₦airaland Forum

It is a good move by Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) authorities. KSA is going to impart some knowledge into students of music at the university. I have always advocated for this kind of knowledge transfer. It should not always be about theories, but deep practicality of skills. Many Nigerian don't know what to do with their degrees because they just read to pass exams. They never had the opportunity to put what they were taught into practice before graduating. Cheers.

Hi all, I just heard GT's single- 'Osima Gbomi' ( You'll listen to me ) some minutes ago. The guy is hot o. Try and conduct an online search of his songs. Cheers.

I'll go for GT. He has a bright future ahead of him. Wande Coal is good too, but something tells me GT will soon blow up. Cheers.

@Lawyer

You're too good. Thanks for enlightening me more on te Mortgage System In Nigeria. I have always had this idea of living in Oyo State and building my house there. I don't have to live in Lagos or Abuja to be successful in life and add value to the lives of Nigerians. Once I have internet connection, telephones and can power my office myself, I can run my business from Ibadan. I dont need to be in debt to Nigerian banks. I can only operate bank accounts with them. Cheers.

I feel the State Police idea is good. However, the State Police should be able to work hand in hand with the existing Police Force. It is not as if our current Police officers are all corrupt. I've come across a lot of honest and dedicated officers in different states of the country. What we need do is to reorientate the present crop of officers in the country and pay them respectable wages. Their take home pay is too low for comfort. As for the Lagos State Police, I know Fashola will invest huge sums of money in the scheme. Fshola is setting the pace for other State Governors in the country. There is hope for Nigeria.

The North can do without the oil from the Niger-Delta if only they can convert their Agricultural produce into finished products. What obtains now is that the people of the North do not have the intellectual know how of plunging into Industrialization. Dangote is only interested in doing things for himself and not the whole North. The Northern elite will continue to depend on oil grants because they don't want the commoners to be liberated. Industrialization and Modernity fosters deep thinking and the Northern elite dont want their people to start asking questions.

People can be funny at times

I must admit the boys played well. They fought for the ball and had a quick recovery rate whenever the lost the ball to the French players. Though I am not a fan of Amodu Shuaibu, I am happy for him. He still has to prove he is capable of the taking the Eagles to the World Cup next year. Vincent Enyeama was amazing. No wonder he received a lot of accolades in Israel. The French team was not that bad. Our boys were just determined to win. That is the kind of spirit we need to carry into the game against Kenya this coming weekend. Cheers All.

Our true coach will come and collect what was stolen from him by the NFF after Egypt 2009. I hope our chances of qualifying for SA 2010 would not have been blown by then. I know Samson Siasia will be somewhere watching this match and thoughtfully.

You've all spoken my mind. However, I would ask him these 5 questions. Here we go-

1. Mr President, why did you agree to be President, knowing fully well that you did not win the elections, and that your health is suspect. Do you know that you can die in office?

2. What is really stopping you from solving Nigeria's electricity problem? Are you scared of the Generator-Merchant Cabals in the country?

3. I hope you've not taken an oath at a shrine with your Godfathers [ whoever they may be ], not to let Nigeria develop?

4. How much have you spent in treating yourself? I'm talking about all the flights to and treatments in Germany. Are your expenses drawn from taxpayers money or the National treasury?

5. Please can you leave office in 2011? It will do you a lot of good. Are you gunning for a 2nd term in office? I hope you don't. A lot of Nigerians think you should vacate Aso Rock for Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State. Thank you sir for the audience.

@Truthonly

Wow, you've made my day. Thanks for your insightful analysis. I guess you've been reading EUROMONEY or other International Financial Magazines. Banking in Nigeria is a huge joke. I don't have anything against people taking up banking jobs, but there is so much work to be done in our banking system. A good bank should be able to support new viable businesses and start-ups that will in turn generate money for them. Our bank managers are not futuristic in their thinking. They only think of today I don't want to say much here lest my ideas are lifted off Nairaland by some opportunists who will use them for seminars and Annual General Meetings without giving me credit. Ideas and Intellectual theft is getting rampant in Nigeria Cheers.

With the coming of Sanusi as CBN boss, I hope the Nigerian Banking Industry will become very professional. Our banks need to start competing internationally. Sanusi has to match his words with action. I don't like the '' No Business As Usual '' catchphrase. OBJ used it and did not achieve much. We need ' less talk, more action ' leaders in Nigeria. Cheers.

