₦airaland Forum

Mr. John Chikadibie Okafor, what degree(s) did you bag abroad? You appear to write well. Did you by any chance pick up Marketing or Sales skills during your time abroad? Because regardless of your study, having some marketing/sells skills would have been an icing on the cake for you or anyone for that matter. You need to continuously sell yourself. I know your Nigerian experience sounds humbling but take some ownership. Don't blame the friends and contacts that made promises to you, blame yourself for believing them. Let me ask you an honest question, did you really return to Nigeria because you were made promises or because you had to contend with visa issues abroad? If you ask me, a year in Nigeria without paid employment is a day too long; you should have headed back out of the country if you had the opportunity.

This is my take: majority of Nigerians that study abroad mostly stay abroad. Nigerian professionals including non-degree holders that are doing exceptionally well abroad don't venture to come back to look for paid employment in Nigeria. God forbid. For example, what percentage of Nigerian doctors with work experience in the UK, US, Jamaica, etc., come back to look for work in Nigeria? I'm sure very few – a minority. Likewise, don't sell yourself short; there is a difference between a foreign degree and a local degree holder. The fact that we use mostly the same textbooks doesn't make us the same. That also shouldn’t automatically translate to an employer’s preference of a locally acquired degree. If on a good day a local degree holder interviews well or better than the individual with a foreign degree so be it. Employment should be based strictly on merit. Even the Obama or David Cameron administrations can’t claim this. So needless to say, it’s wishful thinking. It happens everywhere you look around the world. It is only glaring in Nigeria, because the playing field is small and opportunities are far and few between.

That said, if you know how to sell, your unemployment days are numbered. It involves being creative and developing a thick skin for rejections. But at the end of the day, it is a numbers game. You have to know your own number. For you, it may be 100 rejections and for someone else it may be two rejections before they make their sell. Keep on keeping on my friend. When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

Chao kachifo o-da-bo

Iphy Grace: those screaming that 8 percent is failure at this time are like passengers that left lagos for abuja on a bus and in an hours time noticed they are in ibadan and all they can say to the driver is that he is a failure that by now they are meant to be in lokoja.

The poster meant behind schedule. I doubt he/she really meant to say failure. The projects are 92 percent behind schedule. When the project is complete it still may be a failure if it is over budget or electricity distribution can't get to businesses and households, but we currently don't have enough information to come to that conclusion.

I.Joan:
datz 8.1466%, to me dat is FAILURE!

You meant 92 percent behind schedule. The Poster didn't state the measure of success, so it is premature to conclude that the projects yet to be completed have failed. However, it is still a big number to be behind schedule.

ibedun: Nigeria and indeed Africa lacks good people. Believe it or not it is impossible for bad leaders to emerge from a population of good people. We are just bad and evil and that's why we are where we are. Even the masses are bad and thoughtless and as irresponsible and reckless like their leaders.So people stop blaming "leaders"

I concur.

Baba OBJ obviously you just woke up from your slumber. Researchers have recorded that most men in their 70s need a nap. That said, Baba, but you are part of the problem(s). The tens of children you fathered in Nigeria, some living abroad should tell you so. But thanks for letting the masses know; for we would have not known. Utter nonsense. Next topic please!

Nextworldnx: I ask because when I left for service in 2010, though I had a GF before leaving for camp, I got hooked up right from the car park. At the end of the day, I had 3 new GF before our posting came out. Now 2 of those Girls had a loving and steady relationships before they came to camp as well, but we all cheated on our partners all through service year like there is no tomorrow.

Fast-forward to today, my younger brother who have a "fine and succulent" GF here, just left for kaduna Camp as early as 5:00am this morning. I just spoke to him now to know how well his trip was, only for him to tell me how he met 2 girls in the bus he took, going to thesame camp and it seems one of them is interested in him already. They have arrived camp though but they are yet to be registered(the 3 of them are the first in KD camp). They have been together all through the trip and he even gave the phone her for me to get to know her.

Now my question is this, Isn't this whole love and relationship thing a farce? Isn't it fake?.. Isn't it over-hyped..? Because for the love of me, I can't seem to understand why "out-of-sight" is really "out-of-mind".

