@pIPMASTER


Listed below are the basic requirements for a UK family visit visa.

*Valid international passport.
*Six months bank statement-try to avoid lump deposit of money.
*Photocopies of the applicant's I.D card-school id, work id,nysc id, etc.
*Covering letter from the bank confirming the authenticity of the bank statement.
*Letter of identification from employer or from applicant's university or school.
*Letter of annual leave or vacation or 'permission to travel' from employer or applicant's school.
*Tax clearance certificate of the applicant or that of the sponsor.
*Invitation letter from relative in UK clearly stating his home address and telephone number, nature of relationship to applicant, purpose of the visit, etc.
*Coloured copy of sponsor's biodata passport page.
*Utility bills of the sponsor or applicants <not really necccessary though.
*Mortgage or tenancy deeds of sponsor
*Six months payslips of sponsor
*Property deeds of the applicant (if the applicant is a dependant, he should attach the property deeds of his parents)
*CSCS share certificates (i can't remember what it is called, but the pdocument from CSCS listing all the stocks and their value that an individual has in the Nigerian Stock Market)
*Any other financial document- bonds, fixed deposits, etc.

cONTACT ME FOR FURTHER DETAILS

Should be a relief.

The battle line has been drawn between Thisday Newspapers and the Lagos State Government, personified by its immediate past and present governors, Bola Tinubu and Babatunde Fashola. The past one week has witnessed a barrage of negative reports on Lagos State by Thisday.

I will not dwell on the truthfulness or otherwise of the reports. This piece is to affirm that the hypocrisy of Thisday within the Nigerian socio-political milieu is gradually becoming open for all minds, discerning and undiscerning, to see glaringly.

On Tuesday, July 22, 2008, Thisday’s website had a huge headline reading: “PDP, Obanikoro Call for Tinubu’s Probe”.

I am so surprised that strident calls for Tinubu’s probe came to the notice of Thisday only yesterday! With the very transparent corruption that all the serving and former governors have displayed since 1999, do we need any special investigation to know the existence of so much corruption in contract awards and other government business?

Apparently “encouraged” by the Lagos PDP commendation for the “mind-boggling disclosures” and “for taking the lead” in the patriotic duty of exposing pseudo-progressives such as Tinubu who pretend to be fighting for the masses”, Thisday has “urged other newspapers to wake up to their responsibilities in doing same in the interest of the nation’s democratic project”.

I am not holding fort, or defending the Lagos State government and its governors. I am only curious about why it is only within the past one to two weeks that Thisday Newspapers suddenly “discovered” questionable contracts of the Lagos State government, after its “investigative” journalistic work.

Thisday media is stabbing the Nigerian people behind their back. Why has Thisday only now decided to give prominence to allegations against the former Governor Bola Tinubu? Why is Thisday only now deciding to give prominence to the issues raised by Musiliu Obanikoro since last year during the heat of the 2007 electioneering campaigns?

Is this not the same Thisday that organizes bogus Awards for “achievements” by our underachieving government leaders? Thisday employs all forms of adjectives and superlatives to describe how failures have “achieved” in government. I don’t know what Thisday thinks government stands for, may be Thisday thinks a government is good when it is thought so by its attention-seeking and lavish publisher.

The manner in which Thisday splashes colorful photographs and celebrates the high and mighty, including governors and ministers, with their pseudo capitalists and money-spinning “corporate” patrons often stinks to high heavens. This is not the practice of any serious, balanced newspaper anywhere in the world. Thisday has connived with these attention-seeking governing politicians to promote and celebrate mediocrity as achievements.

This promotion of mediocrity had prompted me to write “Thisday Awards: Celebrating Mediocrity in Government” , in which I totally condemned the over-celebration of under-achievement. The Governor Fashola had received the ‘best governor award’.

As at today, Fashola has returned the “award”, which he called a “Greek gift”. Greek gift or not, none of the governors in the 36 states of Nigeria today deserves any award! It is crimininal to award someone who scored 40 percent, because s/he scored the highest marks in a class of disgraceful failures. Normal societies or communities would rather ask questions and seek reasons for the poor performance, than celebrate and “award” failure and mediocrity!

The shameful discovery only now, of the gross corruption happening in Lagos epitomizes the hypocrisy of Thisday, and other such news media. What is so “revealing” in the obvious corruption by our governors? Yet the same Thisday in May 2008 cooked up a “governors’ scorecard” to mark the first year in office of our “backsliding” governors, whose only forward movement is seen in the open grand stealing that is going on in the 36 government houses.

