₦airaland Forum

The question for the OP will be, what are good at? Or phrased differently, what are you passionate about? The answer you give will determine the best type of business for you.

I know people that made a lot of money from exporting laptops and cars into Nigeria but it seems the market is really saturated. I also know people with subway franchises, airport shuttle, cleaning companies, mechanic shops, convenience store, coffee shops, dollar stores, shipping companies, NGOs, etc.

Then there are people like me who are into technical stuff. I own a few companies but owning a company is the easy part, making profit is substantially more difficult. People like to talk about the companies they own but how many of them are actually turning a profit?

@2Buff
What is the name to your app? I’m also into iPhone apps but have yet to finish the damn thing! All that Objectice C is getting to me; maybe I should just switch to Android but then, I also don’t know Java! Whatever happened to just providing APIs in C/C++?

Interesting definition of the word “professional.” Being a “professional” just means that one earns a living doing a certain function. Chances are that you will be an expert at it, otherwise why would someone pay you, but you don’t have to be.

@Ajanlekoko
I took the “plane meaning” of the title to be “professionals of African origin.” In other words, I’m differentiating between “Africa’s professionals” and “African professionals”. But, you are saying that the title should be read in context of the thread, which is perfectly valid and would change the meaning. This is why lawyers can read the same clause and come to different meanings:-)

@snthesis
But can you be a Professional Engineer of African origin? I think qualifiers are needed at times to better express ourselves. I don’t see anything derogatory in saying “African professionals” as he didn’t want to address other professionals.

Some very interesting points being made in this thread.

Goldman Sachs is running with "The Talented Tenth" approach with their "10,000 Woman" program aimed at providing an MBA-like education to underprivileged woman with the hope that they will empower more people.

http://www2.goldmansachs.com/citizenship/10000women/index.html

http://www2.goldmansachs.com/citizenship/10000women/meet/index.html#/home

cecegorz:
…
Until you guys start coming back with business ideas to start-up and create small jobs instead of coming to huzzle for the few existence jobs, its all the same. UK or US or Naija.

You are probably right in terms of societal benefit from foreign trained graduates. What good is the purportedly better and more expensive degree if it doesn’t create any societal benefit but takes away from it? On the other hand, it is extremely difficult to come up with a viable biz plan that is relevant to the Nigerian market without having strong ties or competent partners back there.

I have even thought of going through the NYSC just to better understand the Nigerian economy but the possibility of being sent anywhere else apart from Lagos terrifies me. Another alternative will be to take an extended vacation for like 3 months but I can’t seem to make it past week 3 before having enough.

@Topic
Waiting for the week to end before taking off up north for vacation and winter sports. I also got a Dremel rotary tool as xmas gift from my firm. I now have enough tools to rival most well equipped mechanics The only thing I need now is a car lift in my garage!

@netotse
Thanks for the link to the detailed World Bank report. It makes for an interesting read.

I probably can’t use the services of your friend this go-around because he’s on a different platform (freelancer) but I will keep him in mind for future projects.

Wow…my condolences to his family! May he RIP! It is crazy getting caught up in all the gangbanging BS…unfortunately, there are a lot inner city youths that have no respect for human life especially those little efing teenagers with no future because they know they will get out of jail by age 21 when caught!

They need to start strapping these little effers that kill senselessly to the electric chair within a couple of years of being caught.

The sad part is that they also stray out of their neighborhoods to go rob easy preys.

@ the Canadian dwellers

I used to think Boston was cold until I started visiting Montreal around Dec/Jan. You guys are on a different level. It gets so cold that your car heater feels like it has been switched to a slightly warm AC. Another thing, your gas is expensive but I guess you make up for it with your healthcare cost.

@ netotse
Yeah, I’m looking for someone with cocoa/objective C experience.

@ Topic
IP litigation is only glamorous when you see it on TV. It is the most boring paper intensive job ever! It is no surprise that the cost of litigation is in the millions because you have a bunch of attorneys that are charging about $400 per hour (firm rates) reviewing gazillions of boxes containing irrelevant documents!

The 10th digit of the VIN tells you the model year.

1 – 2001
2 – 2002
3 – 2003
4 – 2004 etc

Without getting into the middle of the argument, the 6 Series is available in the US in the following trims:

645CI 2004 – 2005
650CI 2006 – present

645CI is definitely not a 2003 MY but was introduced in 2003 as a 2004 MY. Almost every car is available for sale about 3 months earlier than its model year. For example, you can buy 2011 MY cars at the dealership now and most have been available since around September/October. Going by what's available in the US, the 645CI is a 2004 or 2005.

