₦airaland Forum

Some educational materials were shipped to my department by an alumnus via UPS on 12/2/2017. The package was held by Customs, pending payment of customs duties. This is normal. Also normal is this: since the enclosed items are for educational purposes, they qualify for a waiver, and my department doesn't have to pay a kobo. The process of obtaining such is supposedly straightforward. We have used other couriers in the past, and the process has usually taken between 1 and 3 days.

These are the sources of my frustration with UPS Nigeria:

1. When the package was held, I initially got no notification from them. On noting on the tracking page that the package was help in the "warehouse", I tried calling their lines TEN times. Each time, the line just rang itself out. No message, nothing. A notice eventually arrived by post SIX days after the package was held.

2. I emailed them, and they requested for the usual letter applying for a waiver. I sent that letter on 6th March, 2017. Till today, 4th April, my package remains seized.

3. My last email to them asking for an update was on 20th March. No reply till today.

What manner of "customer service" is this? This behavior is outrageous. I have used UPS in the US for over a dozen years, and this is definitely not how they operate over there.

Please who knows how to get UPS Nigeria to give me closure on this matter?

Some educational materials were shipped to my department by an alumnus via UPS on 12/2/2017. The package was held by Customs, pending payment of customs duties. This is normal. Also normal is this: since the enclosed items are for educational purposes, they qualify for a waiver, and my department doesn't have to pay a kobo. The process of obtaining such is supposedly straightforward. We have used other couriers in the past, and the process has usually taken between 1 and 3 days.

These are the sources of my frustration with UPS Nigeria:

1. When the package was held, I initially got no notification from them. On noting on the tracking page that the package was help in the "warehouse", I tried calling their lines TEN times. Each time, the line just rang itself out. No message, nothing. A notice eventually arrived by post SIX days after the package was held.

2. I emailed them, and they requested for the usual letter applying for a waiver. I sent that letter on 6th March, 2017. Till today, 4th April, my package remains seized.

3. My last email to them asking for an update was on 20th March. No reply till today.

What manner of "customer service" is this? This behavior is outrageous. I have used UPS in the US for over a dozen years, and this is definitely not how they operate over there.

Please who knows how to get UPS Nigeria to give me closure on this matter?

Truelies2017:
You all have spoken well. And yes the story isn't complete. But I didn't bother breaking it down cause I feel there is still no reason whatsoever to annoy you to the point of calling me a vagabond. It killed the love I have for him instantly at that moment. The fact an a wife makes my husband talk to me anyhow.... Cause with time it will unconsciously be depicted in our ways and we won't remember it was our mouth that caused it.

Hubby was dead wrong to call you a vagabond, but there's a lot more to this story.

I can sense the pungent passive-aggression in you from your posts, and (i) menfolk hate that with a passion (ii) most decent men who can't raise their hands against their wives find their different ways to vent when pushed to their limit. Using harsh language seems to be your hubby's (granted, it's unbecoming of him).

Rather than focus on the language, I'd ask you to focus on the passive-aggression and other things that are getting his temper boiling. After you take care of your own issues, tactfully point out his. I assume of course that you're more interested in having a happy union than in being reassured that you are right...

As I watch the Dino Melaye certificate drama with amusement, I want to add the following information:

It is entirely possible for a student to be graduated in error. That is, one way or the other, such a student's name gets forwarded by the department for processing whereas he actually failed to meet the requirements for graduation. Such a scenario would allow both the VC and Melaye's former department to be right. That is, the VC could have used the records of the university Senate, while (elements in) the department having access to raw results can still state authoritatively that graduation requirements were never met. If this is the case, then Melaye (or his goose, hehe) is indeed cooked, as the university can come out and say he was graduated in error.

Is this scenario possible? Sure to the Nth. I have, with my own eyes, seen multiple cases of students graduated in error [cough...not my department...cough].

Mind you: I do not know the specifics of this case. Take the above information only as FYI, and not as a commentary or suggestion of any kind on how this drama will play out.

musicwriter:
We have Pidgin English to do just that!. It's far better than English in reach!!.

Good God! I don't even know where to start. Abeg, let me go out for lunch jeje . Cheers.

musicwriter:
The official language in Yorubaland should be Yoruba. The official language in Igboland should be Igbo. e.t.c.

And the official language of the Federal Government would be what? Before you say "all three of the above", you need to realize that each zone has multiple distinct languages. E.g. there are actually multiple distinct dialects of Yoruba, such that four men from Ondo, Ijebu, Owo and Akoko would not understand themselves.

