on issues that so rightly concern them with the contact information to be provided here.

aribisala0:
some people seem to conflate smartness with intelligence.

for me they are not the same.

intelligent people do not always [b]BEHAVE [/b]intelligently e.g. using drugs,not studying for exams,breaking speed limits,spending more than you earn,
going late to work, arguing with your boss/referees in football etc.

in other words persistently following a path you know to be wrong.
so for me smartness is more a behaivoural than mental thing.even people who are not very  intelligent can be trained to act smartly by acquiring habits that make them achieve twice as much as more intelligent people.

what we need to address is not how intelligent we might be but how do we behave from a collective perspective

Well may be you first need to understand that SMARTNESS is the practical result of "INTELLIGENT REASONING RIGHTLY APPLIED to overcome challenges either of the now or in the near future.
Hence, the opposite of SMARTNESS is FOOLISHNESS!which can be said to be the "INTELLIGENT REASONING WRONGLY APPLIED" to overcome percieved challenges.

From the above said, if your earlier assertion that Nigerians are not SMART, is true then we must be FOOLISH!

What you are avoiding is the earnest truth that the collective behaviour you seek can not be defined individually, rather through purposeful leadership framed over very long years of living cohesiveness - that is the bitter truth and we must all be patient and continiously turn the will of nationhood with forthrightness in our individual acts daily!

@all,
Don't you all agree that we discussing this issue is in itself a 'mark' of SMARTNESS? Why because we are seeking albeit in the alternative (as oppose to through our leadership)to define a nationhood collective aspiration we can all seek to work towards.

Check the history books and you would realized that nations we claim today are SMART did exactly what we are doing on here and after a certain period of living cohesiveness, thier SMARTNESS became evident to all! Watch out, Nigeria will not be different!

cap28:
Nigerians in my opinion are the most delusional set of human beings on the face of the planet.

How on earth can any nigerian say with a straight face that they are a nation of smart people when they havent even been able to throw off the shackles of colonialism?

surely a smart people would first of all focus on the right to self determination before any other thing.

I couldnt help but laugh when one poster mentioned the nigerian that is involved in the Gatwick airport partnership - okay for the sake of argument - so what if he "owns" it - what difference does that make to the average nigerian? does he have any say in the hiring and firing that goes on in that company?  
Does his presence in that company add value to the lives of the average nigerian?

The fact of the matter is that nigerians brag about superficial minutiae that make no real difference when you take the time to look at the bigger picture.  

Nigeria is a wealthy nation but  still under the control of  foreigners - Shell, Chevron and Exxon Mobil  exert massive control over the nigerian govt, the international banking institutions which incidentally are controlled and run by Jews exert massive financial control over our own central bank, lebanese , indians and chinese are moving into nigeria at a rapid rate and are setting up businesses, hiring indigenous  nigerians and paying them a pittance (with the support of the nigerian govt) and some nigerians still have the nerve to talk about being smart.
Where have  you seen a nation that gives prefere4ntial treatment to foreigners at the expense of its own people?
Can a nigerian dream of going to india, china or lebanon to buy up a business for next to nothing and then hire the indigenous people and pay them a pittance with the support of that country's govt?

There is a big difference between acquiring academic knowledge (which by the way is not that difficult to do, because all you really need to have is the ability to regurgitate information fed to you by somebody else) and developing wisdom and self awareness.  Nigerians are good at soaking up western education and extollign the virtues of western ideology, forgetting that many of these ideas were tailored to suit the western culture that they were created for.  Isnt it about time we came up with our own economic theories and ideals which will be more suited to our own unique cultures and traditions instead of being proud to be told by western academics how good we are at learning, copying and regurgitating THEIR ideas?

The fact of the matter is that it is so easy to  copy somebody else's template, nobody respects people who cant come up with their own ideas.  The reason that the europeans respect the japanese and chinese is because they are innovators and pace setters not followers, this is why they are treated as equals and allowed a seat at the table of important nations of the world.  Nigeria is a follower nation - content to copy and pretend as if that somehow makes you a nation to be reckoned with.