With the coming of Sanusi as

I'm not so into R&B. I will just list out my 10 best songs. Here we go-

1. Grits- Be mine
2. Tunde Baiyewu- I've Never walked Alone
3. Masta Ace- Inc ride
4. KUSH- Angels
5. Onyeka Onwenu- I'm The One
6. Edward Inyang [ Blackky ]- Blackky Skanks
7. Bone Thugz N Harmony- Crossroads
8. Phil Collins- True Colour
9. Lighthouse Family- High
10. Sade- Your Love Is King

Cheers.

@ Konti

What is the name of the bank you work in? I would love to know because I'm happy to hear that you've given loans up to 30 million naira to traders and entrepreneurs. Just let us know. Thanks.

There are other intelligent ways our banks can generate business. The plain truth is that many bank managers are not innovative enough. Marketing in our banks should not be restricted to chasing the moneybags and corrupt Politicians. I am not against banks employing graduates anyway. It is a free world, mates. What I'm not happy about is that Nigerian banks are not adding value to the lives of Nigerians. They need to invest in Nigerian youths and use other briliant approaches to generate money. I wont spill out my ideas on Nairaland. I think I should make our banks pay me millions of Naira for my ideas. Afterall, they dont provide their services freely for Nigerians. Cheers.

I'm happy President Obama is snubbing Nigeria. Yar'Adua is not a good president. The guy is sick for God's sake!!! How can a sick man lead us? What were his achievements when he was the Governor of Katsina State? When I see Yar'Adua's pictures, I'm always having a feeling that he might die in office He looks frail. A sick man leading Nigeria is a bad omen. It has spiritual connotations for the future of our country. We need to do something dramatic in 2011. Cheers.

Governor Fashola rocks. I'm deeply impressed by what he has achieved so far. He has good intentions for the people of Lagos and Nigerians in general. He is a man of destiny and I think he is set to do more for Lagos State. However, those calling for him to be President in the future should be cautious. It might not be God's plan for him to make it to Aso Rock. BRF could be the forerunner for the man or woman that will take Nigeria to the promised land. He has already made a huge print in the sands of time. That young man or woman that will be the President who will transform Nigeria is probably watching Fashola now and feeling inspired.

What I'm trying to say is that Nigerian youths and Children need more good role models like Fashola. We need to start drumming it into the ears of our teenagers and kids that they can decide to be different even in a corrupt country like Nigeria. Fashola has decided to add value to the lives of Nigerians with the small resources at his disposal. The action governor has also warned his admirers not to congratulate him on the pages of newspapers and on the TV. We need humble leaders in Nigeria. Fashola is a solid role model in Politics, Samson Siasia is a great role model in Sports, Reuben Abati remains a good Media role model and also the conscience of the nation. Fellow Nairalanders, are you good role models in your small spheres of influence? Cheers.

It won't happen. The Western countries know what they are doing. What they are interested in is meeting their visa targets at their embassies. The money they can make in a year on visa fees remain the bottomline. They also want our visionless leaders to bring money into their economies

GIGO

Garbage In, Garbage Out.

It is what we put into our children that they will manifest in the future. My parents never condoned cheating in exams. Infact, I was flogged for not performing well in school. In High School, I was asked to repeat JSS2 [ though when we resumed, I was promoted for some strange reasons I cant understand till today ] and guess what my dad told me when he saw my report card.

' Get out of my sight '. he said. His harsh comment cut into me and I buckled up in the next academic year. Helping our children to cheat in exams will only make them corrupt in the future. Cheers.

I will be very happy if guys and ladies on this thread can lay their hands on a Magazine called EUROMONEY. The Magazine deals with Global Banking. I have been reading the Magazine since 1997. Honestly, the Nigerian Banking System is very crude and light years away from what obtains in other parts of the world. Instead of looking for other ways to bring money into their vaults, our banks prefer to turn a good number of their workers into marketers. Of recent, I've been reading online about how some Nigerian banks are charging customers ridiculous sums of money for using their ATM machines. It is a very unethical way of doing things