It's good to think out of the box, but don't jump to conclusions (in this case, that this is a trivial problem).

musicwriter:
This excuses you have has been around for over 100 years. This's why I said "it's time to come out of the box".

Vietnam has changed it's" official language" for French to Vietnamese...

So Nigeria should change its official language from English to...to what? Hausa? Ibo? Yoruba? Izon? Which dialect of these?

iaamxavier:
lol I think most eastern and northern school are very strict on non indegene but if u talk about the west I say OAU

If you don't know, why don't you keep your mouth shut rather than spew ignorant rubbish? My department alone has a disproportionately high number of students from Anambra State in particular, and having been involved in the admission process multiple times, I know for a fact that your ignorant guess is baseless.

Swahili0:
pLs house help me i have feeling for ladies and i dont know what to do

I've sent you a PM. Let's talk.

DeAvenger:
I stand against terrorism say no to #Ifemassacre

Hashtag warrior, what is this Ife Massacre of which you speak?

Strahovski1:
Tell her to proceed on the divorce. Infact, help her pay the bills of the law suit

Modified
----
To those saying it's not enough. I bet 80% of you are single and you have no idea indeed what contents are of marriage. Yes.

Marriage IS NOT a task! Neither is it some kind of Job or Project....P.s I'm a married man and yet, I don't encourage anyone to stay in a marriage where infidelity looms.

Don't keep those rose-tinted glasses on for too long.

A good marriage takes hard work and discipline. To pretend that things will always be peace and pancakes between spouses is to fool one's self. If your advice is to cut and run at the first sign of trouble, well...I comment my reserve

As one speaker once asked, "how would you feel if all you had to eat for the rest of your life was eba, eba, eba?" . Marriage is like deciding to wear one shirt for life, knowing you will encounter all sorts of shirts with exciting colors and nice cuts. It's doable, but to pretend that it is easy is bonkers. I don't condone cheating, but you're preaching an unrealistic version of marriage.

samsam2019:
she practically knows nothing about what makes a computer. Nigerian schools ceeate zombies who only go to school for the certificate

Can I ask which university she attended, and her degree class?

charloski:
The only reason I'm just schooling now is just to tell me kids I went to the Uni and Nigeria companies...

Can you please tell me what a greedy algorithm is, and what classes of problems NOT to apply such to?
I would like to know what types of problems you tutor computer science graduates on.

If what you typed above is true, then you have a completely warped mindset about tertiary education, and may not get much out of it.

There's more to computer science than writing good Python code or debugging a C# program!

kinibigdeal:
I will start by asking, can experience (with no educational background) make up for a lack of degree, or does a degree provide something that experience cannot? Is one more valuable than the other? Here lies the argument.

I see your argument, but I disagree.
1. I take it that by "degree", you don't mean the actual degree, but the education that leads to it.
2. A sense in which your argument is valid is this: experience acquired for a narrow range of tasks can actually be more useful than a degree for carrying out those, or similar tasks effectively. Hence, a mechanic can seem to understand certain aspects of cars more than a B.Sc. (Automobile Eng).
3. Experience won't give you the ability to abstract, a tool to solve any entirely new class of problems for which you have no experience. A good education can. In fact, this should be one of the primary outcomes of a good education.
4. So, a B.Sc. (Automobile Eng.) who observes a mechanic for a short while will (should!) be able to explain components and techniques in a superior way, and extend them in ways the mechanic can't.
5. Generally speaking, someone depending on experience can perform a related set of functions excellently well, but a properly-educated individual will be able to come up with better/new ideas and push the envelope in unusual ways.

A major caveat:
6. Humans are extremely nonlinear (or even stochastic) systems; few courses outside of the social sciences help in understanding or managing them. IMHO, management and entrepreneurship tasks depend more on experience and soft skills than the domain-specific skills which are the focus of university education.

Realist2:
Forward the Victim's details to me, we could get him an apartment.

God bless you for this. I also signed in just to request for his details.
How can we get the victim's verified contact details?

Unless there is more to the story, I think society owes Mr. Nwaogo something for this debacle.

EmmySparky:
even being anonymous does not justify this...i am thinking u could also do this kinda shii...one thing about life is being mentally strong...if another person's action is making u contemplate on taking ur life then bro ...u aint ready for life yet...continue defending morally decaded kids....

I agree with you; OP has issues he needs to work on.