Lets stop this self deception and start looking inward, we need visionaries and innovators not half baked copy cats who are content to keep doing what has been done centuries ago.

Sorry yo have made no point! That the whole SOUTH- WEST UK electricity distribution is owned by American company does not mean BRIST aint SMART okay! That e-on a French company now controls close to 68% of UK Nuclear energy generation does not mean the BRISTs are not SMART. I do not know where you got this assertion from that CBN is control by some jews! I hate conspiracy thoerist just like i abhore evil.

All the above you mention, .i.e inventors, blah, blah, we have them in abundance. The real substance you left out is lack of collective aspiration of what we Nigerians actually want to become or known for - an issue that can be hinged on leadership/rulership.

Kobojunkie:
I think you would need to provide a better answer for the above as your "obvious" answer does not seem to work at all, at least for me. The name "Nigeria" may only be about 100 years old, but the entity has existed for about 200 years, and the people for probably 1000  years before.

The civil war of 1966 has little to do with this particular issue -- it is clear the same pattern can be observed even at the ethnic levels, all over the country.

He is NOT referring to the creative spirit of the people. He is not referring to the intelligence of individuals. It has nothing to do with proferring solutions which seems what many have chosen to replace this with -- solutions abound, we have never been lacking those either. Please take a look again at the contribution from others who have tried to explain this , eg. @: deor03

We have a PHD holder as President -- only this same has held public office for 12 straight years with nothing to show for all that time and money invested. We hired a former Goldmann Sachs employee as Minister of Finance last year and we all know the rest of that. We hired PHD holder after PHD holder into top offices and so far, we have nothing to write home about. I believe this is beyond individual booksmarts, and proferring of solutions.

Okay maybe it is pertinent for me to stay alittle while and I will respond thus;

Firstly, I seek to differ  with your assertion that solutions abound in Nigeria, but the reverse (looking at Nigeria as a whole)is actually the case!How can you arrive at solutions when you fail to comprehend in entirety your challenges? Obvious case of which Nigeria belongs.
Look at Nigeria geographically and you would see a picture clearly spelt out; more progress is made regionally (i.e by collective groups of people who have live there for over 100years) than as a whole!
Permit me to use this trivia example albeit in the hope you would 'see' the picture clearly. It is far easier to find several road networks connecting town and cities within each regions in Nigeria (albeit most not in good shape currently) than you would for region to region and you wonder why this is? The answer lies in living cohesiveness that has developed between the tribes/groups within these region for years, as a result,they now have a collective aspiration of what they want to be like or be known for. Same can not be said of the country as whole 'cos the time frame we have been together as a country is not enough to bring about nationhood 'collective aspiration' and this only come about as time passes by. Can you say collectively but separately, the Hausas, Yorubas, Igbos,Binis,Ijaws are not productive or lack collective aspirations?

What we have currently in Nigeria can be described thus; Individual 'progressive ring' of severally groups ALL inter twined by a 'Massive ring'. And it this massive ring which mends all the individual progressive rings that is failing, and that 'massive ring' is leadership at the FG - the central. Hence such failures, no doubt due to the importance of that massive ring will paint a picture such as postulated by the OP - an opinion I seek to differ on.
In a nutshell, for SMARTNESS to manifest nationally, there must be a nationhood 'collective aspiration' which can only come about by long period of 'living cohessiveness'. China is a very good example. Years ago, Chinese were not seen as SMART atleast by most Westerners however that picture is gradually changing as the peoples through her central leadership has now defined a 'collective aspiration', which is being realized on the platform of 'living cohessivness' albeit with some moral reservations.