Because I don't understand why we take cheating to another level when we go for service, and cheat on the love of our lives that we left back home.

Its pathetic.!!

I dunno what the cause is, maybe its Joblessness(trust me,a lot of corpers are idle and sleep away their time, esp in the north), waywardness, lack of morals, or maybe we just wanna catch fun.

Its just getting out of hand. Something needs to be done!

Bros, the bible said, Ecclesiastes 1:9: there is nothing new under the sun. Cyndi Lauper also sang, "Girls Just Want To Have Fun". And if I may add my 2 kobo, "both girls and boys just want to have fun." It's called adolescent years, which most humans go through. I don't think there is any need for concern or raising the alarm bells. I'd say to your brother, play safe and don't catch anything from the GFs especially the uncurable one. That's all.

Ndipe: Everybody gotta admit that we live in a dog eat dog world filled with competition and bragado on the latest purchases, be it Gucci, Samsung Galaxy, a million dollar house, etc, and in most instances, such purchases are bound to evoke envy and spite in the lives of certain people.

This leads to a rise in armed robbery, prostitution and all vices imaginable in today's society. So, few days ago, I kept wondering if our forefathers were indeed happier than our present generation.

We know that they were not materialistic as we are, but were contented to walk barefoot, (some of us want the best shoes), live in modest thatch roof homes, and at evenings, gather at the village square to regale one another with folk talks under moonlight.

We dare not incorporate that into our lives for fear of being left behind or worse, being ridiculed by our mates as being crass. Hence, the need to compete with another another, and the competition can be left brutal. But the quality of life in those days were not great, people walked miles and miles to places and even had to forego travelling because of the distance. In a whim, we can be in Paris, for a holiday as long as we have some money in our account. We can hop from one bar to another to sample exotic drinks (not kaikai or palmwine) and stroll to the mall for shopping.

But are we happier than our forefathers who did not have these privileges or were they happier?

OP, the basis for your thesis needs review. I don't think we can compare apples to oranges even though they both grow on trees. Our forefathers lived in a totally different era. While are post industrial and now in the internet age, most of our forefathers were illiterates, ignorant, superstitious, etc. Today, some of us have access to the internet, through which if we choose may be more informed than the average Joe living in the West.

Robbery on the other hand has its roots in so many other societal and environment factors including our government or lack of during recent times in Nigeria. More so, robbery or armed robbery is caused by greed, which roots are sown in poverty ridden inner cities, lack of good infrastructure for children to grow, hope, and think positive-good thoughts. If you are content with what you have, it doesn’t matter who has a Gucci bag, Prada or whatever. Or in the right environment, you know you can get funds or save to get your own. Unfortunately, that’s not the story for a lot of our youths. We want them to go to school but there is no employment upon graduation. Some of the younger ones even go to school hungry, only to beg their peers for part of their food during lunch. How is someone meant to retain any lessons taught going through this? Teachers are also not adequately paid and neither are they given respect in our society. By the way, they do have armed robberies in the West. It’s not only a Nigeria type of problem.

father ab: I have a great interest in real estate as well as in the stock market. However I have decided to seek for sincere counsels from fellow Nairalanders in order to guide me in my investments.

Thank you for dropping your own advice.

It depends on what you mean by investing in Real Estate. Are you going to invest in Real Estate per se, or buy land and build, rent, sell properties, etc? It has its risk and rewards. Now stocks on the contrary do not have as much management headaches to contend with. It's up to you the investor whether you want to own "bricks and mortar" or paper (as in stocks). Whichever tickles your fancy? They both carry risks, and both may from time to time give you sleepless nights.

@OP, it depends on what the motive of your question is. All markets today are inefficient if based on the rational of information available to rational investors. However, the market is tilted to favor prudent well-informed investors, insider traders, management, etc., which is the case everywhere in the world, Nigeria, UK, US, all included. Now should that stop anyone from investing in the stock market? I think not, but perhaps with some caution. The stock market, in general, is a business of risk and reward, with the caveat of knowing when to sell or exit a particular stock.

Cheers mate!

