@cabali

Good for you then. To each his own.

As for me, I will choode Nigeria over UK anytime. This is my personal view as not evryone finds life in the UK better than the one they have in Nigeria

@Tayod

I sympathize with your views, only that they are a little bit uninformed. I ordinarily wouldn't say this but to put things in proper perspective let me tell you that I am an oil industry professional who has been into the technical and commercial side of the business and has been priviledged to listen to experts in this business the world over talk about these issues.

Let me state my case maybe you will appreciate what i've been saying.

1) Oil is still the energy for the nearest future and by that I mean at least the next 50 years. Research is going on for alternative sources but if you ask those who are in the know, they will tell you that it isn't feasible to get those at the scale needed to replace oil in the nearest future.

2) You seem to think that paying for fuel products costs a lot of money? It is govt propagand and you are buying it hook, line and sinker? I personally think the subsidy talk is bullshit. Please look up write-ups by Austin Avuru, a renomned oil industry player on this subsidy business and you will get more enlightened about it. For the sake of this topic, let us agree that fuel prices are being subsidized. How much does fuel subsidy cost? Last year they said it was 300 billion naira right? What we should be asking is "what is the marginal revenue accruing from this increased prices of crude oil?". Over the last year Nigeria added about $15 billion dollars to her foreign reserves from the sale of crude not to talk about the ones that were spent on running govt at all 3 levels. Therefore, what stops the govt from taking $3 - $4 billion dollars from the proceeds to subsidize prices for the citizens if that is the route we chose to go.

3) On the question of local refining, it is wrong to say that will not affect local prices of fuel. The marketers all currently say there is a cost associated with transporting the crude from elsewhere so if you remove that won't it bring down prices even if it is private enterprises that run the refineries? OIt might not bring the price down to the level we want but at least it will reduce the claimed "subsidies".

I have been in foreign countries where they can't just fathom the way we go about these things when we discuss it. They say we will rather sell crude and buy value-added refined products which erodes part of the benefits we derive from the high prices. BUT EVEN THEN, THE NET EFFECT IS THAT WE DO NOT SPEND UP TO 20% OF THE GAINS ON SUBSIDY AND THIS IS THE PART I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND.

@Tayod

You are engaging in reverse integration instead of forward integration. If what you are concerned about are the Nigerian people, then what you should be asking for is that the proceeds of high oil prices be used to re-engineer our system such that the current prices of oil will not be too much of a burden on an average consumer because he earns enough to afford it. But your stand only suggests that the interests you are protecting are that of Americans rather than Nigerians

Bros Tayo,

this your last statement is only valid because we have people in government who do not use their head. Other Arab OPEC countries have some of the cheapest gas prices in the world, how do they manage it? If the govt has decided that the general populace will not benefit from high oil prices by subsidising prices (if they actually do as they claim), that doesn't mean it is not a good thing for prices to be high especially as we are net EXPORTERS.

Oga Tayo,

Listen to yourself now? I f I build a house of 10 flats and decide not to rent out any will you force me to just because housing is scarce in town? Abi no be my house? OPEC member countries are at liberty to produce however much they want to, it's all a matter of economics.

We all know the gas prices are pinching those of you in the US, but that is a price you must pay for living there. Sorry hennnnnnn

@darfur

you seem to have a misconception common to Nigerians abroad which I always try to correct. Whoever told you that you have to be connected to get a job in Nigeria? I know hundreds of people who didn't have any connections and are very gainfully employed now, living well above the average person in the UK.

Look, I am in the UK right now in school and I've seen both sides. Anybody that wasn't good enough to crack the job market in Nigeria will not vrack the market for the same kind of job in the UK. The quality comes through wherever you are. The reason you think it's better in the UK is because you are ready to do jobs won't touch in Nigeria. Abi person wey no dey good enough to enter oil company for naija go enter for UK? And don't tell me it takes connection to get into an oil company in Nigeria because it doesn't. That is not the view of Nigerians abroad though because it's a convenient excuse they use in convincing themselves that their decision was right. Ihave seen people try to get into the oil industry (for instance) in naija and in the UK and you find out tthat i is those people that got offers in Nigeria that also get offers in the UK. If you are ready to work in Mr Biggs, you will know there is work but no, you won't while you can go and work in Mcdonalds and then claim you need connection to work in naija.

Get your facts right brother!!

@Tayod

I will try to address your questions.

The link above provide you with answers. And by the way, Equador withdrew its membership from OPEC because its interests was not being served particularly because OPEC limited how much crude oil it should export. This limitation is also imposed on Nigeria as well who cannot export more oil to meet its financial goals all in the name of the Cartel called OPEC. Gabon is also a former member of OPEC

OPEC as we all know, is a FREE association of nations. No country is coerced to be part of it and I also believe this is not the first time the concept of a cartel will come into play in business. I'm sure you understand the law of demand and supply. Firstly, OPEC can flex muscles because more than 60% of the world's oil RESERVES are in OPEC hands, and as at the last time I checked, the world's economies still run on oil.