@Ilekede-Idi
While your assertion might be true in the US, you fail to consider the proportion of working class population wise. Currently approximately 6millions Nigerians are said to reside in the US compared to how many Latinos/Hispanics? Again issues of social-cultural barriers is another factor!
Unlike in the US, in the UK, Nigerians who graduate from places of higher learning do readily get jobs and currently, despite thier decimated population, Nigerians in UK still rank among groups (other than  BRITS) VERY LIKE to be employed, only slightly behind Indians, and very marginally below Pakistanis even though these two groups have far larger population of working class compared to Nigeria's.Again this is possible 'cos Nigerians in the UK does not suffer much from social-cultral factors (compared to those in the US)mainly due to the period of time Nigerians have "customized" themselves in the UK compared to that of US - Again none of these factors have anything to do with whether Nigerians are SMART or not. They are external factors which can not be used as a yardstick to measure the "SMARTNESS" or otherwise of Nigerians.

If you want to know if "A PEOPLE" is SMART, then examine how they respond to challenges that confront them daily due mainly to EXTERNAL FACTORS. And I am sure when one examines Nigerians through that perspective, no doubt that Nigerians will be adjudged as very SMART!

Oh goodness! this is my take;
# NOKIA for high school kids
# BB for campus wannabe look alike folks
# iPhone for early beders lucked in the small world of apple!
# HTC  na ba ba! For cooperate folks who knows what it means to be an all rounder mobist!

Just try Windows phone 7 or Android on HTC with HD, then your life will never be the same again ever!

oh by the way, here's my m-phone chronology;

Nokia 3310 » Nokia 6680 » Sony Ericksson w950i » HTC advantage x7500 (rock your world with big eyes!) » HTC and Samsung Galaxy (no offense - Next frontiers in mobi world)

HTC rocks and support for thier phones by the company and open source community is awesome! try XDA developers and HTC wiki to smoothen off the rough edges in your HTC experience!

Okay maybe this starter may do;

Why is there no Nigerian university that major in Aerospace Engineering? I am not talking about Astrophysics or Astronomy or even NCAT 'mini skirt' 'over priced', 'lack of content' manuals driven courses!

Interestingly, most 1st generation universities in Nigeria offer majors/courses that defines Aerospace Engineering, yet are unable to provide one - Strange happenings!

Kobojunkie:
We haven't? How long do you really think it takes for a people to start being productive? Even if just as a tribe?
But following your own post, Nigeria's intellectual abilities are not locked away somewhere --- we do not lack in that area at all.

Before I take my leave;
Answering your first question; the obvious answer is no we haven't really lived together long enough for us as a people to begin to unleash what I often call '7th Generation' level of productive on humanity! I believe you probably are close to the generation that experienced civil war in Nigeria, such I believe is among the reason Nigeria has not experience further civil war despite what many had postulated in recent past - a result of cohesive living.

Answer your second question; I talked about 'unleashing' the intellectual abilities as a 'people'- a creative-productive collective aspiration to define the world by the practical way we solve our own problems - something I think the poster seems to be at crossroad with, hence the probable reason for the thread.I.e. Nigerians should prove they'r a smart people by providing solutions to the challenges we currently face in Nigeria - but he forgot that even in the 'stone age' within the then different tribes that constitute present day Nigeria, we built our houses out of muds yet never plastered them with clay even though we knew clay could well be used for that! - An act that reveals so much

To put it in the poster's reasoning, we should prove our REAL SMARTNESS (as oppose to the VIRTUAL SMARTNESS we supposedly display currently) by designing and making things - An expression that exposes his knowledge about the exploits of Nigerians the world over! Maybe I should remind him of the brain behind 'chevy' that's now the dream of every american youth! Maybe I should also remind of the brain behind the 'algorithm' that was the first to correctly map oil and gas deposit that is now widely used the world over. Or even the brain behind the anti-corrosive substance that now ensure his house gets 'gas' to power the heating/cooking and is now being used the world over!

And to answer his unfounded question about what Nigeria has contributed to the world; I will at his level by saying We are the only country of our size that has not invaded another country whether close of afar off for economic gains, perhaps you know what means to the world if you can quantify it.

Nigerians are BRAINS - yeah SURELY NOT BRAIN BOXES!

aribisala0:
at omo tier

we are not  talking about being smart in school . we are talking about the real world. being clever at learning other peoples ideas is the stuff of undergraduate life.

real smartness is solving real human problems

adding something to the  world that was not here before you.

that involves thinking and generating ideas =output

not just learning redundant book knowledge =input

where is the nigerian output

I think any body who works in cooperate UK will shake his/her head after reading your post.