Thisday newspaper is a big, big conspirator in the designs and stratagems of the ruling elite to undermine Nigeria ’s struggle toward transparency, openness and democracy in general.

May unfolding events continue to open up the grand conspiracies of media like Thisday.

Returning to settle in Nigeria is a brave decision. Once it has been made, there are a few things to put in place to make your homecoming experience a successful one.

1. First, you have to be determined with a capital 'D' for your plan to happen as many homecoming aspirants are simply that - 'homecoming aspirants'. Many change their minds before even embarking on the journey. Some came and changed their minds because of the heat, traffic, electricity problems, or just because of their inability to cope with the ways of the people. So you just have to be determined for your plan not to be short-circuited.

2. There is a good argument for testing the waters for a period of time to avoid the problem enunciated above. Visiting home once or twice a year before taking the plunge will prepare you for the culture shock and all other shocks.

3. Visiting on holiday is a different ball game from settling in Nigeria. So prepare! prepare! and prepare! Don't assume that things are as easy as they look. In any case, wherever your holiday destination may be, visiting a place is different from living in a place.

4. You have to give serious thought to what to do business wise. Don't be fooled, Nigeria is becoming sophisticated daily and Nigerians are not dazzled by just anything because it comes from the West. Having said that, there are huge potentials practically in every aspect of the nation given that we are a developing country. These include property development, civil-structural engineering, medicine, human resource, large scale farming, telecommunications, teaching, food technology and of course information technology. Money is not free in Nigeria. Not everything sells. But whatever does will catch like wildfire. However be ready to be one step ahead as anything you do will be quickly copied.

5. Even with a very good business plan, you have to be patient and determined. There are many things that may conspire to stifle your plans. Did you get me? Be patient with the way people do business. You may be kept waiting, be patient. You may encounter missed appointments, be patient. Be patient but determined.

6. You need a good car. Apart from the fact that a car is a practical necessity, in Nigeria, a good car is a business necessity. My mother in law once told me that when your business host decides to see you to the door, it is possible that he wants to have a glimpse of your car. This may sway his decision on whether to do business with you or not.

What I have experienced is that a good car literally opens the gate to company premises and can secure a good car parking space. Even the police put themselves in check when they see a good car.

In the early days, I often went around in hired taxis. I once went for an important meeting at the premises of a large organisation. On that occasion, I had this very old red golf taxi. The driver lived locally and I use him often. Although he charges an arm and a leg, he was full of humour and has a positive outlook on life.

I arrived for my appointment with less than five minutes to spare but on the other side of the road. I decided to come out of the car and cross the road whilst he navigates the traffic and turn to wait for me. I informed the security guard that the car that brought me was on its way and should be allowed to park, to which he obliged. As I was about to enter the building, I noticed the driver had somehow managed to turn and was approaching the gate, I quickly dashed back to inform the guard. He did a head-to-toe survey of me, looked at the car and politely informed me that they do not allow this type of car in their premises.

7. You need settling mentors. You may need a friend or family mentor to help smoothen your settling in Nigeria. A very good friend provided a vehicle for us when available, shared hers with us sometimes to her hurt and often drove us home late at night. Their house was a place to chill, eat and plan. We are hugely indebted to her and her family.

We also had other people like my uncle and his wife who generously allowed us the exclusive use of their exquisitely furnished home. We felt we were living in London half the time. And also to a fantastic gentleman who repeatedly gave us work and office premises. These people cushioned the impact of our homecoming experience and we are grateful to them. Got the gist, you need a mentor

Please discontinue the discussion on the anonymous.

LAGOS: With oil prices at record highs, government coffers in the world's eighth biggest oil exporter are swollen to unprecedented levels.

Yet the vast majority of Nigeria's 140 million people live in no better conditions than their neighbours in West Africa, the least developed region of the world's poorest continent.

The same is true of many of Africa's major oil producers -- including Angola, Sudan, Equatorial Guinea and Chad -- but Nigeria's sheer size and 2-million-barrel-per-day output make the poverty-wealth contrasts more striking.

Nigeria has earned the equivalent in today's terms of nearly $1.2 trillion from oil production over the past four decades, the sort of money that enabled oil-producing Gulf states like Qatar to develop some of the strongest economies in the Arab world.

But its four state-owned refineries are not fully operational, largely due to mismanagement and vandalism, its distribution network is chaotic, and it relies heavily on fuel imports, which cost around $4 billion each year.

In Lagos, a mega-city of more than 10 million people, the elite sip champagne on exclusive islands -- albeit to the incessant drone of diesel generators -- while the masses live in mainland slums without water or electricity.