But it is important that everyone has a chance to get things off their chest, no matter how awful (every one of us nurses dark thoughts from time to time). The crux of our disagreement is that you think he's disgracing his mum by calling her out in public, but I'm saying he's anonymous, which allows him to get stuff off his chest without really embarrassing himself or her. Or do you know their identities?

Annamma:
She always want to have the final say in every issue not minding the feelings of others. She doesnt waste time to switch her allegiance and love to any of her children that has it big at the very moment..

She is in her 60s but always believe she knows the current things more than us. Immagine the torchlight Nokia phone we bought for her she cant even operate it well, but now telling us that we dont love her because we didnt buy android touchscreen phone for her to be browsing.
What is she going to browse? when she cant even communicate with english fluently.

You will teach her one thing for many months and even spend years doing serial correction for her, yet she wont get it right.

Your mum has a right to want what she wants, either she's literate or not. The question is: can you conveniently afford what she wants? If you can, then get it for her. It's none of your business why she wants it. If you can't afford it, explain to her, and I expect her to be reasonable.

If, rather than going at the issue from the angle of affordability, you question her need for the device, you will get wahala, and deservedly so. It would be your fault.

In the typical African (I repeat, African!) culture, your parents don't have to earn your respect or love by thinking or acting right. In Africa, that respect and love is assumed, at least within reasonable limits. Being overbearing, or demanding certainly falls in the ballpark of what African parents can do without expecting to lose the respect or love of their children.

BTW, I see nothing in your post to suggest megalomania. Just saying.

EmmySparky:
i see...u also drag ur parents to public forums and publicly bombard them with all sorts of insultive words right?...continue...karma is definitely going to catch up with y'all ungrateful kids...u would one day have ur own kids...and hopefully they won't just say these things behind ur back but directly to ur face....mark my words...and for ur information...the places i have travelled to in my life time , i doubt if u would ever get there...

Relax. Expecting people to bottle everything up usually leads to disaster (e.g., OP has already contemplated suicide). I see absolutely nothing wrong in asking for advice, and, yes, using strong language (if that is how s/he truly feels) as long as s/he remains anonymous. Either help him/her or move on.

ymee:
Easier said than done, without capital nothing to do

Thanks, can u provide a laptop ?

SMH...

anonimi:
...VOLUNTEERING for a school, religious group, charitable association such as an orphanage to set up a simple system for them and maintain for them until they find you indispensable and realise how much VALUE you have added to their organisation they start OFFERING to pay you out of their own volition and you start climbing from there...

Mr. OP, find this guy and buy him a drink. More importantly, do as he says.

ymee:
After stayed at home for almost a year jobless I now believed that connection is the only way to get a good job in Nigeria because all those graduated with 2.2 and pass but well connected are all gainfully employed. Me with my strong 2.1math/comp.sci still here jobless, if na to pray i don turn to prayer warrior all to no avail but I still blv God can do it, I've attended some interviews only to meet like 50 applicants (some with experience) on one/two positions hmmm also no even 20k to start any business

You seem to assume that a 2.1. is a ticket to the good life. Companies pay for what you have to offer them, not your degree class. So I want you to ask yourself: what have you got to offer any company, that hundreds of thousands of other applicants can't match? NOBODY, and I mean NOBODY who can answer that question confidently can stay jobless for long.

Lots of empty barrels with connections get good jobs, but I daresay even more talented individuals without connections get good jobs too. Connection or unique skillset: you've got to have one or the other (or both) or you're screwed in today's Nigeria.

YoungRichRuler:
...

Remember, when you're talking, you aren't learning because you already know everything you're saying

Taa, this is not true. Teaching is one of the best ways to learn. As you explain, you gain new perspectives, and often see cracks in your own comprehension.

There are two possible problems:

1. If you teach multiple groups the same topics at different times, you're effectively wasting time.
Suggestion: teach each topic only once or at most twice.

2. Some people perform poorly under exam conditions either due to tension, or because they are unable to properly marshal their thoughts and/or present in a coherent/legible manner. Perhaps this is you. Something in your post suggests this. To quote:
"their result will be perfect than my own" Poor use of English will affect your performance in most examinations.

Suggestion: Try to talk to as many lecturers as are willing, to let you see your scripts, just to gauge how well you perform under exam conditions, and to identify any patterns. Also take steps to consciously and deliberately improve your written (if not spoken) English.

brasilia:
I can do anything for peace to reign

"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings."