Obviously, I think its really unproductive having a discussion on a thread like yours when your mind is already made up.

We might not have designed a computer, nor land a man in LEO- Who says we must re-invent the wheel- that certainly does NOT mean we are not SMART!

I know of the calibre of Nigerians I havd come across in several 'coporate control rooms' in the UK, and 'm pretty sure they aint occupying that position/office by your asserted 'classroom' SMARTNESS!

In short wordings, goodbye to your thread - You obviously do not have anything to bring afore aside the usual 'bashing' which futher reveals your pesudo inf-complex!

oh by the way, your add shows birmingham, UK. Can you take a stroll to peugeot down midlands and ask them a few questions about some Nigerians who have graced there and then come marry thier response with your 'classroom' smartness ratings of Nigerians.

I take my leave, more coding work to be done!

monkeyleg:
@Omo_tier1

Good for you. Now why don't you turn that brilliance of yours into a positive force that will improve Nigeria as a country? Soon you will meet up with opposing and competing forces that will challange that very essence of your brilliance.

Like as I said, individually the Nigerian might be good, but collectively we are no good.

The British might be proud, but there is evidence to suggest why they are. Ftom making you are I learn english language for one to inventing some of the most game changing products of this world, and most importantly, they use that brilliance to benefit thier society

The obvious reason Nigerians 'may look' not to be 'good' collectively is because as a nation, we have not lived together long enough to share in the common joy, pain and sorrow of nationhood! Hence, the vision is blurred and our 'collective aspiration' is awolf. Take for example the last general election senseless killings in some part of the country; North and South inclusive, that could only happen because we still do NOT see ourselves as a PEOPLE irrespective of our tongues. And this obscurity has nothing to do with one not being SMART rather, it's all down to NOT enough time for proper cohesion!

Take a simple analogy,in the Engineering world,we take two materials, (one serves as pure, the other as impure), combine thier constituents by a way of 'alloying' to get an improved material. Originally when these two materials are combined, depending on how long you leave them for -cohesive period- amongst other factors, what you get at the end of the day will be vastly different, albeit in the 'better' positives - same goes for a country to truly become a 'people'

Take England for example, when you work with a liverpoooodian, a maccuunia or a bristolian,you hardly can tell of any disparity among them, and all seems to have a 'collective aspiration' of what they as a 'people' must remain yet when you closely examine them historically, you would marvel how they ever could come to a point where 'collective aspiration' becomes thier keyphrase! At those period when they struggled to define who they are and what they stand for, nobody ever claimed the English were NOT SO SMART - so why then will some use nigeria's period of 'cohesion'as a yardstick of our collective intellectuall abilities?

As for your clarion call; I believe and 'm confident that my generation will unlock Nigeria's intellectual abilities on humanity and for the good of humanity.And we are already working at it! I do not know if same goes for your generation!

Well, who appointed the IGP? Was the IGP chosen on merit or was his appoint not a product of political/friendship 'rub my back I rub your back' appointment? Come to think of it, IGP was promoted from AIG and appointed IGP at a time when he was in charge of a zone where 'stone age' crime was the order of the day and whatmore can you expect from him when he could not manage a zone? Why give a dog cow leg bone when same is struggling to crack a mere chicken bone?

The IGP is lucky he is not in a country like the UK, guess by now He would be preparing for his dismissal and subsequent questioning by the met and the parliament!

I am a Nigerian, 'm intelligent, 'm SMART and determined! I compete with the best in my field all over the world.

During my days in the university in the UK, from undergraduate to post graduate, year in year out, faculty to faculty, Nigerians always came out tops!

I remember being asked way back in university by my British year tutor (or lecturer) why Nigeria is not among the best developed country in the world as she claimed that any year she happens to have a Nigerian in her programme, that Nigerian always come out tops and she admitted that of all the African students she has tutored, Nigerians are miles ahead intellectually. This person who made this remark is one of the genuises in her field and a global consultant in her field.