Just like the OP said, having access to the VIN will tell you exactly when the car was made.

netotse:
@wallie
I'm curious, why are you harping on companies? i know one guy that used to bid for jobs on them sites sha, he's extremely good(dont know if he still does the freelance thing though). This was back when we were in school, when we discussed it, he told me the indian programmers used to spoil market for everyone, apparently they like(d) to quote really low prices. He made a lot of money from that(i seem to remember the dude always being flush)

I guess because it increases the credibility and seriousness of the company to be employed. If I’m going to spend thousands of dollars outsourcing to an entity in a foreign land, I will feel better knowing that the entity has a name to protect. But you’re right; it doesn’t have to be companies.

lol @ spoiling market! That's the power of the free market but there should be no reason why Nigeria can't compete on price. The cost of business can't be that far off or can it?

yodiyokun:
Wallie,

I think Nigerian credibility is the problem. We are known for 419 while Indias and Chinese are known for programming prowess. It's also possible that these websites will not allow IP address from this part of the world. I know for certian that these websites are legit, but I'm not sure whether people will trust their job to a nigerian company, why take the chance when you can give the same bid to an Indian guy.

I’ve outsourced a few of my projects and the way it is setup almost ensures weeding out fraud. Payment is only made through an escrow account owned by the website owner. Here’s how a typical transaction will work:

Hiring company: I’m looking for someone to build a 15-page Joomla website that includes a job posting page.

Responding company 1: Here is my proposal detailing 4 milestones. It will cost $1000 and can be ready in 2 weeks.

Milestone 1: Design /Mock up
Milestone 2: Coding
Milestone 3: Testing
Milestone 4: Delivery

Payments of $250 will be due a couple of days after completion and delivery of each of the said milestones.

Hiring company: I like company 1’s proposal and I choose him (done on the website project page). Next, I will pre-fund my escrow account tied to the project. This ensures that I have money to complete the project. But I also have total control of the prefunded account and will only release the funds per milestone to Company 1 if/when I’m satisfied with the completion of the particular milestone.



If there’s a dispute, the website owner will arbitrate using the contract between the Hiring Company and Company 1 as the guiding language to judge intent.

Further, every single company has a public profile that includes comments by prior clients about the service/quality of work received. Also, the total dollar value of the amount of work you’ve done in the past is in your profile.

As you can see, the opportunity for a 419 company to abscond with one’s money is relatively hard as long as due diligence is done by the hiring company. One has to review a company’s past performance to ensure that they’re not quacks.

Finally, I asked the question because I would rather hire a capable Nigerian company with a competitive bid and I’m sure that there are many of us out there.

Off topic: Does anyone know of Nigerian companies that bid on outsourced programming projects on sites like Elance, freelancer, etc.? It seems like an easy way for local competent companies to make a trailer load of dollars with minimal amount of investment. India-based companies seem to have programming on lock and I can’t understand why the same is not true for Nigeria. After all, all you need is knowledge, a programming environment (IDE), a laptop and the internet.

It is crazy seeing all these small businesses making hundreds of thousand dollars from foreign companies while still 100% local. Some of these small companies are now so successful that they now open satellite offices in the US.

First day back at work after a 5-day thanksgiving weekend and things are starting to already hit the fan! God save me from a finicky client especially since he’s being charged a somewhat fixed fee. Some people just can’t seem to make up their mind! I bet he’ll have a heart attack when he sees the bill and realize that a price quote is really just an estimate.

On a different note, I got to know of Wale Tinunbu and his accomplishments over the weekend from one of his close business associate only to see him, Wale, interviewed on CNN International yesterday (Sunday). It is inspiring to see a relatively young guy with a business started in Nigeria making international waves. It gives me hope that “things” are possible in the private sector even if you’re an outsider! Time to start planning …

I think what the kids did is commendable as they now possess the practical knowledge of how electricity is made. This can only lead to greater future endeavors. However, what they did is to create a step up transformer which is very commendable at that age but not novel. The quote below explains what they did but that’s how it electricity is created except for chemical processes (batteries).

“We used magnetic flux to generate electricity which the conventional magnet cannot. It consists of a shaf fixed with eight neodymium magnets which rotates when an initial current is passed through the field coils. The electricity is then passed from the copper coil to a step-up transformer which steps up the power voltage from 32 volts to 200 volts to power the output of the generator”.

