₦airaland Forum

newintexas:
The french and Russian presidents or whatever title they use are typical example of leaders who goes everywhere with translators, it does not embarass their people because they are smart enough to know that intelligence does not start with speaking good English.

You have made a fair point. Remember the French or Russian national language is not English. The last time I checked, the national language of Nigeria is English. If we choose English as our national language, then we should speak English properly. Until we choose another language as our national language, this is not an excuse for me.

I would also expect a British or American citizens to speak the English language properly. It doesn't make it right if they cannot. Anyone who is taught English in school should speak it properly. Doesn't matter if they are Nigerian, British or American.

I admire this lady. She is intelligent, articulate and talented.

I love the "single story" message. It made sense to me and has always been the case of Africa (single story of poverty, war etc). What of all the other beautiful, intelligent, innovative, entrepreneurial things etc that Africa has to offer? We have millions of stories not just ones of misery, corruption or poverty (this doesnt mean we should bury our head in the sand and ignore these problems also)

I personally do not have too many issues with how he spoke and didn't notice a lot of grammatical errors.

I think he should have come across a little more confident as he is the president of Nigeria.

Some months back Ojo Madueke was on BBC hardtalk and I personally wasn't too impressed with  his elocution and diction. I am of the opinion that a president of a country should be able to speak with proper elocution of the English language. I personally don't think Jonathan did too bad. I guess he needs a little more refining. This does not mean that he is not a good leader etc.

Let us separate his leadership abilities from the initial comment of the original poster. I am of the opinion that a president should be polished and speak with proper elocution. If you are from a country where English is your first language (and as far as I am aware, it is still the national language in Nigeria), then our president should should be polished in his speaking. Being a president is a whole package ad this is one of the many aspects of it.

This should not be confused with "feeling inferior" to the "white man" or any other form of this. This doesn't mean he should speak with a British or American accent. There are many of our politician who are polished in their speaking. Even if there are multiple regional accents in the UK as many people say, the prime ministers of the UK always speak in clear English. I have never seen a prime minister that had the accent of Steven Gerard (no disrespect to Steven).

I am a Jonathan supporter and my comments above are not about his leadership or him personally but my opinion on of what I expect from a president.

The article posted by cecegorz is very insightful. It is sad to see, but to be honest the real issue here is profit.

Almost all companies are in business to make money/profits and unfortunately outsourcing different business functions (Call centre, NOC etc) to India will reduce costs and increase profits. This is the driver. It may be corporate greed, but it is the way capitalism has shaped business. Every year, you need to provide "year on year" growth and shareholders value.

They don't care what they do to make it happen. The Nigerian govt should be able to step in a protect jobs for hard working Nigerians. There should be laws and measures that government put in place to stop what is happening. If these companies don't like it, they can leave. The Nigerian market is growing and many multinational companies know that they cannot get growth in their North American or European markets. Growth will only happen in the African, Asian and maybe South American market.

Apart from infrastructure, I don't see why Nigeria cannot be the next India (major player in outsourcing services from different countries). We are intelligent and have the skills or ability to pick up the skills needed quickly.

One mans meat is another poison.

The blackhead does it for me. Like a 3rd "nip", more to play with!

Damn!

Platinum, I see why his heart is racing. Just saw your profile pic! DAMN!

I wont kick you out of bed in a hurry!

My first instinct is to hold up those twins to the sun and worship them! My apologies if i have offended you.

Depends on what kind of company you work for,

If her insubordination is affecting her work (i.e not taking directive from you), then you should have processes of handling this through HR. She should be sent a memo/email with HR copied stating how her insubordination is affecting her job and how you want to run your team. HR are there to back managers up in doing their job (I am assuming you are her manager).

If her attitude is more subtle, then you use a different strategy, involve her less in projects and be more formal with her etc. She will get the message that you are in charge.

If she isnt your direct report but work together (and is still your subordinate) then involve her manager.


BUT, look deep inside to be sure she is challenging you with good ideas and not just taking your direction without thinking and pushing back to you with good ideas. Sometimes we might not like people challenging our ideas or decisions.

If she is sleeping with a big boy in the company, then grit your teeth and ignore her. There is nothing you can do.

chukxy:
Thank you so much for your educative reply. The motive behind my question is that I am currently studying Digital Systems and Computer Engineering. And my desire for this course is  to work in Telecoms industry after graduation, then start my own after sometime. However, the job prospects I have seen so far did not include  the course i am doing specifically. Hence, I am  in dilemma to switch to Digital Communication and Electronics Engineering. That was why I asked for the relevance of the course to Telecoms Industry.

Chukxy, Your first degree nowadays isn't the 100% guide/rule as to where you can work. As long as it is in a related field, then there is no problem (i.e sciences etc if you want to go into telecoms) you can get into the telecoms industry. Show some interest by reading up and understanding what part of the telecoms industry you want to go into, try to get some training courses in these areas and read material that are related to this industry.

Ajanlekoko is 100% that you will be trained so not to worry as per your first degree not being exactly where you want to go. Do a lot of research and background work and start getting yourself a good understanding of the industry you want to get into and what arm of this industry.