I don't want to comment on the issue of your wife and her friend, but scanning through this thread, it is obvious (IMO) that you need to look inwards first. You sound weak-willed, and basically invite your woman to ride rough-shod over you. I'd be less concerned about confronting your wife's friend (childish idea, that...) and address the issue at the source: RESPECT. Love feeds on respect. You wife does not seem to respect you, and I'm going to blame you for that. You need to work on earning her respect. Any other thing you do (surveillance, confrontation...whatever) will either hasten the demise of your marriage, or push your BP up a few points. As you yourself observed, she's apparently past caring at this stage.

Good luck dude.

Seanjay:
But he didn't died of hypertension he died due to the stabbing of the knife the man and his wife stabbed him didn't you read the part I said it was charmed knife are you a Yoruba ? Before he died the injured part started getting black and all of a sudden my uncle which was fear turned black and but it started from the sore spot it is then we know he was started with a charmed knife

I am a Yoruba. I believe in poisoned knives, not charmed knives. You won't know for sure that he didn't die of complications related to hypertension until an autopsy is done. If your family has any plan to pursue this further, may I advise that a "charmed knife" argument is not admissible in court? Please note that I am neither holding brief for the couple, nor trivializing the pain you are going through.

All the best.

Seanjay:
You won't say this if he was your family cause he's my uncle and the man stabbed him with charmed knife which Yoruba called Obe Makanje.... am still surprise he's gone.... so sad right now

I'm really sorry for your loss, but your uncle was probably hypertensive. An autopsy will shed light on the real cause of his death.

petux:
Hello Nairalanders,
I am currently in a dilenma which i don't know what chioce to make. Currently, i am a student of yabatech, still in ND1. Due to our late resumption, i picked up another jamb and fortunately for me, i was admitted to Unilag for the same course i am studying in yabatech. I really dont know if runing the two might be good for me or leaving my ND programme for Bsc. I met with some people who have graduated and ask for advices. Some told me to run both since they are not far from each other while some told me to leave yabatech so it affect both. Up till now, i have not made a decision. I decided to come bk here and ask for your advices on what to do about this as unilag will be starting lectures fully on Monday. Your comment will be appreciated.
Thanks and God Bless.
Lalasticlala fynestboi

Drop out of the ND, and focus on the Unilag programme.

This is a 100% true story: I once had a student who was running his HND in Yabatech concurrently with his BSc programme with us. I only found out when I invited him for a chat(he was on probation). Sadly, Yabatech tossed him when they found out he was a student of OAU [this is what he told me!! I don't know how Yabatech found out!]. As at the time we had our chat, he had just been tossed, and was quite depressed. According to him, he got to HND 2 in Yabatach. Long story short, his "probation" in OAU eventually because became "termination of studentship" due to poor performance.

AFAIK, per JAMB, it is illegal to run two programmes in tertiary institutions concurrently.

STILESGANG:
I have 3 different friends in 3 different state universities and they tell me about how they have to sort before passing courses in their schools.What type of graduates are these schools grooming?

What is sorting?

1wolex85:
You are only what you want to see Man. I have said it in five or six posts on this same thread that this is absolutely cbn's fault. I blame them for not deepening the cashless policy, I never blamed any bone headed masses as you put it in any of my posts, all my posts are still here, I have edited none. What I am saying is that there is no deliberate attempt to deny people of their funds because if that were the case, other channels will not work. Again you see only what you want to see.

Then, comment on Leopantro's post. It gives a plausible explanation for why people cannot access their money via ATM (I gave a personal example).

And as I have said, if you stop me from accessing my money in the form in which it is useful, that is denial pure and simple.

1wolex85:
Sincerely I am tired. To each his own. Let us just agree to disagree. I just hope the cbn will wake up and go full hog of this cashless policy so we don't find ourselves at the same place next year

Sure, let us agree to disagree. But it's important to evaluate one's point of view from time to time. As others have told you, you're idealistic, and (this is not intentional) condescending. Imagine implying that I and others hold our views because we have a misconception about the nature of money.

You say you're tired, but I think my post simply showed abundantly that, sugarcoat it as you like, the fault is the CBN's, and not bone headed masses refusing to go cashless.

1wolex85:
The problem here is you still think money is only physical cash. As long as I can use my money through other channels, it means no one is preventing me from using my money

1wolex,what we are telling you is that if those other channels you talk about are not acceptable to the people I want rto transact with, you should give me my money in the appropriate form, else, you're denying me. Besides, I'm expecting your rebuttal to my last post