The bottom line is that you create electricity by moving magnets around coils to generate electric fields. What differs in most generation methods is what you use to move the magnets (you can move mechanical parts burning fossil fuel to create steam, nuclear energy to create heat, kinetic energy from wind or water); they used “initial current”.

With regards to the “fuel-less” claim, their mentors should have explained the laws of thermodynamics better to them as I doubt they’ve taken anything more than a cursory look at the laws.

A simple validation of the “fuel-less” claim will be to disconnect their system from wherever they got their “initial current” from and see how long the system’s output voltage stays the same.

Mobinga:
It has been patented. Nobody would listen to the man. Thread locked!

The man still has quite a few options:
1. Sue in civil court for fraud and misrepresentation but the case might be statutorily barred.
2. Invalidate the patent: a patent can be deemed invalid if it is wrongfully obtained by a person other than the real inventor. If there is a potential for monetizing the patent, he'll think twice about making Mr Nwanko a co-inventor. If the patent becomes invalid, it will reside in the public domain and anybody can use it.

If he gets legal representation, this is the firm representing Dr Nelson:

BARLOW, JOSEPHS & HOLMES, LTD.
101 DYER STREET
5TH FLOOR
PROVIDENCE RI 02903
401-273-4446

He can have his lawyer contact them for more information on the patent. My guess is that this firm will also handle the licensing, if there were to be any.

Attached is the patent in question. Tell Mr Nwankwo to take a look at it and see if this was his invention (minus the chemical formulas).

As far as I can tell, Mr Nelson still owns the patent and it has not been assigned to any company. If this patent is worth "something" or "anything", it will be assigned to a company that could take it to market. Although, nothing is really stopping Mr Nelson from licensing the rights to a company and in which case, it won't be recorded at the US Patent and Trademark Office since it will just be a contractual issue between the parties.

At this point, the only thing that I can affirmatively say is that Mr Nelson had spent thousands of dollars, probably about $10,000, to obtain the patent. He has an outstanding Patent Maintenance fee of $1,305.00 to pay before 03/11/2011; otherwise, the issued patent will go abandoned.

The only advice I can give Mr Nwankwo is to find out if there is a company using the patent to manufacture a diabetic drug and then seek legal representation to sue Mr Nelson for fraud. I guess one way of finding out is just to keep track of News about Mr Nelson in the media.

I made this diabetes cure discovery in Nigeria and submitted it to the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) which is the only body empowered by Law to confirm and certify such discovery in the country, but instead of certifying my discovery they now patented it in their crony’s name. Dr. Louis Nelson.

,

NWOBILO NWANKWO

Ntighauzo Village

Obingwa LGA  

 Abia State.

Phone: 0809 086 7484.                                              

Email: nwankwo.obilo@yahoo.com                                                                                                        

21 st Oct. 2010

Things are not looking too good for Mr Nwankwo except if he can prove inventorship. Let’s even assume that he disclosed the information to Dr Nelson - how would he prove that Dr Nelson wasn’t working on the same cure before he disclosed the invention to him? This is one of the reasons Patent Attorneys, typically, do not invent.


I have a few questions for Mr Nwankwo:
1. When was the discovery submitted to NIPRD?
2. What formalities did he go through before submitting the disclosure?
3. Is there record of the submission?
4. Did he sign anything? If so, what exactly did he sign?
5. Does Dr Nelson work for NIPRD?
6. Did Mr. Nwankwo have any previous contact with Dr. Nelson about the disclosure?
7. How long has Mr. Nwankwo been working on the discovery and does it work? If it does work, how did he know?

As long as Mr. Nwankwo can prove when and how his invention was conceived, he might be entitled to whatever Dr Nelson gets especially if Dr Nelson cannot prove the same.

But you cannot patent an idea. Whatever disclosure Mr. Nwankwo submitted has to be detailed enough to enable one “skilled in the art” to make use of the invention before it can be worthy of a patent. In other words, it has to list the methods and steps necessary to make the invention.

If Mr. Nwankwo feels that he has a disclosure worthy of a patent, I can put him in touch with other Patent Attorneys in the US that could help him as I only prosecute electrical and mechanical patents.

But time is not on his side as he has only one year from public disclosure to file a patent.

Not necessarily. It depends on what kind of programming you do; however, most schools would require to complete introductory level maths for a Computer Science degree. With basic knowledge of maths, you can get by with codes that have a high layer of abstraction or API from what’s happening underneath.