Thanks to the internet, you have a lot of information out there. Also, you can ask to shadow someone for free (just to get some experience).

It isnt real. This was a joke on TV. The guy is one of 5 comedians in Australia who have a show called "Chasers war on everything" and they perform outrageous/funny jokes and record it

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chaser's_War_on_Everything

If you look at the wiki page, you will see where it talks about this being fake.

At one point, there was an international convention in Australia and they breached security with their fake convoy pretending to be from the Canadian government. It was hilarious.

Be rest assured that this was fake. I saw the clip when the guy said it was a jok after the show aired live on national TV.

For me all the presidents that took IMF loans and did nothing with it to build Nigeria (well they kept the money in their pockets) are the worst (Buhari, IBB and Abacha).

Out of all these 3 IBB did the worst damage to Nigeria. I will explain. If you are interested please read this link on IMF loans and SAP (Structural Adjustment Progmamme) - http://www.whirledbank.org/development/sap.html
IMF loans are like taking credit from loan sharks with detrimental and unacceptable interest on these loans. The loans have negative conditions/programmes which does not allow the country to develop in anyway (mordern day slavery we were sold into by our equally wicked leaders).

I quote from the link - [b]"SAPs generally require countries to devalue their currencies against the dollar; lift import and export restrictions; balance their budgets and not overspend; and remove price controls and state subsidies. Devaluation makes their goods cheaper for foreigners to buy and theoretically makes foreign imports more expensive. In principle it should make the country wary of buying expensive foreign equipment. In practice, however, the IMF actually disrupts this by rewarding the country with a large foreign currency loan that encourages it to purchase imports. Balancing national budgets can be done by raising taxes, which the IMF frowns upon, or by cutting government spending, which it definitely recommends. As a result, SAPs often result in deep cuts in programmes like education, health and social care, and the removal of subsidies designed to control the price of basics such as food and milk. So SAPs hurt the poor most, because they depend heavily on these services and subsidies. By devaluing the currency and simultaneously removing price controls, the immediate effect of a SAP is generally to hike prices up three or four times, increasing poverty to such an extent that riots are a frequent result".[/b]

For example, look at how the currency of Nigeria started dropping in the exchange market. it all happened in 1985/1986 when IBB started implementing SAP due to IMF loans he has taken and pocketed (he didnt use any of it to develop Nigeria). These SAP implementations killed Nigeria off in the international market and literarily crippled us from any development.

See link here (look for the exchange rate history) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_naira#Exchange_rate_history

Obj (even though i am not keen on him) made Nigeria the first African country to pay off their debt (Paris Club debt). That is a good thing and I can only applaud him for that. So in summary, for me IBB did the worst damage to the country.

The presidents that took the crippling loans from IMF and looted the money instead of using it in developing Nigeria while implementing detrimental structural adjustment programmes (SAP) did the worst damage to Nigeria. As Nigerian became indebted with loans that werent used to build Nigeria and were saddled with further gigantic interest rates on these loans and also had to implement "modern slavery" terms and conditions because of these loans.

Thank you Buhari, IBB and Abacha!!!These guys colluded with the west to sell our country away with debt!

pafun:
For those who have again continued to sing the tune - let nigeria get better if they want us to come back , it is quite obvious that you possess basic cognitive skills and you deserve whatever has happened to bring you to this sorry pass and the eventual outcome of you misguided adventure . If you are doing well wherever you are for God's sake stay there . Nigeria has enough problems and could do without more negative thinkers especially those who  also excel at buffoonery. But if your condition has turned out to be even more pathetic than it was before you left Nigeria and you are joining all other clowns in that sing song , then you definitely are the greatest Arrow in the world and you will do well to find a circus to take you with them on exhibition.

No country owes anyone a living. Nigeria does not owe you or me a living - we must make a living individually by ourselves in the way we find fit. We all have different skills and aptitude and must find our level wherever we are. The only thing that Nigeria owes all of us is an "environment" which we must assist to create because this environment includes every one of us living in the country.

UK also owes none of you a living .Heck even the citizens are not under such idiotic impression .If you are there under the premises that "they assisted the politicians to steal our money and we are here to get it back and spend it' , I hope they send you to prison before they finally kick you out for good like the vermin you are.

Pafun, your tone and choice of words are not necessary in any way (highlighted in black above). You can make a point without using words that are abusive. You are entitled to your opinions in a free and open forum without being abusive. This is a debate, not a slanging match. If anyone else has abused you, I would suggest you be the bigger man and ignore it.


Your point of view will be lost to who ever is reading your opinions as it comes shrouded in a bed of insults.

cap28:
well lucky you, i on the other hand experience it quite frequently, i have a degree in law plus over 5 years work experience in various areas of law and i compete for jobs in a fast shrinking job market with many whites who have less experience but who are offered the best jobs over and above blacks who are better qualified.  white south africans, new zealanders and australians (despite not having long term work permits) are all offered the best jobs over black british people (and im not talking black people with resident permits but blacks who were born in this country like myself) if a british citizen who was born in this country is being discriminated against simply because of the colour of their skin then you know that there is no hope for blacks in this country.