Again, the author's assertion that indians and chinese are way smarter is laughable because it is like saying the jews are way smarter than the germans, yet each has her uniqueness intellectually.

Nigerians are NOT proud going by the dictionary definition of proud rather they are BOASTFUL which in itself is not evil! After, we christians make BOAST in christ Jesus!

follow this link, read and comprehend the definition given therein and tell me if those descriptions truly describe nigerians! In my own opinion, it certainly doesn't

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/_/dict.aspx?word=proud

If you are seeking for a PROUD people going by the definition in that link, then meet the English -Yes the English and not British.

snowdrops:
Would appreciate if people with recent experience of applying for a UK visit visa in the VFS centre in Lagos.

1. On submitting your application, do you pay the visa fees at the VFS office?
2. Do you submit the biometric details [finger print, etc] immediately or are you given a different appointment date.
3. what is the crowd like in these centres and how organised are the staff
4. what is the average waiting time for a visit visa application nowadays.

Kind regards

Billingsway center ikeja, recently assisted someone down there

Answers follow order of question;
1. Yes, after completing all the pre-verification checks down stairs, you proceed to the counter service arena/hall where STERLING BANK is and you pay the appropraite fees depending on the Visa category and HANDLING CHARGE. TEXT NOTIFICATION options payment is also made in the hall.

2. Once your payment is completed and you form is attached with copies of payment, you move to another counter down the end of the room for checks of payment of application fees and you are directed to two/three cubicles for your biometrics - doesn't take long, less than 15mins to get it all done.

3.Crowd wise, no that bad but lots of people with seats! Took us about 55mins from entering the gate to final exit at the back door.But it all depends on the day of the week and the time you arrive as most people where waiting for collection. Got there after 10am, left couple of minutes past 11am -55mins approximately.

4. It all boils down to a number of factors; could be 6days, one week, 2weeks,etc. Mind, its approaching summer time and this is the time student and holiday visas application come pouring in! Maybe there might be a change this year follow PM DC stringentimmigration policies.

Hope this helps,

Engineering Experts in Design,Manufacturing and testing in  ;
# Spacecraft
# Aircraft- big birds, uav, mav,
# Rotorcraft.

This not a forum for pilots!- STRICTLY ONLY for Design and Analysis,Manufacturing and Tests Engineering professionals/Expert in Aerospace and outer space.

kai! see how naija has colonized london with Aj food joints ohhhhh

Sad outsidd of london, i.e, Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham, you can hardly find good 'mama' put chop! Remember when I was on a working trip outside london to Bristol, found myself coming to london most weekend to enjoy 'mama' put chop!

@ all,
How sure are you all that you are not replying a scammer (i.e the OP) who is obviously testing the waters on NL?

Imagine if nigerians truly use 1/3rd of thier 419 brains for creative productivity!, the clouds will be thier wet dew!

To all those who had thier Point Based Visas Application refused prior to the judgement of Pankina[2010]EWCA civ 719, please be informed that the deadline for request for reconsideration is 22 JUNE 2011. See attached UKBA revised guidance NOV. 2010.

While the document appears to lay emphasis on those refused SOLEY on maintainance funds grounds ONLY, however the HO/UKBA have misapplied the Pankina judgement in bias! The Pankin[2010]was of a wider implication than mere maintainance funds requirement as LJ's Sedley (aka UK Lord marxist ) rightly put it that whatever was in the Point Based Policy Guidance same not being part of immigration rules laid before the paliament IS NOT part of the immigration rules. The three months maintainance funds requirements prior to pankina judgement was never in the immigration rules laid before paliament but only in the PBS Policy Guidance, hence one of the reasons Pankina[2010]suceeded. Indeed this position is backed by these two Judicial Review judgements;

The summary note at the beginning of this judgement below says it all!

http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKUT/IAC/2010/00304_ukut_iac_2010_fa_nigeria.html

http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2010/1726.html

http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKUT/IAC/2010/00305_ukut_iac_2010_cds_brazil.html

To all those who had thier Point Based Visas Application ( i.e previously Tier1, Tier4, 5, PSW)refused prior to the judgement of Pankina[2010]EWCA civ 719, on 23 July 2010 please be informed that the deadline for request for reconsideration is 22 JUNE 2011. See attached UKBA revised guidance NOV. 2010.

