as an IT professional, if u get the right job, u can make it real good here. dont mind what they are saying. as long as u have good experience, there's no problems. just get a job from a reputable company, like from the oil and gas sector, i tell you, you wont go back to the uk. but make sure u get the job b4 coming down here.

for reputable companies, they earn more than/or about $5000 per month

Its pretty obvious you are not going to die and be buried in Uk, so we should not discourage IT professionals from coming back home to contribute positively to technological developments in the country.

Coming to the question, there is not standard IT professionals salary in Nigeria. It all depends on how you bargain and where you are seeking employment.I can assure you that a lot of IT professionals have gotten mouth watering offers in Nigeria that they wouldnt wish to return to UK.

So the decision is totally yours, you can come over try one or two offers and if its good, work for some years and return back to UK if you feel like at least UK wont run away.

To be frank with you a lot of professionals in UK are returning home with mouth watering offers.

Check Out This CV
This guy has so many Job Offers of which the lowest is 8m naira per annum and as a Manager.

Summary
A results driven systems engineer with extensive experience in analysis, administration, quality
assurance and support of Information Systems. In-depth expertise and experience in the analysis,
optimisation and documentation of application software and web-based systems. Proven ability to
lead and motivate teams to ensure success in any environment. Track record for diagnosing and
solving complex problems and consistently delivering effective solutions. Utmost interests in solving
business problems and challenges with proven technical/techology skills, thereby bringing about
organisation growth and business process breakthroughs. RedHat Certified Engineer. Sun
Certified Professional. ISEB-Certified Systems Quality Tester. SAP Technical Consultant.
Certified Systems Security Fellow.

Work Experience

Lead, Software Project Development Team
Network Data Systems Ltd, Lagos, Nigeria 07/06-02/07
• Lead a team of 6 developers in various projects including development of database
application/system for Large-scale farming operations using Java, PHP, MySQL and
postgreSQL technologies
• Developed, Installed and configured Software-based (Linux Asterisk) PABX/Voice
over IP and Intercom Systems, with full integration with the Legacy (Nitel/PSTN)
System
• Developed, Configured and Customised Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
Applications – Customer Relationship Management, Office Collaboration, Approval
and Groupware systems - for front and back office operations, based on Open
source technology and standards
• Developed and Configured a fully-functional Knowledge Management and Electronic
Document Management and Archival System Solutions, based on Open Source
technology and standards
• Developed comprehensive situation, progress and design reports with each project
embarked upon, reporting directly to the MD/CEO
• With Six years experience in software application development with JAVA
Programming language and 4 years of System Administration with Linux and Solaris
OS, successfully managed the software development team of six at NDSL

Senior System/Network Engineer (Linux & Solaris OS)
Network Data Systems Ltd, Lagos, Nigeria 02/07 –04/08
• Configured, managed and maintained Network Servers - Web, Exchange and Email
routing systems, and Directory Service
• Administered LAN systems/environment with mixed Microsoft Windows OS clients
and Servers running on the Solaris & Linux OS
• Provided high availability and performance services and methodologies based on
virtualization and load-balancing technologies, thereby increasing the speed of
applications/solutions deployment and provisioning and also reducing product lifecycle
management stress.

Lead, Software Developer/System Administrator and Integrator
nuObjects Solutions, Lagos, Nigeria (12/02 -date)
• Setup and Configured an SMTP Gateway/Store and Forwarding System on Intel
Xeon Server for ALCATEL NTTS, Nigeria.
• Design and development of a JAVA-based Chat system (Multithreaded
Server/Client) based on Java technologies.
• Design and development of an SMS/E-mail Alert System for Device/Computer
Network Monitoring using Java Technologies
• Design, development and deployment of Mama Cass Food website
(www.mamacassng.com) [Site Under construction]
• Design, development and deployment of RuTvi Oil Field Services Pvt. Limited
(India) website (www.rutvioilservices.com)
• Redesign, redeployment and maintenance of Wilcat Oil Field Services Pvt. Limited
(India) website (www.wilcatic.com)
• Redesign, redeployment and maintenance of Sustainable Environment Pvt. Limited
(India) website (www.sustainableenvironment.co.in)

Software Developer
timbaObjects Company, Lagos, Nigeria (09/04 -06/05)
• Active and engaged member of the development team for Wireless Application
Protocol (WAP)-based sites, wap.timbaobjects.com and wap.com.ng (First WAP
sites in Nigeria) to harness the Glo Mobile GPRS (2004) using WML and WMLScript
APIs
• Engaged in the planning and development of Stock Analysis Web Application,
Reporting and Management system

Member, SAP Project Implementation and Prototyping Team
Terrenos Technologies, India (07/08)
• Involved in the Installation and Configuration of Solution Manager for
SAP systems in landscape Monitoring, Implementation and Management
• Involved in patching and Upgrading of SAP R/3 Enterprise to Enterprise
Core Component (ECC 6.0) System
• Involved in the Installation of various SAP Solutions on different platforms
(Hardware and Operating System) and database systems
Professional Certifications Held
Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE)
(Linux Operating Systems certification with emphasis on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5)
Red Hat Certified Technician (RHCT)
(Linux Operating Systems certification with emphasis on Red Hat Enterprise Linux)
Sun Certified Systems Administrator (SCSA) for Solaris 10 Operating Environment
(Unix Operating Systems certification with emphasis on the Sun Microsystems’
SunOS Unix flavour)
Certified | Ethical Hacker (C|EH) # 23082616
(ECCouncil’s security-focused certification for penetration testing)
Sun Certified Professional for Java Programming (SCJP)
(Sun Microsystems’ (Inc.) Professional Programmer certification)
International Software Testing Qualification Board Certificate (ISTQBA)
(Software Testing and Quality Assurance Certification by the Information Systems
Examination Board (ISEB), United Kingdom)
Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS)
(Microsoft Desktop Business Deployment Certification)
Professional Certifications in view
Systems, Application and Products(SAP) Technical Consultant – in view
(SAP SIEMENS Technical Consultant Certification for SAP ERP)

Core Skills & Technology

Core Skills
Leadership, Report Writing, Communication, Teaching and People Skills.

