Catch them young.

It was my birthday recently and I spent the day traveling to a factory in Germany for some meetings.

I met a few people in the factory and interestingly most have worked for the company between 18 and 25 years, and they are all young. Average age between them I’ll say is 38.

The common thread running here was that they joined the company as apprentices, and gained work experience while they finished up their studies. Now they have both academic qualifications and many years of work experience under their belt, with many more years to go before retirement.

I do not know if the data exists but if the information obtained from google search is to be believed, most entry level job positions are advised for graduates no more than 23years to 25years. It is not common place in the Nigerian labour market to find companies who employ apprentices while giving them the opportunity to complete their studies alongside having full time paid employment.

It is common knowledge that money cannot buy experience. Nigerian labour employers are losing good money by not offering apprentice positions to the labour force and ‘catching them young’, in a manner of speaking.

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My West Africa Coast Road Trip Experience

One of the things I have had on my bucket list is to take a road trip through the coast of West Africa starting from Nigeria all the way to Senegal. I have thought about it and talked so much about it, all that was left was to 'just do it'.

As time went on and it was becoming difficult to implement it the way I thought, I decided to scale down the plan and execute in two phases.

First phase was to fly into Ghana and go via road to and from Accra to Cote D'Ivoire and then fly back to Nigeria. (I have done Nigeria-Ghana return via road a few years ago). Then the second phase was to fly into Côte d'Ivoire and go via road to and from Senegal and then fly back to Nigeria.

For the first phase of the trip, I planned to travel to Togo from Accra, and then go back to Accra, on to Abidjan, Yamoussoukro, back down to Abidjan and finally to Accra where I planned to fly back to Lagos from.

Though I am happy I finally got to do what I'd wanted for so long, I am not sure it is an experience I will be quick to repeat. Don't get me wrong; for the most part the roads are good and you can get comfortable air-conditioned buses with entertainment provided to make the pass the long hours. However the border crossings are a totally different matter.

To put it in perspective, these countries are all ECOWAS member states and yet the experience passing through the borders from one country to another makes one think there is no relationship between these countries.

My worst experience by far was at the Cote D'Ivoire border with Ghana. At the Ghana side of the border, things moved very swiftly and seamlessly. But as soon as we were done, the first shock I received was that since I was traveling with a Nigerian virgin passport (virgin translated to mean first time I was passing that border into Côte d'Ivoire even though I had previously visited Côte d'Ivoire), I was required to pay FCFA 10,000 (equivalent to ~$16). This money was collected from everyone traveling with a virgin passport (see definition of virgin above) issued by Nigeria, Mali, Senegal and Guinea. Also I was informed that this money will apply every time I renew my passport as a new passport booklet returns me to the 'virgin' status.

Also at this border our suitcases were taken down from the vehicle and searched 100%. I was also given an unsolicited injection for meningitis which I also had to pay for. In all we spent over two hours at the Côte d'Ivoire side of the border just trying to gain entry into the country.

Suffice to say I will not be returning to that border anytime soon. I had planned to go back by road but the trauma of my first attempt was more than I could bear and so I had to make alternative arrangements to return home.

For the 2nd part of my West Africa coast tour, I hope to go by road from Cote D'Ivoire to Senegal. Fingers crossed this will be a better experience.

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What has Jeremiah got to do with Nigeria?

A few days ago, a friend called my attention to an article written on President Buhari's performance in office so far. The writer of the article minced no words in calling out Buhari for his lopsided appointments, inept policies and general disconnect with the suffering of the masses. 

Of course comments received were numerous, but what struck me as funny was that the writer was berated by some for coming out so strongly on such a national issue because of his 'position', lest he be accused of heating up the polity. In summary he was not allowed to have or divulge a position on the state of the nation because of his 'position'.

Meditating on the prophecy of Jeremiah  today, I saw a lot of similarities.

Why do I say so?

For those who are familiar with the prophets, Jeremiah could be considered as one of the unfortunate ones and I will explain why.

Jeremiah was called by God, before he was even born, to be a prophet; but he started his prophetic ministry as a teenager. The summary of his message to the people of Judah at the time was that if they did not repent of their evil ways, their towns will be plundered and everything destroyed. Not even their previous temple will be spared. And after the destruction, those who are left will be taken into exile to work as slaves. Imagine yourself as the bearer of this message; unfortunately the lot fell to the teenager Jeremiah. And he was not sent to his fellow senior prophets which perhaps may have been easier for him. God sent him to give this message to the elders and rulers of the people. 

Of course no one believed him. He was too young to be a prophet, and how dare he utter such calamitous words about the chosen ones of God and of Jerusalem, the city of God? For daring to do this, Jeremiah was oppressed and punished by the people and the elders several times. In fact, he was treated as a pariah. 

Jeremiah was not indifferent to this maltreatment because several times he would complain to God, even accusing him of deceiving and seducing him into proclaiming messages of doom. But he also accepted he had no choice; if he did not proclaim the message, it will burn up from deep within him until it came out.

So what has Jeremiah got to do with Nigeria?

Everything.

Perhaps we are in similar times as the people of Judah. Our country is racked with suffering, poverty, corruption, greed, tribalism, racism, religious intolerance, terrorism; everything that can go wrong seems to be going wrong with our country. We all see it, we all know it.