Ask an average Nigerian on the streets of Lagos how he is and he will likely tell you "things dey hard, but we dey manage" -- it's tough but we're getting by.

Healthcare is virtually non-existent, the roads are potholed, unemployment and crime are on the rise, and Nigeria is suffering from spiralling food prices.

"Nigeria is making more money from oil now, but look at the street we are living on," said Efe Oyingbo, pointing to a dirt road where passers-by waddle through muddy waters and motorists try to navigate cavernous, submerged potholes.

A mother of two, her frozen food business in the suburb of Okota has virtually collapsed because she cannot afford the high cost of gasoline.

The government has frozen the price of fuel but retailers have taken advantage of short supplies to more than double the price of diesel in some parts of Nigeria in the last few months.

The number one complaint is a stop-start power supply. Exasperated residents of Lagos call the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) "Never Expect Power Always".

Nigeria's generation capacity has plunged to less than 1,000 megawatts from 3,000 MW a year ago, largely due to lack of maintenance at power stations. South Africa, with a third of Nigeria's population, has over 10 times that capacity.

Much of Nigeria goes without power for weeks at a time. The crisis has closed hundreds of factories and slashed millions of jobs.

Since taking office a year ago, President Umaru Yar'Adua has been promising to declare a national emergency on power -- during which billions of dollars would be invested in the sector -- most recently saying he will do so this month.

A committee he set up to review the sector said last month Nigeria needs $85 billion to meet its domestic power demand, estimated at roughly 20,000 MW.

That dwarfs the $10 billion former President Olusegun Obasanjo spent on the sector during his eight-year tenure, an amount which failed to deliver on his pledge to raise capacity to 10,000 MW by the end of 2007.

A parliamentary probe showed more than $50 million of that money had been paid to non-existent companies.

Yar'Adua has said his country was also looking for ways of bringing private money into infrastructure investment.

Nigeria's public health system, education and roads are all in a shambles, largely due to corruption and mismanagement during decades of military rule which ended in 1999.

But close to a decade of civilian administration has given Nigerians little to cheer about.

"We've seen over the last few years that the military has no monopoly on ineptitude in government," said Antony Goldman, an independent expert on Nigeria.

"By normal measures, Lagos does not function. It is not organized chaos, there often seems barely the pretence of organization , People survive in spite of what government does not because of it," he said.

Lagos state governor Babatunde Fashola has acknowledged the problems and said the state must spend more than $700 million over the next five years to improve the road network alone.

Nine out of 10 Nigerians live on less than $2 a day, their lives blighted by poor infrastructure and a lack of public services resulting from decades of endemic corruption.

The cost of rice has climbed dramatically in the past few months, doubling for some varieties.

Consumer inflation rose to 9.7 percent in May, fuelled by a sharp rise in food prices.

"We don't sell anymore, you can see the freezer is open," Oyingbo said, sitting with two other women in front of her shop, pointing to an empty freezer in the unlit room.

"This is what we do now, sit and talk about Nigeria and also pray and hope that God will do a new thing."

Its a good one from Governor Fashola.

Thisday is in trouble.

@Akolawole

So sorry.

Lets just help.

@mynemo

If your inetnded school is resuming by september , you can still submit .

Its adviceable your have a sponsor who can support with his financial documents and you add your employment and bank statement as a back up.

Pls lets discontinue the post on anonymous.

@ahmed blak

If its a statement of account you need with that huge sum i will help.
Reach me om the email.

he is due to retire

Its really sad.

I will like to know if the German embassy is showing any interest in her death.

@kizzymack

When applying for medical, you must show sufficient evidence to so convince the hospital you are refered for a medical.

Your last medical report will indicate the conditions of health, last treatment and drugs used, and the proposed treatment.

An appointment will be sent which should contain the name of the doctor and hospital, the kind of treatment to be delivered, the charges and the duration.

Documents you need in supporting a medical application are
1. Last Medical report from a local doctor
2. Appointment letter from the host doctor
3. Medical history
4. Sponsorship details, if your uncle his sponsoring himself his bank statement will be neede.If he's employed his employment details will be needed.
5. Depending on the ailment, there might be need for an accompany.

@Darkroll

I have not posted this info with the intent to deceiving people in acquiring a TRNC residency.
I have only stated i can help secure a 3 months tourist visa.

Nigerian journalist can investigate crimes but they need to work in a better place and environment.
Guess how much Nta, Silverbird, Ait are paying?

Its crazy.

So 3rd mainland bridge would be closed for repairs.

Good news, but what happens to all the cars, molues, danfos that plies that route early mo mo

Studying in North Cyprus is cheaper compared to mainland Europe.