Good job kiddo. He's obviously got the brains. It's now high time his parents enrolled him in some type of physical education/activity. A pursuit of more IT certs would mean less time burning off calories and fat, which this boy obviously needs.

Nigeriakan: It's a great feat the boy has achieved and at such a tender age! The way Nigerian Children soar excellently high these days is just supra-natural. And such kids are almost always from private schools. The government should please make a better do for our public schools -I'm sure the boy woulnt have performed such a deed if he were a public school student. Stop killing the talents in these Kids.;(;(
And for the jealous-minded, all-mouth-no-nothing guys here, are you even able to switch on a black-and-white tv set when you were at his age? Honour to whoever deserves it

My friend, you get what you pay for. If we (the government) spend more # on public schools, they will surely produce - meaning classrooms with chairs, tables, bookshelves with books, smart boards, electricity, fully air-conditioned classrooms, well fed children,well-trained and well paid teachers, good curriculum/syllabus, small class size(s) to teacher ratio, and continuous assessments (not waiting for Almighty June to test students), our public schools will be better off. However, the West (UK, Canada, US, etc.) also complain about their public school systems when compared to products of private schools.

Read more about the "World's Most Admired Companies." Only one European company, BMW, features within the first twenty names.

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/most-admired/

val_dubem: 1. Spend wisely: Buffet still dwells in that 5bedroom apartment he purchased 55years ago.

10. Sell loosing stock when the market is up; Buy winning stock during a crash: Selling a dud stock at its worst adds to your loss, and purchasing a great stock at peak price cuts your gain. "the beauty of stocks is they do sell at silly prices sometimes. .....Thats how Charly [munger] and I got rich." warren says

Aka, don't get emotionally attached. Especially if you are lucky to own Apple or Google stock. They can one day sell for under $10/share - not because they decide to split their shares.

Anvaller: U can learn to be an entrepreneur. It depends on ur mental readiness. In that case,it might not be possible to teach entrepreneurship directly but indirectly. Although I believe more in learning entrepreneurship in a practical sphere from another (successful)entrepreneur than in a classroom environment. Class[b][/b]room environment will only teach superstitions and fixed cases. Whereas, as an entrepreneur, no situation is fixed and u must be able to solve problems as they come. So u need a raw practical understudy of a mentor entrepreneur to be able to learn effectively and successfully.
My opininion!

Regardless of the learning environment, classroom, mentorship, or as a trainee under a successful entrepreneur, the fact is it can be taught/learnt. Again, it really depends on the individual. If you can't get yourself out of bed or are not self-motivated (all which can be corrected with the right leadership), you may not think it is your calling...

tony1980: Some people are born great,some people achieve greatness and some people have greatness thrust upon them.My dear,entrepreneurship can equally be learnt.

I agree. Anything can be taught.

dvdon: Entrepreneurship is developed not acquired because if u r a born entrepreneur u can only achieve it when u learn n develop it.

If we carry on with this type of shallow thinking, we would not be able to build world-class businesses.

Timothy Ozovehe: Entrpreneurship is not for everyone but that does not mean it can not be thought. It can be thought to only those who already have the potential to be an entrepreneur. For example the Rich dad company own by Robert kiyosaki the author of Rich dad poor Dad does that. I have read many of his books and they have greatly increased my entrepreneurship abilities and skills. Though entrepreneurship is something that runs in my family. I believe I picked it up from my Mum.

Anything can be taught. However, how good the person becomes is up to the individual. If your argument holds true then we shouldn't bother with having a high literacy rate in the country because some or most are not cut out for it. Not true my friend.

Omerian Consult: Recently the world over, there has been a glut in the number of institutions seeking to teach entrepreneurship. I however believe that entrepreneurship is an innate trait which individuals often manifest at a tender age. It could even be hereditary! As such I believe that entrepreneurship can never be taught, only that salient complementary skills such as finance and marketing could be imparted into business-inclined individuals. What do you think?