If you want to manipulate data (bits), memory or program applications that tend to purport realism like video games, you will need heavy maths especially if you’re not given a detailed psuedocode.

Generally, vehicles that are the least complex tend to require lower maintenance cost but there are more variables involved like first model year of the design, some design change, maturity of the particular model and/or vehicle manufacturer.

All else being equal, the most economical will be Murano and least being the Range or Armanda.

Hello all,

I'm trying to compile a list of Airfields in Nigeria especially abandoned ones; do you know of any not already included in the list below?

Thanks!



ICAO code----->name--------------------------->longest runway
DNAA----------->Abuja Intl------------------------->11811
DNAK----------->Akure------------------------------>9186
DNBE----------->Benin City------------------------->7874
DNBI------------>Bida-------------------------------->3609
DNCA----------->Calabar----------------------------->8038
DNEN----------->Enugu------------------------------>7874
DNGU----------->Gusau------------------------------>4800
DNIB------------>Ibadan------------------------------>7874
DNIL------------>Ilorin-------------------------------->10171
DNIM----------->Owerri------------------------------>8858
DNJO----------->Jos----------------------------------->9843
DNKA----------->Kaduna---------------------------->9843
DNKN---------->Kano Mallam Aminu Intl ------->10827
DNMA---------->Maiduguri------------------------->9843
DNMK---------->Makurdi -------------------------->Bleep
DNMM---------->Lagos Murtala Muhammed --->12795
DNMN---------->Minna------------------------------>3002
DNOS---------->Oshogbo---------------------------->4350
DNPO---------->Port Harcourt---------------------->9843
DNSO---------->Sokoto------------------------------>9843
DNYO---------->Yola-------------------------------->7874
DNZA---------->Zaria-------------------------------->5400

What ever happened to the Abuja race?

There's only one way to make a small fortune in racing ----start with a large one! Keep the shinny side up!

As for me, “I was doing fine until about mid-corner when I ran out of talent”:-)

My day sucked! Had a meeting this morning with a government “agent” advocating on my client’s behalf and I almost felt like walking out on the guy. The agent is akin to a low level judge that can decide what happens to my client’s invention. The first opportunity the guy had, he got on his soap box and went on a tirade about what an invention should be and he wouldn’t shut up. How I wish I could just tell him to STFU for minute so that he can see my point of view!

My boss just added a bunch of cases to my docket that are past due for a response and he wants me to “see what I can do about it.” Normally I should be given, at least, a month before the case deadline for prosecution but “someone” holds onto the cases until the very last minute before punting it to the “minion” attorney.

On the issue of spending one’s riches to develop one’s neighborhood, generally speaking, blacks are not as philanthropic as whites. How many rich blacks will give away half of their wealth to people or organizations?

Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Larry Ellison, George Lucas, Paul Allen, T. Boone Pickens, and many more are all going to donate at least half of their fortunes. Larry Ellison has the intention of giving away, at least, 95% of his assets. I wish I could say I would do the same if I was in his shoes, but I doubt I would. Why should I care about my wealth if I’m already dead? I have no idea.

On the issue of developing Nigeria, I think NIN and NID both have complimentary parts to play and success will only be guaranteed if we work together.

Whether NID admits it or not, NIN is needed to actualize our goals in Nigeria because they have the information we need along with knowledge of the terrain. On the other hand, NIN needs NID to infuse a different “variable” into Nigeria; if not, their result will always be the same.

Are NID smarter than NIN? Not necessarily true but probably better exposed, generally. I’ve always wondered if I would have achieved the same level of success if I was still in Nigeria slugging it out with all the issues conspiring against one’s success. I will never know the answer to that question but the thought gives me a better appreciation of Nigerians that made it in Nigeria.

[quote author=John Campbell, Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies]The car bombs detonated (Reuters) near Abuja's Eagle Square on October 1 ruined a high-profile military ceremony celebrating Nigeria's fifty years of independence and put President Goodluck Jonathan and other senior political figures at risk. Though the politicians were unhurt, there were sixteen deaths--including security operatives--and sixty-seven injured. President Jonathan's mishandling of the aftermath of the bombings threatens to exacerbate regional tensions. It has also likely reduced Jonathan's stature as a presidential candidate with the political elites in the run-up to the 2011 national elections either in January or April. Nevertheless, he continues to influence the security services and the electoral process, and it is premature to count him out.