You can check and confirm from the under listed schools

http://www.ncc.metu.edu.tr/

http://www.gau.edu.tr/turk/

http://www.emu.edu.tr/

http://www.neu.edu.tr/

@Akolawole

After arriving in the TRNC (the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus ) you can stay for up to 3 months which is provided by your tourist visa. If you consider prolonging your stay, you need to apply for a residency permit at local Immigration Office which allows you to reside in Northern Cyprus .

Foreign country visitors have their passports stamped at the arrival checkpoints of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which are only legal ports - Ercan airport (or military airports for military purposes), Famagusta and Kyrenia seaport and when entering North Cyprus via South Cyprus your passport is stamped at border checkpoints. If you travel from North Cyprus to South Cyprus , visa form needs to be completed and stamped at the border checkpoints. This paper visa form is loosely inserted into the passport and stamped either you depart or arrive in North Cyprus.

North cyprus might not be the most attractive destination in Europe but Nigerians are so many there and they are surviving.

Its a place for business men who are interested in properties and real estate.

I can reliably tell you that a Nigerian just bought an hotel in the city of kyrenia.
So it might just be a good place for some but i agree its not the best of places in Europe.
I have not been there too, but with my contacts now i am sure to be there in August.

So no ulterior motive.

Its a matter of choice.

There are other means of getting this italian appointment.
I can help, contact me.

vikiviko2002@yahoo.com

Interested in North cyprus you can reach me .

Get a North cyprus visa and a turkish transit.
Interested , contact me.

2UK refusal is not enough guarantee that afirst time italian application would be denied.
I have seen worse cases and they come out successful.
Go ahead and apply but be sure your every docs are original.

It is a rather late excuse, isn't it? Or rather, he should not have accepted it in the first place, because immediately his name was announced or put forward, the Niger Delta people said no to the choice of him, knowing his previous statement about Saro Wiwa and the Ogonis during Abacha's time.

By stepping down however, he should be commended. In Nigeria, it is very rare to see such virtues.

PRESS STATEMENT

I am grateful to H.E. President Yar’Adua and Vice-President Jonathan for appointing me as Chairman of the Steering Committee for the National Summit on the Niger Delta and particularly for the confidence reposed in me to help resolve one of the most intractable problems facing our country.

I wish to put on record that I did not seek the position and I am not desperate to retain it. I felt it was my patriotic duty to accept the appointment and to discharge my duties to the best of my abilities. I have nothing but the highest regard for the people of the Niger Delta as an integral part of the Nigerian nation. It is my belief that the focus of this enterprise should be the Niger Delta but the perspective should be national while the international concern should not be ignored. Furthermore, I believe that with my decades of experience in conflict resolution and management, I could make a contribution towards finding a just and lasting solution to the problem in the Niger Delta. I could also help mobilize international support for the implementation of the concrete outcomes of the Summit.

However, in spite of the best intentions of the President and the Federal Government as well as my own commitment in accepting the position, my appointment has attracted what appears to be a well-orchestrated and relentless opposition from some quarters, institutions, groups and individuals who may nonetheless be central to the resolution of the crisis in the Delta. As a result, my name has become the issue in place of the attempt at finding a just and lasting solution to the crisis in the Niger Delta.

In light of this, I have contacted the Presidency and asked to be excused as the Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Summit. The laudable objectives of the federal government should not be defeated only because of the person in charge of the Steering Committee. The crisis in the Delta and the country are much bigger than an individual. And no individual must stand in the way of the resolution of the crisis, including my humble self.

I thank the President and the Federal Government of Nigeria for the opportunity and their understanding on this matter. I stand ready to continue to make my contribution, as a Nigerian and based on my experience as a national and international civil servant, towards the peace, stability and social economic development of our country.

Na wa o

I think your application stand a good chance.
Am concerned with your family ties, you have to show enough evidence with your cousin's.
Not paying a minimal deposit to the School is also a concern, though you were asked to apy on arrival.
There are only a few cases i know that as succeeded like this.
My only worry is the tax clearance, it must show it is social and responsible company by paying taxes regularly.
You must convincingly tell why his company is sponsoring you.
Are you employed?
If you are, am sure you have some savings, it is ok you support with your own personal savings.
I wish you all the best.

I think Global Education being the school's agent is only trying to be double sure your application is a success.
If they say you can't use your Sister's account for reasons given, i think you should adhere with them and look for a local sponsor here.

If you need a sponsor you can reach me, I'll help.

come and advertise in my blog for free.

Loans are what we need in Naija so that less earning people can buy cars, houses, investments