₦airaland Forum

Hi, do you have a number you can be reached on?

Readonee35L:
I have a salvaged one currently undergoing clearing. With a minor front collision.
No deployed airbags.
It's A limited higher than the Xle.
If you'd be interested let me know

kingreign:
I don't sell, but I retrofit.

Do you still do retrofits? complete with projectors and all that? I have a car i want to retrofit

please who knows anyone that does custom headlight retrofits i.e. pry them apart, install projectors and HIDs etc

Please who knows anyone that does custom retrofits for vehicle headlights i.e. can pry the headlights part, install projectors for HIDs etc....please point me in their direction

Modele35:
What i found out was when i initially called in JULY it was cheaper like 300usd. Na so i do aroro. i didnt pay. i called much later and it had jacked up. didnt want that again. so i kuku paid. i called virgin in US so I got a USD quote and paid over the phone with my card.

So update, called to pay the 345GBP, apparently, the person I spoke to earlier got it all wrong and didnt understand what I was saying, the ticket is $281USD and i can pay cash at the airport. Booked the ticket for the baby already so its just to pay at the airport, so relieved!!! the other lady was saying I couldnt pay cash at the airport

Modele35:
What i found out was when i initially called in JULY it was cheaper like 300usd. Na so i do aroro. i didnt pay. i called much later and it had jacked up. didnt want that again. so i kuku paid. i called virgin in US so I got a USD quote and paid over the phone with my card.

Called in the US also o but they are quoting price for me in Pounds, I should have just bought the ticket earlier, now its so costly

Modele35:
I paid 398.90usd in August wen i came back. Delta to US and virgin to Nija. it was a virgin ticket i paid over the Phone

I called them and i was quoted 344GBP for the baby's ticket, thats like 470USD. i am still at a loss as to why its that high, still trying to figure out what to do, whether to wait till I get to the airport tomorrow morning and pay there maybe it might be cheaper or call them on the phone and pay now. I have a travel agent telling me he can book it for 345USD though but i am not so sure whether that ticket will be valid. I had a friend that used a travel agent and the ticket was rejected when she was checking in, she had to buy another one

Osinowoosibanjo:
[My sister, i will advise you apply with your Mother only. Also read through the chat to get urself familiar with likely questions and answers. author=Nalinisingh post=62575086]Hello I have been stalking this page for years now. Please I need advice, am currently about 21 weeks pregnant and I want to have my baby in USA. I intend to travel with my mum and my 2 year. My husband will be sponsoring the trip. My question is should we all apply together or should we apply as a family first and have my mom apply later. What’s our chances if we all apply together. Thanks

what we did was apply first then DW's mum applied after we had gotten ours. Your mum is more likely to get hers if you already have yours. Though we did ours separately so we can save costs in case we got denied

ladeonas:
Hey guys please i bought virgin Atlantic would like to know if anyone has any advice for me?
i am a tall person, how is the leg room for economy seats etc?

You should probably pay a little extra for the exit row seats so you have more leg room

Austine2020:
Sometimes It becomes an issue depending on the VO, it happened to my wife when she did DropBox for her renewal,She was called for interview and was refused because she stated 2 weeks at her interview but she stayed 7 weeks at her first Visit and she didnt gave birth,it was just Holiday. She later visited US again and stayed 3 weeks. But she later reapplied and was successful.

I see...nawa, thanks for the response

Hi LagosNIV/AbujaNIV

Just trying to clarify something.

If at the interview you stated that you were staying at the US for 2 weeks, but ended up staying for 3 weeks (CBP stamped for 6 months), is it an issue when you renew?

thanks

Hi Everyone,

Just trying to clarify something.

If at the interview you stated that you were staying at the US for 2 weeks, but ended up staying for 3 weeks (CBP stamped for 6 months), is it an issue when you renew?

thanks

zoemummy:
House ee eh! Back to share my testimony

So based on all the feedback I received during my last post, I prepared physically and spiritually (with prayers).

Booked the follow up interview, prepared a checklist as a guide, gathered zero balance statements, pictures, my ticket itinerary from the child birth etc. Prepared a burden of proof as if I was attending for the first time (even the consular staff were looking at my FAT file like 'kilode'. I just kept a straight face ). Let them know that I'm not playing here...

So got to VO (there were two vacant booths but I chose the male VO over the female one...I've heard stories about female VOs and girls were not smiling), interview was 2 minutes...

VO: Good morning madam
ME: Good morning (with a smile)
VO: The last time you were here, you told the officer you'd be in the US for 2 weeks
ME: (utterly shocked ) 2 weeks! No! I'd said I'd be in school for 2 weeks, then stay back to have my baby.
VO: checks his screen again, types for a few seconds though it seemed like 1 hour (while I opened my file, just reconfirming document positions for dishing out )
VO: Hands my passport in for processing...Sorry madam, you were called in by mistake. Your visa will be ready in 3 days.