Our banks need to connect with the people. When a bank receives huge sums of money from the elite into their vaults, what do they expect? These elites will turn around to borrow large sums of money to further their businesses. The banks, foolishly, will then be expecting to make quick profits. At the end of the day, some of these 'elite' borrowers fail in the ventures they engage in and cannot pay back their loans to the banks. We can now see the reason why some Nigerian banks collapsed in the past, i.e Savannah Bank, National Bank et al and why others could not meet up with Soludo's requirements.
Our banks need us more than we need them. They need to connect with us. If Nigerian banks really want to increase the money in their vaults, they need to reach out to the ordinary man on the street. They need to improve their information systems and approach

What our banks have not realized is that a lot of the people they look down upon have a lot of money which they keep in the hands of the local Bank men [ Baba Alajos' or whatever they are called. Can't be bothered ]. Those Market women in our various markets from Bodija to Oke-Arin are very rich o. The other day in Akure [ 2006 ], I saw the Mama Oloja of market women in Ondo State being driven in a solid jeep. Anyway, our banks need to provide information in our local languages to people who don't understand English. The ewa agonyin sellers ( sweet beans ) need to be informed about operating bank accounts and other useful financial information. And the information needs to be given to her in a language she understands.

Mr Erastus Akingbola, Mr Francis Atuche, Mrs Cecilia Ibru, and the heads of other banks, I'm talking to you. Please invest in the lives of our youths and graduates. Don't demand for ridiculous collaterals from them when they request for loans. Many of them are just starting out in life. Try and reason with me, please. What you need to do is to set up a division in your banks that will manage Mentoring and Entrepreneurship Schemes that will add value to the lives of our youths. Approve loans for reliable graduates and youths who are potential entrepreneurs with good business plans, monitor how they spend the money you've given to them, be involved in the businesses they've started, advise them along the way, set up bank accounts for them, care for them- plan for them. When the businesses succeed, collect your loans back. In that way, you would be spawning a generation of businessmen and entrepreneurs who will provide jobs for a lot of citizens. Right now, you're chasing shadows. You stand to benefit a lot from the ideas I've given. Cheers.

While I was serving, a good number of my NYSC colleagues were writing all kinds of aptitude tests conducted by different banks in the country. I was serving in Akure then. Some corpers travelled to Lagos, Benin and different parts of Nigeria to write the tests. I refused to follow suit and many people thought I was crazy. While they were writing the tests, I would lie on my bed, in my room, in a house in an impoverished area of Akure called Isolo, listening to my discman. I was not interested working in a bank. My colleagues would come back with all sorts of stories about how the tests went. They would then look at me and shake their heads.

Today, I'm happier for the actions I took then. The Nigerian banking industry is in a mess. One of my colleagues got a job with Diamond Bank and left within two months. He is now with Zain Nigeria. Our banks are not doing anything to aid the development of Nigeria. They declare huge profits at the end of the financial year, without investing in youths and other schemes that will help put value in the lives of Nigerians. When you enter a Nigerian banking hall, how much information is available to you? There are hardly any leaflets or information packs that you can pick for free from designated areas. We don't have banks in Nigeria. We only have deposit houses.

In the UK and the US, banks make more money by investing in start-ups and the youths. The British and American banks also provide quality information to customers on different areas of life especially Entrepreneurship and Business. When you enter a typical British bank, you come across all kinds of Leaflets, Information packs and brochures. You're bombarded with information that is life-changing. In Nigeria, the opposite occurs. You come across cashiers with inflated egos who think they are doing you a favour. You come across bank workers who can't answer your questions properly. Nigerian banks are not connecting with the populace. This shows that the quality of bankers in Nigeria is low.

Anyway, I'm happy I'm not a banker. If you work in a Nigerian Bank, I wish you the best.

The most powerful people in Nigeria today are the Religiuos Leaders. They wield so much power but they have not been able to use that power to effect changes in Nigeria. All the inept and corrupt Politicians we keep complaining about will quickly develop cold feet if they are summoned by their church or Islamic leaders. We know how many of our Governors went to the Redemption Camp during the Holy Ghost Festivals. Some of them hold on to the words of our various Arch Bishops and Bishops, Imams and Alfas, Shrine Priests and Babalawos as if their lives depend on it. Our religious leaders need to borrow a leaf from Martin Luther King Jnr, who despite being a Baptist Minister, fought for the rights of Blacks and other minorities in the USA. Cheers.

I will vote for an Ex-Politician's offspring if he or she has demonstrated the will to toe a different path away from the corrupt antics of his or her father. If the aspirant is honest and has a track record of excellence, he or she has my vote. I wouldnt want to judge people because they come from a certain family. Cheers.