@OP, open your mind. Anything can be taught. You can say the same thing for language, sex, friendship, leadership, religion, character, etc. A person taught entrepreneurship may not be cut out for it but may end up being more successful at it than a raw talent. Talent without curing and taming is always and mostly wasted. Sports are not different. With the amount of talent we once had in football in the country, we could never consistently compete with our well taught and trained western counterparts. You can also look at the West. Bill Gates is a natural coder (or programmer) that outwits his so-called MBA run companies the likes of IBM to get Microsoft to where it is today. So many successful athletes that used their talents to gain wealth and fame are now good businessmen and women.

@OP, I believe if you open your mind, you can still be taught a thing or two. If you think you know it all and you are all that, you need to get your ego in check. That's what it is, all ego.

alwaysng: i am somehow confused in this share of a thing especially when one wants to start a new venture.
lets assume i want to start a business that will require an initial funding of N2 million to take off, and i have an investor who is interested in releasing the fund and be made a director in the new business. the business is expected to grow and attract bigger investors that are willing to invest N10 million and be made directors as well. my only contribution is that i have registered the company (LTD) and i presently have 99% shares.
Now my questions is:
1. Wow do i allocate shares to these investors?
2. How is the money the business will be generating be shared?
3. Am i to be giving them money on daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis (in terms of revenue/profit?
4. how can i keep a minimum share of 55% to my self?
5. What if an investor wants his money back and pull out?
6. What are other things i need to know about company ownership and share allocation?

Please explanations with illustrations will be highly appreciated. Thanks.

@OP, your question is a finance one, with varying answers:

1. It depends. If you mean what you are saying that you are trying to raise funds from an investor(s), then the investor(s) owns a stake in the gains and risk of your venture. It would be up to the negotiations strength of the investor which would decide how much your venture is worth for how much stock he/she would be allocated in the company. Your investor(s) should also be aware that he/she may also loose all their investment. That's why most of us stay away from stocks. High risk, high reward or high loses.

2. You are already assuming your venture will make money. Good . The amount of gain, interest or dividend the investor would receive would depend on the amount of shares allocated or proportional to his/her investment.

3. It depends on the venture. You may negotiate for no returns within the first 12 to 36 months, claiming that any profits would be rolled back into the business. But quarterly dividends or every 6-months, may be more practical than weekly or monthly.

4. This would be down to your negotiation skills and what you are bringing to the table. If all you are doing is registering the company and finding investors then you'll be lucky to hold onto majority share. You need to be doing more... Who is in charge of operations, etc? Do you have the money to hire right away?

Fatdon: Just noticed it now.

Does your phone have a camera? Where are the pictures bro? Seen is believing...

Fatdon: Just noticed it now.

Does your phone have a camera? Where are the pictures bro?

ayo111uk: What is big deal about that? Probably trying to exercise. London Mayor ride bike to work. l will like to see Fasola do that. Ha ha!

Societies are different. Fasola can't do it because he'll be mugged, slapped, and mobbed. Are all his security details going to ride bikes along with him? I doubt it. Our society is not safe for such an act. And if it were safe, I doubt a poor kid like Fasola will even think of doing it. Growing up his eyes were always on the comfort of a 4-wheeler. Simple.

ayo111uk: What is big deal about that? Probably trying to exercise. London Mayor ride bike to work. l will like to see Fasola do that. Ha ha!

@Ayo, London Mayor na rich boy. Born to an upper-middle-class family in New York City, Johnson was educated at the European School of Brussels, Ashdown House School, Eton College, and Balliol College, Oxford, where he read Classics. Most Nigerians, even the so-called rich ones can't smell schools like Eaton College at £30,000/year. Not because of the cost but because they are selective or discriminate based on the kids background. Now compare that with an average Nigerian kid that grew up poor, didn't have a bike growing up talk less of a car in secondary school or university? No yearly vacation to the Americas, Asia or Europe. It's tough to do the comparison.

Dr Know: Get a tracker fitted to every flashy car and stickers displaying this. The tracking operation should be managed by a private security firm and subscription paid monthly. This will deter any potential car snatchers if they know they could be caught.