While the document appears to lay emphasis on those refused SOLEY on maintainance funds requirements/grounds ONLY, however the Home Office/UKBA have misapplied the Pankina judgement in bias!

The Pankin[2010]EWCA Civ 719 was of a wider implication than mere maintainance funds requirement as LJ's Sedley (aka UK Lord marxist ) rightly put it that : whatever was in the Point Based Policy Guidance same not haven been part of immigration rules laid before the paliament same IS NOT part of the immigration rules. The three months maintainance funds requirements prior to pankina judgement was never in the immigration rules laid before paliament but only in the PBS Policy Guidance, hence one of the reasons Pankina[2010]suceeded.

Indeed this position is backed by these two Judicial Review judgements;

The summary note at the beginning of this judgement below says it all!

http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKUT/IAC/2010/00304_ukut_iac_2010_fa_nigeria.html

http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2010/1726.html

http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKUT/IAC/2010/00305_ukut_iac_2010_cds_brazil.html

It is on record that applicant from india who applied before June 23, 2010 and had thier Visas refused on Maintainance funds requirements ONLY have had thier application reconsidered and visas issued accordingly following a pre-action protocol letter of a possibility of Judicial Review application being lodged.

So, there you go folks; abit of shepard's pie, swede and lots of gravy for the HO on this one!Another HSMP on the horizon!

Those who know about the rise of credible oppostion in nigeria will see clearly that CPC is toeing that path. Unfortunately, ACN appears to have been morally damaged by her hide and seek game with the PDP in the last election.

Even though I supported ACN & CPC in the last elections, I feel ACN with the greed of Tinubu is drifting afar! Post electoion, CPC appears to be doing more underground work politically than ACN and my credible sources have it that major realignment is already taking place with CPC looking to benefit from such.

As for 2015, as a southerner, I pray young minds like El-rufai, Donald Duke, etc will be those we will be debating not another set of old folks like we did in 2011.

Longhaul, flew them from Heathrow to Lagos, clean aircraft, good customer service from thier staff in london - even called thier staff in lagos to tell them my flight might arrive earlier than my local connecting flight and that they should wait at the arrival to pick me and couple of others up. In service entertainment was okay but they need to improve vastly - more naija contents please!

In lagos, was picked up by a very polite lady into a waiting bus, however when we arrived at the local wing, I observed with shock that staff at the counter were very rude, uncultured and illmannered towards customers. Again, I think it reflects the attitude of the nigerian worker in nigeria - personal opinion!

If only Arik and other nigerian own airlines were getting the support from the FG like BA en co are getting from thier own government.

Someone correct me- was the official pump price not pegged at 45 naira a litre?

Beside, just confirmed, a bottle of kerosine is above 140naira and I was also informed that most of the women jubilating are mainly kerosine sellers who have seen thier business decline 'cos of hike in price and hoarding.

Anyway, the last I heard from the government was that more kerosine will released into the market, however, the petroleum minister claimed FG can not intervene in outlet sales prices due to 'free market' forces as FG does not have control over IP marketers.

All the same, I hope the FG finally wake up to her responsibilities and help the poor in our society.

Until I can have 24hrs of light to run my complex simulations and analysis in Nigeria without the need to use third parties in india then the jeff's optimism would remain just that!

Looking at how nigerians abroad flourish so well in thier chosen field of endeavour despite seemingly over bearing challenges, its no brainer that if the nigerian leadership provides similar atmosphere, nigerians will use thier innovative minds to transform the country beyond what most economists have imagined

For now, we do not need these passing comments, we want to get our hands dirty by cleaning up the leadership, and looking inwards to provide the solutions to all the challenges we face now and those we anticipate we will face in the future!