However while some people are choosing to speak up about it, others have chosen to be deaf, dumb, blind and mute and as if that is not bad enough, want others to act the same. But whether we like it or not, we all know the truth because it is written in our hearts and it gives us only two choices - speak up and let it out no matter what the message is, or keep it in until it consumes you like a burning fire. 

And when we speak up there are benefits - the truth is told, errors can be rebuked, faults can be corrected and instructions can be given that can set things right.

In the end, it always works out best.

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APC and the clamour for CHANGE

If APC thinks that the clamour for change is only at the federal level, then I think they are being hypocritical. Do they think we don't need change at the state level? Take Lagos for instance; for how long are we going to be bed-fellows with Tinubu? Our present governor was hand picked by him, same as the current candidate. Even the APC vice-presidential candidate was chosen by him (I hear Osibanjo is a director of alpha-beta, the company owned by Tinubu and responsible for collection of taxes in Lagos state). His wife Oluremi Tinubu has 'represented' Lagos central senatorial district for three terms now if am not mistaken. Unfortunately the only time we see or hear from her is during elections, when her glossy election posters cover every available space on the island promising 'prosperity' for all. Is that what we need? Prosperity or a candidate that is our voice in the legislature? I think we have had enough of Tinubu; he should gracefully take a bow for the work he has done so far and allow the polity to run without saturating the whole place with his family members and cohorts who continue to serve his personal interests first rather than that of the people. The hypocrisy needs to stop; there is no difference between distributing recharge cards with the picture of Remi Tinubu and the bags of rice distributed by PDP with Jonathan's face on it. According to my colleague, the clamor for change is not a mantra, it is a movement. APC has the momentum now but if they are not careful, even they will be swept away into oblivion by the force of the Change movement.

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My Nigeria 'Online' Experience

I am a Nigerian - born, bred and brought up. I have lived in same country all my life excluding a brief stint in the UK and several short visits to other countries. Overall I think I love my country. Some things work, some others don't but who cares? Show me a place where everything works.

I am an avid online shopper. I picked up the habit while living in the UK and have been unable to drop it. I can literally buy everything online. More so since traipsing from one shop to another physically leaves me very tired, it's very nice to achieve the same thing virtually in the comfort of my home. In truth it was one of the things I missed when I came back to live in Nigeria.

Fast forward a few years forward, and I begin to see nice billboards advertising various online shopping sites. And it's not just the shopping, it's also online ticket booking, online banking, online hotel booking, online bills payment, supposedly a gazillion amount of things that can be done on the fantastic world of the internet. Happy days right???

Wrong.

I have had cause to try the various online sites. From flight tickets, to electronics, to gifts for family, to hotel bookings, concert tickets, deals in town, just name it; I have gone online for literally everything.

So what have I found out?

Some sites work, some others are just bollocks. From my experience, these are a few that work.

> Dealdey: I have tried this site for a number of things, from deals in restaurants, to discounted items and services. This site is full of 'awoof' which is not so bad. I have been pleased with some of the deals I have gotten from it. However one needs to be careful. There is a popular saying that 'awoof dey run belle' and this site is no different. My advise, choose carefully and wisely.

> Various airline sites: This is with reference to direct airline sites such as Arik air, Aero Contractors, Virgin Atlantic, and so on. These sites for the most part work. I have used them severally with no issues, except maybe one or two hitches but always quickly resolved.

> Travelstart: This is an online flight and hotel booking site which was recommended by a friend after I had an unsavory experience with one of the other sites (more on that to come). Considering I
used it at a time when I was very desperate, I was pleased that I got good results. I did hear from someone else that she had tried them but was disappointed as her hotel booking did not go through, but I think it's best I base what I write now on my personal experience.

Now to those that are frankly just a waste of space.....

> Wakanow: I wish I had something good to say about this site but unfortunately I don't. I am predisposed to like them but quite frankly they have always come up short. I have used them twice and both times I have been disappointed. First time had to do with a flight booking and after I paid, the ticket was not issued and I was told to pay extra money twice if I wanted the ticket issued. Needless to say I got so annoyed I asked for the ticket to be cancelled and what I paid refunded. It took several trips to their office in Lagos before my money was refunded, and of course by that time not the full value was refunded. Second time was for a honeymoon package and that was so botched up, it took a lot for my husband and I to still go on a honeymoon, no thanks to Wakanow. My advise, stay clear!!!

> Jumia: Quite frankly I think people should stop offering what they don't have to give and that is my problem with this site. I went to this site to buy a voice recorder for a friend. Went through the
modalities of choice, payment and sending delivery details. Two days later I receive a call; the item is not available and so I will be given a voucher to use to buy something else on the site. However if I
am okay to wait one more week, the item will be available by then. So I agree to wait one more week and then I call back and am told the item is now available so I place another order because the previous one was cancelled. Then receive a call the next day, and guess what? Yes you're right, the item is unavailable again. Suddenly sales have picked up and they've gone out of stock within 24 hours. Yeah right!!! My response.... Please cancel my order and refund my money thank you very much.

So has this put me off online shopping?

Well to a large extent it has, especially in Nigeria because it just doesn't work here. The disappointment is so not worth the effort and that's my final answer.

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