Such a device may also help keep some of our men honest at home. They can't tell madam, "honey I'm quickly going down the road," and they are somewhere they shouldn't. I think we are on to something here. I'll start working on the funding. Who is in on this venture?

success4: No. 1: Dustin Moskovitz

Age: 27
Net Worth: $3.5 billion

Dustin Moskovitz was Mark Zuckerberg's Harvard roommate and Facebook's third employee. Despite his billions, he still bikes to work and flies commercial. Moskovitz has also joined Bill Gates' Givinb Pledge. He is just 8 days younger than his friend.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/pictures/eimh45lhg/no-1-dustin-moskovitz/#gallerycontent?partner=msnedit

PS: Can a Nigerian be that humble? If you are in his position what type of car would you have bought and why?
Let's discuss!

All these kids, Mark Zuckerberg, Dustin Moskovitz, Bill Gate, etc., all grew up rich. Most rich kids in Nigeria can't even compare to what these kids were exposed to growing up. So if you grew up with very little it is very understanding that your wants growing up would be different. Your environment also plays a huge part also. These kids read about great individuals in society growing up. Most Nigerian kids read about being oppressed by the rich daily. They can see it in school, in politics, in the market, on the streets, on the news, etc... How many biographies of great individuals that contributed to society did you read as part of your curriculum in a Nigerian school? I bet the answer is zero. Well, there's your answer.

staicey: I no longer find this funny whenever it happens.

Hello? I just clocked 23 some weeks back and only for mum to slap me 2days back because i didnt make her coffee hot enough to her satisfaction. Wtf?
My mum loves slapping me around and this annoys me. Not that she doesnt love me because she still buys me stuffs and takes me out and for the fact that am the only issue, well...you know the rest but this case of slappings, i dont like. I've told her several times and after moments of apologies tendered from her, she's doing it the next minute


please, y'all whether singles or married, tell me if this sh-it is normal because am already loosing a hold of myself. I dont like this one bit

I might just move in with my dad or sue her!!

It's not right and is a form of abuse. My fear for you is for you not to end up in an abusive relationship, because you have been conditioned to such physical form of abuse growing up. Needless to say, that what you are currently enduring is not normal. Your mom may also need help. Perhaps she really feels like slapping your dad that is no longer in her life and you may remind her daily of him and therefore takes it out on you. It's time you discuss this with your mom and be prepared to do away with her financial support...

I bought my first car at the age of eighteen; it was a Datsun Bluebird 910.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/910BluebirdSSS.jpg/280px-910BluebirdSSS.jpg

kekakuz: I needed to print my online materials so went to a cafe.the attendant told me a page is N50 and I need to print about 100 pages.to save money, I decided to photocopy my friends copy at N5 per page. the attendant used the same machine for printing to photocopy,same paper same ink. This situation is like that almost every where, why is printing more costlier than photocopy. Some even charge N60 if printed from the internet.

Copying generally refers to the process of applying toner electrostatically onto paper. The duplicating machines found in most office environments, for example, are copiers. Copiers are ideal for black-and-white short runs with relatively less exacting demands for image quality.

http://www.charliechan.com/printing_basics/copying_vs_printing.shtml

So in your situation, if you are only interested in black-and-white and image quality is not of importance to you, you are better off copying than printing.

advocate666: Yes. There is a trick however. It works only if you believe.
It is wasteful to bless or curse an unbeliever.

I concur.

Jarus:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wHA85raNKk

Clears air on all questions about him.

Well-spoken and knows the subject. Unlike so many other heads in the country...

omega25red: Well the beauty of living where i do is the fact that people can be held accountable for their actions. If you say no politely and they keep coming at you, you can report that person to the HR department after gathering enough evidence. If you don't have evidence like emails , recording of phone conversations, text messages, or witnesses then you can easily be fired because they will say you have no proof.

Seems like HR issues/power within companies in Nigeria are a bit more powerless most especially when it comes to managers or the company owner. Out here you can sue the owner of a company and still work there while you are in court. Anyway if i were in Nigeria and some person wont leave me a lone (if i were a woman) i would have my man get his friends and beat the snot outta the dude.

u funny.

favynikky: I have a friend that does it and it is quite disturbing.

What are your thoughts on this?

She's looking for a promotion. She is selling. And before onlookers know, she'll be engaged and next, married.