Beaf:
Where you not the person arguing stringently that the PIB was meant to enslave Nigerians to foreign powers?
Abeg gerout jare!
Allow serious peeps that know their facts discuss.

Go GEJ!

I still stand by that comment, if what was revealed in the wikileaks diplomatic cables, the strange undeniable fact that the outgoing NASS assembly does not know the true version of the PIB they are actually considering in the HOR and Senate! This same call was also raised by the out-going chairman of the HOR committee on rules and buisness -Hon ita enang on the floor of the house as the bill was been debated.

If not for the stupidity of PDP, why should  important bills such as PIB, FOI, etc take more than six to eight months to be pass into law? Why should IOC be allowed too much room to influence the bill the way they have done? Yes thier inputs are required to frame the bill but it should only be seen as suggestions and not what the bill should be!

If you think IOC gaining much of the $25bn of tax payer's money is not slavery then there something wrong somewhere.

My earlier submission that whatever the content of the PIB is for now should passed into law is simply based on the premise that the incoming NASS with vibrant opposition will be in a better position to restructure the act to favour nigerians compared to the shambolic work and injustice the out-going rogue PDP legislators have done to the present PIB bill.

Again why rejoice when you have not had the chance to see and peruse for yourself the version of the FOI as signed into law? Same happened to labour after the new minimum wage act was signed into law only for them to start crying foul that the version signed into law was different from the one they had; with several amendments that appear to give the state governors loop holes in not paying the 18,000naira minimum wage! and lo, Bauchi state government has taken advantage of one of those loop holes to offer the civil servants in the state a miserly 11,500naira minimum wage.

Get it straight, I 'm not your 'follow follow the master type', who rely on 'invented facts' to butress thier blind folded followership.

justwise:
Thats just the problem, though with the new rule about not accepting new evidence at the appeal level it will get even tougher for many.

I find that move by the immigration minister as disturbing. What then will happen in cases where home office misplaces documentary evidence submitted by applicant? Apart from the letter of index, the Annexes of documents check list forms, how then will one be able to convince the AIT judges that documents were actually submitted or that requirement of the immigration rules was actually met at the date of submission.
This will also have a wider implication in judicial review applications as the home office can lie as they sometimes do that they were not in possession of the documents at the time they made thier decision.

I used to think labour had something wrong with them upstairs but this cameron led conservation appears to be a nutter!

I do not get it, why would people be heartless? This couple had all the oppourtunity in the world to engage in life rewarding ventures yet decided to take the path that brings shame, dishonour and belittle to them and nigeria to an extent!

Also, those who engage them for thier illicit services must be either those they smuggle into the country, with criminal records of grave proportions or criminal gangs who are into identity theft!

Thank God the law is catching up with them!

efisher:
^ You're right bro. PIB is the next animal to be tamed. I can tell you as an insider that the IOC's are already re-aligning themselves for the coming of PIB. Let's go there. 

As much as I agree with you that the PIB is the next godzilla to be fallen, i think the bill as it currently stands will not achieve much as the IOC have succeeded in making it a light weight and all the re-alignment currently being done by them is just to position them for the over $25bn GEJ led government has pledged to invest in that sector in the next 5-10years!

But again,having something is better than none and hopefully, with time,the act can be amended and if possible repealed when nigeria and nigerians' conscious legislators finally get into the NASS.

Again i know it is abit early, but can someone point out how local content act has impacted on nigerians outside of the oil sector? Any telecom, banking, pharm, etc companies engaging in massive recruitment/training, transfer of technical-know how to nigerians in line with the content of that act?

Can someone put up a copy of the bill please! I hope the courts will not end up being the one to determine the fate of the bill as is about to happen with the 2010 electoral act hurriedly signed into law only for several anomalies to be spoteddays later, for which even the PDP is asking the court to declare several part of that act as unconstitutional.