Yep. Nigeria's crude is one of the very best in the world in terms of ease of refining as well. Considering the quantity of crude oil export allocated to each member is a negative to the image of OPEC. Equador which needs much more money than Saudi Arabia will have to limit its output so Saudi can maintain hers. What sort of arrangement is that. I wonder why they should limit Nigeriaa's production also when we need the money much more than they do.
Can you imagine a situation where a manufacturer is asked to limit its production so other companies can maintain their ever-increasin profit margin? Whose interest is being taken care of? The priviledge few in the cartel or the citizens of the member countries?

Which is more valuable?: 2 million barrels of oil sold at $60/bbl or 4 million barrels of oil sold at $20/bbl. I believe that in a nutshell encompasses what OPEC is all about as I don't have time to be typing for long. Any country not satisfied with the arrangement can opt out but as I said earlier, OPEC still holds the reserves.

Another fallacy is the myth that the US has oil it is not using. The US produces at maximum capacity but is a net importer because the demand far outweighs the amount of oil it produces. Oil inventories are for a few months duration and this is oil in the tank and not oil in the ground. Unless they want to open up other areas of Alaska for exploration, then you might say they will discover new oil somewhere.

@Tayod, in essence what I'm saying is that the US has no business interfering in other countries' matters. No country has come out to say they are being forced to stay with OPEC. At least even the US protects its own businesses so what is the problem with other countries doing same? The fact that they are not the US?

I just want to dispel some myths being peddled here:

1) That Nigerians don't pay taxes: This is so untrue. The only people that might not be paying direct taxes are people that are self employed and they pay a lot of indirect taxes i.e. Local govt shop lease, building tax etc which is quite a lot lot. Nigerians in formal employment pay taxes, though it all depends on how the company structure it (basic pay vs allowances). I for one pay about 1 million naira in taxes every year to the Lagos state government.

2) This is directed at anusule. You say your one day pay is more than people earn for one month in Nigeria. That's crass ignorance and I believe it is because you jus don't know i.e. Daddy's still taking care of you so you don't have any reason to look at the world properly. I know the average salary in the UK is about 23,000 pounds per annum so we can say 50% of people earn below this. I personally know people that earn 12-14,000 pounds per annum in the UK. What do they take home after that. The average university graduate in Nigeria that does the same common jobs we all do (banks, manufacturing etc) compares favorably with folks in the UK interms of cash at hand. And pls don't say people don't have jobs because people that can do these jobs have them.

I have seen both worlds and I think a lot of people have false expectations of the folks in The UK because they protray affluence when in fact they are just struggling but wouldn't admit it. Take time to really explain things to people and they won't be asking you for money anyhow when they know you are not in a position to give them.

As usual, what we get is the cynicism of Nigerians in diaspora to every positive news coming out of Nigeria. Do you guys grow fat on bad news from Nigeria? Or positive news gives you nightmares? I advise you all to read http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=82261 for details of the assets he declared. We should be patient to get the facts before we hit the keyboard, it's a sign of true education which doesn't depend on whether we are in Nigeria, US or the moon.

It is unfortunate that it has to come to this. Some people actually felt the MEND boys could face up to the federal might with all their escapades not knowing that it was just a case of treating them with kid gloves as no country will turn against its citizens except in extreme extenuating circumstances. When you abduct soldiers, you are actually declaring war against the state and should be prepared for what you get. What baffles me is that they did that as if they didn't understand the implication and repercussions. Do they think the army will sit by and lose face? Sartorious, when you say expect retaliations, what exactly does that mean? Let's be realistic, there will only be one winner if this degenerates and that is the federal govt. That is why I like the dynamism of Asari Dokubo, he's not a thug who doesn't know when to use his brain. His boys will never do such as they know the implications.

I just pray the boys don't do anything stupid because it's only going to go from bad to worse for them

Jakumo,

Leave Jeff aside, he is only an aside on denex's post.

The real thing is that he has picked holes in the write-up and that is the main thrust of what he wrote.

That is what I expect that you would have responded to.

1.Stability of the Nation,

2.Debt payment, Nigeria domestic and foreign debt paid up, over $60 billion

3.First civilian to civilian transition

4.Deregulation of communication sector,You can now call your mother in the village.