Cap28, I feel your pain. It is sad to know that this is your situation. I cannot deny that from what you have highlighted above you are being passed over and discriminated against. I would say keep on trying, look for a different firm,  dont let it dampen your spirits or look for options back in Nigeria (as you are already doing).
Another thing to mention is that it seems you are a lawyer, and most British people want to be represented by their "own kind" and as such find it easier to hire or request a white lawyer. Hence why your firm is keen on keeping the whites and not pushing you further.

Racism exists everywhere and we have to fight it to carry on. In Nigeria we would encounter tribalism and we too have to fight that as well. There is always some form of hurdle in life, we just have to find a way to fight it to achieve our goals.

Nigeria's problem is corruption and this is endemic in the society. Even if you come with positive changes, people will push and fight against you as you are not corrupt etc. Change has to come from the bottom up and from the top down. Our government arent leading a good example and the task of changing the government and mindset is a major task that means removing almost everyone in power and pushing down policies that are not based on "my pocket" but "good of the society".

A mammoth task which I am personally happy to be part of for my country I love.

cap28, I agree that racism and prejudice still exists in the UK, but since I started working, I havent experienced it personally. I am not bullied or passed over. I prove myself when I start with the company/my team and I have the full respect of my colleagues. It is unfortunate that you know people who are still bullied or discriminated against.

There are quite a number of Nigerians in my current company and they are well respected because they are the best at what they do. I want to highlight that if you have experienced racism and prejudice in your journey through life, I wont say it doesn't exist, but in my journey's I haven't experienced it. I am always given the chance to prove myself (as all companies expect you to when they hire you).

The only time a Nigerian was seen in a bad light was in my former company (another global company with offices in Nigeria), this guy was making long calls to Nigeria (I mean hours on the phone in the evening. He was even coming into the office to make calls in the weekend). This was an abuse of the system and he was found out. If that person gets a different treatment after that can we say it is racism? bear in mind that same person can come on this forum and say his company are racist because he "simply" used the phone in the office.

Please note that I am not saying your experiences are your fault or that there is no racism in the UK. I am not naive to think there is no racism or prejudice. But despite this, I am aware of lots of people doing well and succeeding despite the "two faced" and prejudiced nature of the British system which still exists.

In as much as everyone has raised good points, there are a few facts that I would like to add.

1. The gross annual salary of the top 25% earners in the UK is £31,759. This means that 75% of UK employees earn less than £31,759. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8151355.stm)
2. We have argued that most Nigerian in the UK arent earning well. I must say that at least 25% Nigerians in the UK earn more than £31K per annum (So in all fairness they are only fitting into the cross national profile of earners).


I cannot condemn or look down on anyone who chooses the UK (or any western country as an option to live). I cannot condemn or look down on anyone who chooses to look for a job, live and work in Nigeria. Each man should choose his own destiny.

I agree that if you are not living in the UK legally, then it would be best to go back to Nigeria to look for a job or start a business. This is just my personal opinion.

Some Nigerians are successful in the UK in their career or business, some Nigerian cannot find jobs or start a business in the UK, some Nigerian are successful in their career or business in Nigeria and some cannot find a job or start a business in Nigeria.

If you fall into any of these categories above (as the different sides of the argument have been going), what gives any of us the right to judge those in another category?  No one can say they know the whole UK job market just because of their personal/friends experience, just the same way no one can say there is no job or opportunity in Nigeria just because of our personal/friends experience.

Nigeria or the UK arent what i would call a "Single story" (Thanks to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie the Nigerian writer who talked about this in one of her seminars) i.e Nigeria is bad (single story) or the UK is great (Single story). Nigeria is also good in many way (as it is bad in many ways) and the Uk is also bad in many ways (as it is good in many ways).

My guy, satisfying a woman na heavy PhD with lots of ingredient.

You need to work on her mind first and get her mentally turned on (that happens way before the bed) i.e do something that you know makes her happy or smile and would keep her feeling happy towards you all day. Compliment her and seduce her but don't act on it. Women are like pressing iron. They take a while to heat up, but when they do they are really HOT.

Later in the day make your move, create an atmosphere, spend time on lots of pre-intimacy, hands, fingers mouth, tongue (you get my drift)? Then start of slow with her and increase tempo. Change positions too my brother. If you are worried that you tool would be too excited, then do some "self service" before you start with her. Second game always lasts longer.

Try positions that allow you stimulate her "love button" while you are doing your thing.

Most of all, mix your own way of doing things into the advice above. It is just a guide.

Generally speaking, (and I buttress the point "GENERALLY" i.e on average)

1. Men can separate love and intimacy

2. Women cannot. The 2 are intertwined.

Your man could be very much in love with you and sleep with someone else (I am not saying this is right at all). A man generally needs something physical to get aroused. Women generally want to know you first, then get stimulated mentally by you, then develop feelings for you before even thinking of intimacy.

Forgive him if your heart wants to and talk to him about why you will not want it to happen again and what he needs to do when he feels his "soldier" is doing the driving rather than his heart.