Before I could say anything else, he had bid me good bye and beckoned to the next person.

So I carried my burden of proof o, stepped out...considered walking back in to see if I could offer more info so that he'll help me write that I'm pregnant now but I was just directed out.

Na so my waka go o. Now I can focus on my exams. Thanks everyone for the moral support during this time

Moral of the story...'Clean hands' always pay and ensure you keep your records and documents straight and safe. Most of all, Trust God for ALL things. I over prepared for the follow up interview, but angels had gone ahead to also over prepare.

I wasnt aware this was an issue i.e. length of stay stated at interview (2 weeks) vs actual length of stay (maybe 4 weeks) so far its not beyond what you were stamped in for at border control...so you have stay for exactly the time period you stated at the interview?

Nwebele:
Can you be kind enough to share your own visa interview transcript for others to learn from your experience

OK

Documents we went with - account Statement (Naira and USD), correspondence with doctor and all that, budget, letter of introduction from work, Court affidavit (my name is Oluwaxxx, some documents have oluxxx and others have oluwaxxx; the court affidavit shows that they are one and the same person)

VO - Good morning

Us - Good morning

VO - Why do you want to go to the US

DW - To have my baby

VO - types...which state?

me - Texas

VO - What do you do?

me - I work with xxxx, its a blast bla bla bla and i do bla bla bla in addition to bla bla bla, i have a letter of introduction from my office confirming i work there and stating my annual salary

VO - Collects letter, reads throughly...types then asks; do you have any correspondence with the doctor?

me - I hand over correspondence, budget, hospital bill breakdown etc.

VO - collects everything and start reading 1 by 1 like its a novel

me - notices that VO is now looking a budget, I cut in and say 'i have my statements of account here also to fund all the expenses; i have $xxxx and Nxxx.

VO - nods, collects statements and start going through...says 'i see you do lots of own account transfers'

me - Yes, i don't run my salary account actively, so i have to first move from that account to this

VO - Why is the name here different

me - my name is commonly misspelt, i have an affidavit here that confirms that they are the same person

VO - collects affidavit, reads through, goes back to statements and asks; who is this person that deposited $xxxx into your account on bla bla bla

me - i buy the dollars and then the person deposits it into my account while i transfer the Naira, if you check my naira statement, you will see a corresponding outflow on the same day equivalent in Naira

VO - picks a particular inflow and asks me to show the corresponding outflow in my naira, coincidentally, i made the cash deposit myself from some USD i had at home so i didn't have an outflow in the Naira account. I explain this to him and he nods and continues to type. while he was typing, i picked out other transactions that had corresponding inflows and outflows and show it to him, he looks at them and nods..continues to type then says 'Your visa has been approved bla bla bla...'

the interview probably lasted 10mins, which was long by the usual standard...so there it is

seyewest:
Use the way it was written on the passport and stop confusing yourself....

Had a similar issue, basically took a court affidavit along to the interview to show that the two names were the same person. had no issues and was given the visa...just better to be prepared so you don't come across as fraudulent if the VO raises the issue

olathunde:
Good morning all

In the spirit of giving back

After a rescheduled Tuesday interview, DW and I went for our Visa interview on today Saturday

Early morning favour. Atleast our VO was smiling and apologizing for the rescheduling.

VO: good morning

DW & I: Good morning

VO: And how are you today

DW & I: fine and you

VO: What brings you to the consulate/ why do you want to do in the US

ME: for child birth & vacation

VO: What is your budget for the travel

ME: bleep dollars

VO: That is an expensive child birth

DW & I : Smiles, yes it is

Vo: How do you intend to pay for this

ME: i have been working for bleep years with bleep company as bleep. i have been able to save up over the years

VO: So based on the job i do, he asked what is the recent incident you have had to resolve

DH&I: i sha gave one answer like that of the what came to mind

VO: Asked DW, what do you do

DW: i work with so so and so

VO: what is the recent project you have had to handle

DW: so so so project

VO: Have you traveled before

DW & I: Together to the UAE, and listed others i have been to

VO: We are good, when your child becomes a citizen, collect the birth certificate and visit a site (don't remember cos i was looking at the white paper in his hand) to renew passport. Take care of your wife and baby.

VO: pick up ur visa in 3 business days at the address on the paper

DW & I: Thank youu (smiling and laughing inside)

All these questions, the VO typed all the answers while looking straight into our eyes.

No document was looked at.

Oya o where can we get cheap ticket

Congrats, I was there this morning as well for the rescheduled interview with DW and we were given too, VO scrutinized all the documents thoroughly though, to the extent that he was matching the outflow out of my Naira account to the inflow into my USD account and asking who is this person depositing cash into your account, had to explain to him that i buy dollars in the black market and the mallam deposits the cash in my account. Guess the lesson is to have all relevant documents complete and be honest, never can say how the interview will go

olathunde:
Mine was 7 in the morning. You could try. Never say never.