Even as I appreciate GEJ for making it obvious that He is in support of transparency in governance, however he should take a step further to ensuring that the bill/law works for nigeria and nigeria by strengthening the various government agencies that would ensure that defaulters of FOI request are dealth with in accordance with the law.

This is not a time for jubilation, rather a time to turn the screw of positive and constructive criticsm on GEJ, all the governors, council chairperson,etc!

God Bless Nigeria.

I think  most Nigerians that come to the UK for MSc/MEng often fail to take into consideration the fact that they have a 20% chance of getting a job after graduation simply 'cos they would not be able to pass security clearance/vetting which often accompany MEng/MSc job offers in the UK. Those that often get job offers in MSc/MEng usually are placed on security probation for almost 2years without thier knowledge and very few companies are willing to go the extra mile to do that unless they know you have what they are looking for.

The recession has further made it worse as waivers for SC/vetting is seldomly granted to these companies these days, hence the reason they are not so keen on recruiting them.

Another aspect is most nigerians coming to study MSc in UK go for 'mini-skirt' MSc which most home student also go for. Hence thier chances of getting a job becomes very slim.

I think IBB attending the inauguration of Aliyu is the one that raises some dust! Does it truly mean that Abuja politics is beginning to taste sour and politicians are now truly beginning to realize that charity begins at home? Only time will tell!

Oh by the way, did obj also attend the ceremony? or was it a gathering of pigeon feather weights?

On a lighter note; as the SENATE PRESIDENT OF NL SENATE,

Distinguished fellow NLers, may I use my good chair, to put the appointment, vetting and confirmation of Ayim Pius Ayim as the new SFG to a VOICE VOTE!

For those in favour of the appointment, vetting and confirmation of Ayim as the NEW SFG say YEAAAA! Those against say Naahhhhhh!

*hammer*, I didn't hear that well, distinguished Sen. Ken Nnemani can you switch off your mic please    

Does it bother anyone that it appears by this appointment that the office of the SFG is now an office to be occuppied by career politicians?

For goodness sake, isn't this position the 'heartbeat' of any government which in all seriousness ought to be headed by a seasoned technocrat with vast experience in civil service?

Along side our politicians, has it not dawn on us nigerians that the civil service is seriously primed for a ground sweep reform, hence the need for a seasoned technocrat as SFG to work another seasoned technocrat in the person of the HEAD OF SERVICE so that good policy frame work can be developed and more importantly, implemented thrust!

Since the office of the SFG is on the one hand,responsible for the development of the policy framework of the government and the office of the HOS on the other hand is responsible for the delivery of the policies with thrust, wouldn't it be thoughtful that both occupants of the two offices should be seasoned technocrats?

Ayim may not be a bad choice but I have serious reservations about having a career politician as the SFG.

In all, I pray him, Ayim doesn't get carried away with 'power' that comes with that office but rather, let him sit-in (like the out going SFG) as do a crank shaft, working round the clock turning the turbines of government with optimal performance!

Slyp:
Yes, it helps alot. The money has nt spend upto 28days, i m stil waitin 4 it to complete dat 28 days.
Pls like i said in my previous post the required amount in d region where my school is located is just 4300ps bt i ve more than 7000ps in my acct, so don't u think the ECO would prefer the money to b restricted to the required amount? Thanks 4 your awaitin reply.

Just leave that whole money there for 28days. Leaving it there would not have any negative effect o your application. Moreso, the ECO will not raise any suspicion seeing an account that shows the account owner as being very financially bouyant. On the contrary, a large withdrawal will raise suspicion that you only took money elsewhere to sure up your account for the purpose of securing a UK Visas. We have also had cases of ECO question the ability of the account owner to support the applicant citing the huge withdrawals as his backup.

Nutshell, leave the whole money there for 28days, get your statement printed and also obtain the letter as adviced in my and justwise earlier post.

Lastly, please include a letter of index of ALL the documents you are attaching with your application as supporting evidence, address the letter to the ECO. Such letters have turned out to be the saving grace for some people in thier Appeal (at the AIT),that were refusal visas by the ECO with thier usual claim that documents so and so was not included with the application.