Jomo Gbomo, the Internet spokesperson for the inchoate Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) claimed responsibility (Reuters) for the attack, saying it was part of its campaign for the Delta to benefit more from the petroleum it produces. While violence associated with MEND has been ubiquitous in the Delta, the recent attack was the first such terrorist act in Abuja, located hundreds of miles away.

Despite MEND's claim, Jonathan put the terrorist attack in the context of presidential rivalries, especially with Ibrahim Babangida--a Northern Muslim, former military head of state and Jonathan's primary presidential challenger. Jonathan denied (ThisDay) that the bombing was linked to the Delta or MEND. Ex-Delta militants now on the government payroll joined the chorus that MEND could not have been responsible. Instead, the security services brought (DailyTrust) in Raymond Dokpesi, Babangida's chief of staff, for questioning. At the request of the Nigerians, South African authorities also arrested former gunrunner and MEND affiliate Henry Okah, who now lives there. Police in Nigeria attempted to link Okah to Dokpesi based on a cryptic text message about payments being made. But attempts to connect Babangida to the bombing through Dokpesi and Okah lacked credibility, not least because Babangida would have had little to gain by involvement with terrorism. Dokpesi has since been released.

Okah alleged in an al-Jazeera interview that Jonathan's office urged (AllAfrica) him to implicate Northern political leaders in the bombings. While Jonathan's supporters accuse Okah of lying, in the North his al-Jazeera interview tends to be taken at face value and feeds a deepening suspicion that Jonathan is shifting the blame away from constituents in the Niger Delta for short-term political gain within the Peoples Democratic Party, whose presidential nomination he seeks.

With no indictments to date, Jonathan's political rivals have also sought to exploit the bombings by questioning his ability to provide even minimal security. Babangida and certain Northern politicians are calling for the National Assembly to impeach Jonathan based on Okah's interview in al-Jazeera, and Dokpesi has filed a lawsuit (JoyOnline) against the State Security Services.  Though these initiatives will certainly fail, Jonathan's response to the bombings is nudging Nigerian politics further in a North versus South direction dangerous in a country where the line between Christians and Muslims runs east to west through the middle of the country, intermingled with hundreds of ethnic groups.

Our best bet is to put enough pressure on a lot of the lower and mid-level guys, who are not necessarily ideologically motivated and will simply decide that that there are easier ways to make a buck and they'll stop fighting.

Jonathan's opposition has further been emboldened by indications that the government knew in advance about the terrorist attack and failed to take the appropriate steps. The London Telegraph, in a story widely carried in Nigeria, claims that British intelligence warned the Nigerian security services about such a possibility. Indeed, the day or so before October 1 the security services removed numerous parked cars in the area around Eagle Square, apparently satisfying themselves that they had addressed the security threat.

The report of British intelligence was not the only indicator. There was an email from an account associated with Jomo Gbomo that was sent at least an hour prior to the bombings, warning of an impending attack. It was apparently ignored by the security services, though the American and British delegations to the celebrations prudently stayed away. So did Babangida, who subsequently explained his absence as a protest against the excessive costs of the celebration. While the president has said that there was an "intelligence failure," it remains baffling that the Nigerian political establishment would fail to heed the warnings and put itself at risk,

The likelihood that the Abuja bombings were the work of Delta militants has also damaged Jonathan's political credentials. As a Christian Ijaw from the Bayelsa state in the Delta, Jonathan often claims political credit for reducing violence in the Delta and restoring oil production. And Jonathan's attraction to the elite kingmakers that will determine the governing Peoples Democratic Party's (PDP) presidential candidate for 2011 is based at least in part on his alleged control of the Delta, which has been brought into question by these bombings.

Jonathan recently appears to be backing away from his early assertion that the bombings had nothing to do with the Delta. But the damage is done. Some in the North believe Jonathan is promoting his political interests at their expense. And there are raw nerves. Since 1999, Nigeria appears to have been well-served by an informal power sharing understanding among elites to reduce religious, ethnic, and regional conflict by rotating the presidency regionally--and, in effect, religiously--between North and South, and their Muslim and Christian majorities, every eight years. Elected vice president, Jonathan is president now only because of the death of Umaru Yar'Adua, a Muslim from the North who was elected president in 2007. As it is the North's turn for the presidency until 2015, many Nigerians expected that Jonathan would not run in 2011 and bide his time. However, Jonathan announced in September that he would be a presidential candidate in 2011, thereby suspending powersharing.