NIPOST will be around for a long time, mates. People are still writing and receiving letters in Nigeria inspite of the advent of the internet. The reason why it seems people do not write letters again is because NIPOST does not have an effective home delivery service. Most letters are dropped into the Postal boxes at the the different Post Offices all over Nigeria. In the UK, US and other developed nations, letters and parcels are dropped into your mailbox or into your home through the letterbox on your door. Sometimes, the Post Delivery man knocks on your door and hands your mail to you.

There is some joy in touching mails physically. Nothing can beat that. The man that started that the transformation of NIPOST, Mohammed Argungu, died in a Plane crash in 2005. His deputy died some days later. NIPOST ground to a halt after their deaths. Thank God, NIPOST is back and getting stronger. Cheers.

yeah, man, it is good to end up with the right woman. Thanks for the advice. Cheers.

wow, all kinds of ways to cook jollof rice here. I remember back in the days when I was a kid. At the family gatherings we had, I and the other youngsters used to scratch the bottom of the agbari-ojukwu's with our spoons to enjoy the partially burnt jollof rice remnants. I am laughing as I type this post. Jollof rice is really nice. I cant wait to get married in the near future so that my woman can cook this delicious dish for me Cheers.

Sunflower oil or Soya oil does it for me. Cheers.

We dont need to die to make Nigeria a better place. We only need to change our attitude to life. The problem with Nigeria is not only that of bad leadership, but also bad followership and a general poverty of the mind. Many Nigerians find it difficult to initiate and implement projects no matter how small. The United Kingdom, USA and many other developed countries are successful because a good number of their citizens are making creative use of their time. In Nigeria, it is the opposite.

Everyone waits for the government to do something in Nigeria. That is why we are where we are. Stuck in the ditch Let take a look at the banks in Nigeria. I believe many bank managers are not thinking deep enough. Nigerian banks can make more money by investing in youths and graduates who want to be entrepreneurs. The bitter truth is that our banks just use the money deposited in their vaults by customers to assist importers and exporters for short term profits. Our banks do not have to give the cash just like that to the youths and graduates. They can set up an entrepreneurship and Monitoring scheme that will guide the youths and graduates step by step on how to set up their businesses and make profit. The bank will know how the young entrepreneur is spending the grant given to him daily or weekly. Then when the profits roll in, the banks can collect their loans back with minimum interest. Are our banks thinking at all? They declare fantastic profits at the end of the financial year but cannot impact the lives of Nigerian youths positively

As a people, we have stopped caring for others. Once a Nigerian makes some money and breaks out of poverty, he forgets about where he's coming from. That is why our communities remain poor without facilities. That is why we have primary and secondary schools without libraries and facilities. That is why we have universities with halls of residence that look like refugee camps. We do not have a heart in this country. The few Nigerians that are doing positive things are not well publicised. If many of us can go back to our primary and secondary schools and donate some gallons of paint or renovate some classes, donate some books, shelves etc etc, those schools will change in a matter of months. We simply don't care any more. Yet we condemn the state of those schools.

We don't need to die to change Nigeria. We only need to be more caring. The causes of our country's problems are mostly internal. We hardly think of adding value to the lives of others. And let me let you into a secret: If you have ideas of how to make things work in Nigeria and can turn it into a business concept, you will have backing from some eminent Nigerians. No one rejects a good business plan with a social conscience. Cheers.

I prefer Abuja to Lagos. Abuja is really nice and it is a well organized place. Lagos is too congested and full of rowdiness. I was in Abuja some years ago and the place was really lovely. One city that has failed to live up to its potential is Ibadan. It should be Nigeria's Houston or Nevada. Now that Adedibu is dead, I hope the ancient city will take its place among the best cities in Nigeria and Africa.

I have been waiting to come across this kind of topic on Nairaland. I know most of the problems fresh graduates are facing have deep roots in bad governance by our leaders. The Nigerian Government is grossly inept and has failed to implement good policies that will change the lives of the citizenry. It is only in Nigeria that there is discrimination between University and Polytechnic certificates. In Germany, you dont need to be a university graduate to live a good life. The German Government has a system of education in place that separates people into different classes as they grow up. Youngsters who love to read are painstakingly guided to the university level [ Gymnasium ] while those with technical skills are prepared for vocational careers [ Hauptschule ]. Every one gets to live a comfortable life at the end of the day.