5.Improved grains, cassava and other agricultural products (Kwara as an example)

6.Blocked importation of eggs, chicken, matches, tooth pick etc, things Nigeria can produce

7.Professionalized the Nigerian Military

8.Fought corruption through EFCC

9. Blocked thieves like IBB, Atiku from taking over government even though undemocratically

10. Nigeria SAT 1 and SAT 2 is on the way, you can now used google earth in Nigeria.

11. Consolidated our banks, no more distressed banks! (Every rich family had a bank to itself, that has ended now)!

12. Raised our external reserve to billions of dollars

13. Made Naira stable since 1999

14. Handed over power at expiration of his term peacefully

Anybody that wants to keep his/her sanity should stay away from any thread featuring xtycod, adconline, docokwy & donzman. Whatever the topic of the thread, it ends up as Igbos vs. Everybody else.

your best bet is 2 go 4 d masters programme,forget dt 62k job. when u come back home after your masters programme theyll b begging u wit millions of naira worth of job offer. so, go upgrade your degree n tell u what, a foreign degree is always hot cake out here. don't postpone it, ok? go 4 it now!!!

I wonder where you guys get these from. Nobody will beg him with any offer. There are a thousand and one Nigerian M.Sc holders even here in the UK who wish to have just an average job in Nigeria but can't get any.

The pertinent questions you should be asking are?

1) How are you going to support yourself over there?
2) What's the country's policy on the status of foreigners after their program?
3) What's the worth of a Swedish degree in Nigeria if you intend to come back?
4) Will you be happy doing menial jobs in Sweden in case everything else doesn't work out for you?

Think through the questions and make informed decisions. It only pains me deeply when folks with good prospets abandon everything in Nigeria for a life of ignominy abroad because they don't just understand what it's all about until they get there and reality dawns on them.

Look before you leap sha. God help you.

@kenechi

I laff real hard at your post. No kain sha, when you reach UK come back come post your experience for this same nairaland

What a contradiction!! Or maybe my interpretation of the word "genuine" is different?

In two sentences you condemned fakes and then offered to help people get "genuine" documents. That inherently makes the documents fake because it doesn't actually belong to the user neither will he/she be related to the person issuing them.

FAKE is FAKE OK!!!

@texaspete

I had the same experience with some slight variations only that in my case it was in Akwa Ibom state.

Do you actually think it's fake?

Anyways to answer your question, let me authoritatively tell you that it's real. How do I know you'll ask? Goes this way: I'm currently taking an M.Sc course here in the UK (on a 1 yr leave of absence from work) and decided to give some of my naija peeps in class some leg up and called the guy in charge of recruitment for petroleum engrs in the company where I work. Guess what? He said they should apply to the global careers company i.e. 2careers in Africa" which they did and they've all written their tests awaiting interviews now. In fact all of Shell, Chevron, AgipENI, Haliburton, Baker Hughes were there. A lot of banks too. I even heard that the banks were giving offers on the spot.

So don't be afraid OK, if you did well you'll be contacted again.

How come you expect responses when you didn't even give any details that will enable objective comparative analysis?

And to those saying there is no middle class in Nigeria, I'll say that is an exhibition of absolute ignorance. I for one am in the middle class. Thousands of recent graduates in Nigeria are in the middle class. A job in banking, telecoms, consulting, oil & gas, some manufacturing jobs etc automatically qualify one for the middle class in Nigeria. And whatever you guys belive, me I personally know more than 100 people who have gotten these jobs in the past 2 years. Extrapolate that to others and see what the reality of the situation is. I'm in the UK right now studying for an M.Sc degree and when I see what our countrymen subject themselves to in the name of being abroad, I marvel at their ignorance. The problem is that alot of them think Nigeria is the same country they left behind 5-6 years ago. Graduates with no experience are getting good jobs talk less of you that earned an M.Sc in the UK only to end up serving burgers at McDonald's. A lot of them are coming to realise it sha, as evidenced by the crowd that was at the 'careers in Africe summit'.

If you feel comfortable where you are, that's fine. Leave the people in Nigeria alone to face their lives and not just come here to badmouth the country as if they are the ones that chased you away.

Where have I been all the while that this thread has been on?

Firstly, Jen33, 33 gbosas for you. Seeing that people like you still exist reinforces my faith that Nigeria is going places, unlike some other people here who chose to hide in another man's land and never get satisfied when they eat unless they are seeing or reading some very bad things about Nigeria.

@angel101

You talk about affordable houses. How many people can afford their own houses in London where you live? You should compare like with like, and realize that the people that manage to buy houses in London pay over 25 years. If Nigerians have such facility, most people would own their houses by now. And that is the point, gradually we will get there with all the reforms coming into place. Abi you can afford 200,000 pounds cash to use in buying a 2 bedroom flat in London? That is most people's 10 years income in the UK as I know you understand.

Summarily, let me say that I know we've all had our frustrations with our country in the past but this should not leave us in a state of total denial such that even when positive things are obvious, we just wave them aside and only choose the see the negative ones.

By God's grace, these hard times will be stories we'll be telling our grandchildren (and maybe children).