Still, the Abuja bombings and the controversies surrounding them have not knocked Jonathan out of the presidential race. As the incumbent and through his influence over the security services and the electoral machinery, his chances of emerging as the PDP presidential candidate remain strong. Still, [b]his willingness to cast aside a powersharing mechanism and his apparent effort to play on regional differences do not bode well for the future. [/b]Beyond presidential politics, Nigeria's friends hope the Abuja bombings do not signal a new round of violence as the election season approaches.  While remaining scrupulously neutral among the candidates, Nigeria's friends should also continue to encourage Nigerian civil organizations working for free, fair, and credible elections conducted according to the rule of law.[/quote]http://www.cfr.org/publication/23176/nigerias_preelection_tensions.html

hayo:
Nice topic.
I think it is an individual thing. It is not enough to generalize but for each person to think deep and ask a personal question - Do I know my stuff and can I be relevant outside the local scene? Erosion of values in the country contributes so much to the way people think. Imagine a father advising his son to get employment in a federal government parastatal because of the kickbacks so prevalent there.
But there are still many Nigerians who have the spirit of excellence even in the midst of rot. I have worked outside Nigeria and my objective is always to leave a lasting impression as a value-adding team member wherever I found myself. I know others doing same but the bad eggs are there too. What we need to also understand is that most times, it is not always about the skill but attitude. I believe that skills can open doors for u, but attitude will keep you there.

To close this, even on this forum, I can attest to the level of professionalism of 1 person at the minimum. Ajanlekoko is on top of the list . And the last time I checked, he is Nigerian and there are many more like him I have had the opportunity to work with.

+1
I know this doesn’t sound right but I never knew a Nigerian that schooled and worked in Nigeria could be so forward looking and insightful. I was so impressed that I had to meet him.

Reference:
….Can we name one business interest, one company, one firm that sources 100% of its income from real international competitive business practices. Or one corporate business magnate who has no ties whatsoever past or present from Government. Our fortune 500 is all government from banks, insurance, accounting, construction, engineering, telecommunications, health, everything.

I think it will be a while before Nigeria can compete in the free market. The government needs to strategically foster policies in business sectors that we have inherent competitive advantage in. The only way a business sector could develop in Nigeria and compete internationally is to nurture it through infancy by policies that shield it from international competition. There is no way an “amateur” will be able to compete with a “world class professional athlete.”  One has to give the talented amateur chance to grow and hone his skills.

Reference: The reason easterners are the most dexterous in development is simply because they have had the roughest ride in this country. Germany has to be industrialized because they needed it to survive against a dozen countries in WWII.

Necessity is the mother of all invention. Nigeria has been in need for a while and it is only a matter of time, given the right environment, for Nigerians to rise to the occasion.

AjanleKoko:
^^


Seriously, I am just coming in from an IDC seminar. Som guy is presenting an IT topic, and he apparently doesn't know how how to use Powerpoint . Someone who is a top exec in a Fortune 5 company? Nigerian guy though.

I have an Indian guy that keeps telling me we have a poor talent pool in Nigeria and outside. [b]This guy has worked all over the world, and he says he has met Nigerians in every field of IT. [/b]I always write him off to bad bellicks, but  . . . wetin dey?

This is actually very common among older workers as they tend to shy away from technology. The slides were probably prepared by his assistant or slides from someone else’s old presentation. Old timers usually don’t want to be bothered with technology and only want to know enough to get their job done. Just tell them where to click …

The Indian guy is probably right about the poor talent pool within Nigeria because Nigeria only recently had the industry to absorb and develop its talent. Before, we mostly relied on foreigners for the brains to keep Nitel, Nepa and the oil industries running. However, I think he’s somewhat mistaken about Nigerians abroad who have gone through the same training/experience as their colleagues. What he might be alluding to is what you had touched on earlier about Nigerians being able to talk themselves into anything. It is possible that Nigerians talked themselves into technical positions that require experience they lacked.

@Ajanlekoko and texazzpete

There are people that specialize in analyzing SIM cards. There are even open source tools that you can use to analyze SIM cards yourself. Google SimBrush, pySim and simScan.

I also do know for a fact that certain “bodies” in Nigeria are trying to “cope” with the anonymity mobile phones allow.

tensor777:
Martial law in the affected areas. Why? Because the NPF currently lacks the training and orientation to deal with this type of crime.
It has to be ruthlessly dealt with by the military and the SSS.

Probably right!