However, I feel fresh graduates have to take their destinies into their hands. Time is very precious and they need to start thinking of how to to be employers of labour. God has deposited gifts and creative abilities in all of us. If we can use the creativity in us, we won't be looking for jobs all the time. The richest men in the world today, decided at an early age to be self employed. Nigeria is a virgin land for those who can dare to dream. A lot of opportunities abound in Nigeria. Fresh Graduates only need to sit down and think of what they can do to make money from other people. I know a lot of infrastructure is not on ground in Nigeria, but  a lot of money can still be made by courageous graduates. I don't want to beat about the bush. I have 7 business ideas for Fresh Graduates. I believe these ideas can work if they are strictly adhered to. And they dont need much capital to start with. Here we go-

1. Catering Services: If you're good at making cakes, chin-chin, doughnuts and other small chops, this is an opportunity for you to make good money and be financially independent. You can start this business with 10-20,000 Naira or less than that. You will need to package your food products well. One of the mistakes people make is that one just needs to make the refreshments and put them in a show glass infront of a shop or in a supermarket. You wont sell much using that method. You will need to take your products to the buyers or potential customers. How will you do this? You have to create awareness about your snacks by designing some promotional materials like leaflets and Information Packs [ just 2 pages ]. Your promotional material should be colourful and very catchy. Pictures of the snacks should be on the leaflets with your phone numbers, website or blog/ email address. The leaflets and promotional materials can be handed out to your church members and at Public places. If the leaflets are well designed and colourful, they wont be thrown away by those you hand them to. You can go to Private schools in your area and drop the leaflets. One thing I will assure you is this: If you're good at making snacks, you will have a lot of clients. Do some research about Leaflets on the internet.

2. Dancing Classes and Martial Arts Workshops: If you can beat Michael Jackson on the dancefloor or defeat Jet Li in a shaolin contest, why don't you use your skills to earn a living? You'll be surprised that there are many teenagers and youths out there who want to learn how to dance or develop fighting skills. All you need to do is to get out some promotional materials to the public. Make sure your Leaflets and catalogues are well designed with your contact details on them. You don't need to spens a fortune on advertising. Start with direct marketing through leaflets and flyers. Go to secondary schools and universities and hand them over to students there. Don't charge outrageous fees. Charge moderately. Some parents are looking for what to engage their children with especially on Saturdays and during the holidays. As the business grows, you can start a small website with photos of your classes on it. There are free web hosting sites online e.g 4t.com, 8m.net etc. Dont forget that Facebook, Bebo, Hi5 and Myspace can be used to enhance your promotional materials. Start thinking, graduate.

3. Leaflet/Flyer Distribution Business: Are you a good graphic Artist? Do you know how to use the computer to design things? Do you have a way with words? Can you write good copy? Then you can start a Flyer and Leaflet Distribution Business. I have seen so many badly designed flyers and Posters in Nigeria. Nigeria has not yet woken up to the power of Leaflet Distribution. Direct Marketing is the key today. TV and Radio adverts are ephemeral in nature. Leaflets can spend years in people's homes if they are catchy and well designed. A lot of resources for your Flyer design business can be found online. You will need to approach schools and businesses in your area and other nearby places and tell them the benefits of advertising directly to their potential customers. Design dummy leaflets and show them to the business owners. If you can convince them that their slaes will be boosted, they will patronize you. Then you have to hire distributors to deliver the leaflets into people's homes or hand them to people on the streets. You will need to pay the distributors. Use secondary school youngsters for a start. You won't need to pay them much.

I have other ideas for businesses that can be started by Fresh graduates in Nigeria, but lack of time will not allow me to type them all out here. I'm thinking of writing a book about them and doing more research on other ideas and aspects of marketing. One thing I've noticed is that a good number of Nigerian graduates have been programmed to always look for jobs. I'm not against job hunting but it is good to start something on our own. Dont wait for government loans or bank loans. Start small and be very creative. Use the power of the internet and direct marketing to your advantage.

I'm giving these ideas freely and if you want more information on any of them, send me an email at: tolukandi@yahoo.com

I will endeavour to give you more information and direct you to links online. I won't ask you for any money. Just trying to help out. Cheers.