@ papabrowne

speak for yourself. Nobody harasses me when I travel. I wondey where people get all these tales from.

careers in AFRICA, YES!! but you are mainly invited to interview with companies from your country of origin.

Unless I don't get your drift?

Some of my coursemates just came back from the "Carrers in Africa UK fair" with some interesting stories. The one that caught my attention though was the fact that 3,500 Nigerians were officially invited to the fair after their applications and several thousand others gate-crashed the event. I find this interesting because I have come to believe (by reading people's views on nairaland and other sources) that Nigerians would only go home in a coffin i.e. over their dead body. So why the rush for those naija jobs? Anybody has any good insights? Or is it that it is just convenient to bash Nigeria here even when we know that our situations are not better wherever we are?

Candid opinions please!!_{reasonable ones oooooooo}

I'm supposed to be attending but I declined the invitation. It is a very good opportunity for any Nigerian in Europe that wants a good job back home. I was invited to an interview with Shell but declined because I don't see myself working for Shell. To clarify, let me say that I work for another oil company in Nigeria and am currently in the UK for my M.Sc. A lot of my Nigerian coursemates are going and some have interviews with all of Shell, Chevron, Agip and Halliburton. So it's a good opportunity as I mentioned above to have companies come meet you for interviews.

@red_lips

I thought I was having an exchange with someone who is worth my time but based on that last post, I'm sorry to say, I doubt it. It's so sad that even after having left Nigeria, you can still be so ignorant to make that post. If you don't know, you exposed yourself with it and a lot of people will now know what you actually carry upstairs.

@red_lips

Lol I know you are all trying to defend Nigeria to a FELLOW Nigerian, as you see it doesnt make sense but please enough with the lies jare

That was an ignorant post. If you think what I wrote are lies, then I'll leave you to your ignorance. I know some of you just can't imagine what I wrote is possible and think you're in heaven wherever you are but my dear, there are a lot of ordinary folks who live better lives than you here in Nigeria. I'm not trying to sell Nigeria to anyone, I only believe it is important to correct ignorant folks like you.

The people that are supposedl;y gainfully employed, most of them are NOT working where they should be. so many engineers working in banks. Ridiculous

Where is it stated that one must do work related to what one studied in school? How many people are actually well informed about what they'll enjoy doing before they get into school? So they shld sacrifice their satisfaction for wanting to ensure they do work related to what they studied? Let me tell you, I studied engineering in school and I know that not up to 10 of my coursemates work in banks. On the other hand, more than 20 work in oil companies. So you see, your postulation is wrong. If you weren't good enough to measure up to others in Nigeria, don't think everybody is like that.

@choongtin

don't worry, you'll be fine in Nigeria. Just leave all your prejudices behind in the UK and try to think with some empathy and you'll have a great time. Don't go with the mind of comparing evryhting in Nigeria to those in the UK unless your parents are very wealthy and as such you can afford anyhting you want. Truth is, there's nothing in the UK you can't have in Nigeria, it might just cost some more. It's best though to adapt to the country and the people.

To the likes of finemocha:

I really don't know where to start with you. Look, I've tasted both sides and now know the differences. Before I came into the UK for my M.Sc last October, I used to think the place was all that. Right now, my eye don clear. I can't wait for September to run back to Nigeria. The place no just make am at all. Where did you hear that intelligent people don't get jobs? You've been listening to too many stories my dear. I'm tired of trying to make this clarification on nairaland. For me, for standard of living, the money I have in my pocket at the end of the month, the investments I can make with my money, the nice houses I can buy outright in 5 years and not 25 years etc makes Nigeria the place of choice. I think a lot of you guys abroad still look at Nigeria with 1990's eyes. My dear, I have a lot of friends who were average in the university who are very gainfully employed. And let me say they didn't have any connections before you start spitting that. In fact, I have a hard time trying to think of ONE out of my numerous friends in the university who is not doing very well. The guys that you visit their sites regularly (Deolu Akinyemi, Dipo Tepede, Emma Oluwatosin etc) were and are still my good friends and and these were intelligent guys you can't say they are not doing well for themselves.
And you said no beaches!! What about Lekki, Alpha, Eleko, Bar beach, Badagry beach and a lot of smaller private beaches? Where are the good beaches in this UK sef? Seems it's a long time since you've been in Lagos for you to say that there's no variety in shopping. Dear, naija people are moving forward faster than you think. It's just a pity that the govt is not moving as fast as the people.
Pls don't come for NYSC o, with your attitude you'll only be miserable and make others around you miserable too. There are enough people who can do it in Nigeria ok?

Last word: I think it will be better for you if you let go of your prejudices about Nigeria because no matter what you say, it's obvious from your postings that you're prejudiced.

my wife na beauty queen. Don't think she'll appreciate other girls sharing my admiration behind her back though. If she was with me now, it would be a different thing altogether.