Thanks, made a mistake, was scheduled for 7:30 am which was meant to be after you even, so means I was automatically rescheduled for Saturday, thanks ��

olathunde:
Hello,

That us how the interviews for this morning were rescheduled o just when I was next on queue.

Had to do with system downtime.

I guess all for the best.

Hi, around what time please? I was scheduled for Tuesday as well but couldn't make it to the embassy cos of work emergencies that came up, then heard it was rescheduled for Saturday. My interview time was 7:30pm, do you think I should also go on Saturday?

please add me up to play FIFA 17 online. PSN ID - hotsizl

i will add you also

Bossmd:
When it arrives send me your PSN ID or add mine: iBoss27.

So we can tango some games!

I think it is better to do a thorough research before writing up an opinion piece. A little research on the net would have yielded answers to the questions raised. I will try and explain the devaluation of the Naira to the best of my knowledge and the reasons why there is an appreciation in the parallel market

It is no secret that Nigeria's major source of income is from the sale of crude oil. I will paint a scenario. Nigeria produces crude oil. The country exports this crude oil and is paid in USD for this in the international market. The CBN (as the bank to the federal government) receives this USD from the federal government and gives the federal government a naira equivalent. This USD the CBN receives is what is currently kept in our 'external reserves'. (This is the reason why the FG cannot simply ask the CBN to give it some of the funds in the country's external reserves, that will be asking for money it has already received). Now, the country being in a net import position, i.e. the country imports more than it exports, need this USD to pay for items brought into the country or to convert NGN earned by multinationals to USD so these companies can repatriate their earnings. The CBN sells this USD to importers etc via commercial banks at the RDAS market. The price of oil in the international market thus has a direct effect on the levels of the external reserves in the country. The higher the price, the higher the level and the corresponding ability of the CBN to keep the naira pegged at the then exchange rate of 160 NGN/USD. This the CBN does by ensuring that demand for USD at the RDAS market are 'reasonably met' at the stated rate. So if demand on a certain Monday is for instance $1 billion, and the CBN has $30 billion in reserves and feels it has adequate funds in reserves, the CBN can easily sell for 160 NGN/USD thus keeping the rate at that band. This formula was hugely successful during the Jonathan era as oil prices hit unprecendented heights as much as $150 per barrel.

Fast forward to today, oil prices hover at around 55$ per barrel with a low of about 40$ per barrel this year so far. what is the effect on the country's reserves? We have a situation where internal demand in the country is increasing for USD while supply (income from oil sold) is reducing. Corresponding effect is that the country's external reserves decline at a rapid rate. Now imagine you are a father (The CBN in this case), the food (USD) to feed your family (the nigerian public) goods is now a scare commodity and very difficult to replace and you have 10 food items on your shelf and you currently need these 10 items to last you a year and previously, you used 4 food items per month...are you going to continue at the rate of 4 food items per month or are you going to adjust to the realities on ground and manage the food to last you for the year?

That is what the CBN has done. To reduce pressure on the country's external reserves, the CBN devalued the naira. This will reduce demand as you need more naira to get USD (simple law of demand and supply) and adjust the exchange rate to the market realities. The CBN also in a bid to stop commercial banks from hoarding dollars bought at the RDAS market and selling for profit at the interbank market closed the RDAS market completely. This was in a bid to narrow the spread between the interbank and parallel markets...and this worked for a while, the spread was small...until...well, demand was still high. The CBN took a further step, 41 items were listed as being ineligible for FX in the interbank market i.e. these items cannot be funded via USD purchased in the interbank markets, you have to go black market to purchase USD to fund these items. This led to a sudden spike in black market rates, now speculators stepped in. Due to the spike in blackmarket rates, people that had no business buying USD started buying and keeping in the hope that the rates will increase further and they can sell for a profit. This was the primary cause of the 240 USD/NGN rates we saw recently. Banks realised that they were getting a lot of cash deposits in people's dom accounts i.e. people were buying and keeping to sell at a higher rate thus denying the companies and people that really need the USD access to the funds. so what did the banks do? They stopped accepting dollar cash deposits. Now lets say John bought $100,000 in the black market to keep...he goes to the bank to deposit it and all the banks turn him back...John has to thus keep the cash under his mattress at home, but John is afraid of rats eating his USD or his neighbours son breaking into his come to steal his cash...so what does John do? John sells it back to the mall am, takes his naira and deposits it and sleeps happily. Suddenly, there's USD for sale, demand is matching and outstripping supply. Speculators that kept USD in their dom accounts hear of the crashing rates and rush off to sell too thus the rates keep coming down. This is the primary cause of the Naira gaining in the last week.

Now this trend may or may not be sustained, this trend will only highlight the extent to which speculators have affected the exchange rate. the root cause of the problem is the falling oil prices and the fact that Nigeria's major export is oil. Until we diversify our economy, we can expect to continuously affected by fluctuations in the international oil price