Unix/Linux Systems Administration. Solaris, Redhat, SLES (SuSE), Ubuntu.

Windows Administration. Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition. Windows XP OS.

SAP (ERP) Technology
• Installation of SAP NetWeaver Components (EP, PI, ECC 6.0, SCM, SRM, CRM
etc) on Oracle database on Linux, Solaris and Windows Platforms (Intel Platforms)
• Installation of SAP ECC 5.0 on MSSQL database on Windows Platform and SAP R/3
Ext Set 200 on Oracle database on Linux (SLES) Platform (Intel-based platforms)
• Installation of SAP R/3 4.70 (kernel 620) and mySAP Business Suites Solutions
on Solaris/Linux and Windows Platforms. (Intel-based platforms)

Other Technology Proficiency and Specialties
• Designed, developed and deployed a model for Deflection Analysis of Beams
[Undergraduate Project thesis submitted for publication] (www.oau-defbeam.com)
• Setup and configuration of Linux-based Asterisk Real-time, Asterisk-on-the-Web/Webto-
PSTN call system, Voice over IP
• Installation and Tuning of Oracle 10.0g Database and Application System on RHEL 4.0
• Proven competence in core enterprise and open technologies, protocols, standards and
software (business process and engineering)
Java, ABAP, PHP, XML, HTML/HTTP, XHTML, JavaScript, CSS, SOAP, JSP, JavaBeans,
Webservices, XMLRPC, VoiceXML, Web Applications, RDBMS, PostgreSQL, MySQL,
Oracle, WAP, WML, Directory Service (LDAP), Enterprise Resource Planning, Open
Source, Legacy Systems, MATLAB, Mathematica, Mechanical and Electrical Systems.
Professional Training and Newly Acquired Skills [Italiced]

Sun Mars Technologies, India
Unix Administration and Advanced concepts, featuring Sun Solaris 10, Redhat
Enterprise Linux, Veritas Volume Manager, IBM AIX and HP-UX training. Training
featured practical sessions on Sun SPARC platforms.

Mist LTD (Redhat Certified Training Partner), India
Redhat Network Services and Security Administration Training for Redhat Enterprise Linux 5
(RHEL5). The end of the training featured the Redhat Certified Engineer Exam (RHCE)

Zoom Technologies, India
Microsoft Windows Server Administration, Cisco Network Infrasctructure, Network
Security and Penetration Testing & Reconnaissance (Ethical Hacking)

VersionIT Pvt. Ltd., India
SAP BASIS Administration Technical Consultancy. An SAP End-to-End Implementation
Project (for US-based pharmaceutical Company) was undertaken at end of training
through Terrenos Technologies (Pvt.) Ltd. India

Mind Q Systems (Pvt.) Ltd, India
Software Testing and Quality/Process Assurance. Manual testing and Automation
testing (with Quick Test Professional 9.2). Microsoft SQL Server Administration. Knowledge
acquired on Agile Methodology of Testing.

Academic History & other Qualifications/Awards
B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering, 1st Class Hons.
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun-State,.Nigeria 01-07
International Essay Competetion Participation
Award/Certificate,
Goi Peace Foundations, Japan 09/06

Reference
Available on Request

I just recently started with nairaland and it seems like an excellent resource. Ok down to business. I have been wanting to ask some questions regarding IT professionals and their salaries for a while now and i need good advice as i am still naive about it. Im a final yr student of FUTO (EEE dept) and an IT enthusiast. I have certificates in core networking concepts , c++, ccna, ccnp and n+. As well as being one of the best students in my dept and should graduate possibly with a 1st class and be the best or second best graduating student from my dept in bout a month or so. I am really confused about whether or not to do my masters in the oil and gas field or in IT. since i know oil and gas pays well. And i dont know the frequency with which they hire ppl in the networking field, since they prefer to contract it out( i think). So am really ambitious but confused whether to continue my IT dreams towards cisco heaven since am already inclined towards that direction.

I also wanted to ask . I am poised for masters in the US immediately after youth service. Is it best to stay in the US after masters working and get more experience and certificates , then come back or come back just after masters to start work in 9ja. Because i really want to earn big cos im a really serious dude.

i think u shuld start ur own thread.

For real! We IT are making it BIG TIME here in Nigeria, but it depend on your packaging (as you sell yourself). My advice for you is that "Watch before you come for you not to enter wrong advice".

@poster

Like most people have mentioned: it depends on how good you are, where you intend to work ( the paying capacity of the company, your job functions etc). but then you should also be ready for any thing. Things may not go as planned and this has nothing to do with the country per say.

I am an IT professional but left Nigeria because I wasnt getting the necessary experience needed (the pay wasn't that bad because I worked in 2 banks,  one of which, is a top Nigerian bank, but you could say its by far smaller to what I get now!).

As for me, job satisfaction comes first and that also come with the pay package. As of today and tomorrow, I Thank the Most High and will always do.

xheggs:

Check Out This CV
This guy has so many Job Offers of which the lowest is 8m naira per annum and as a Manager.

This guy must be a wizard the C.V is pretty intimidating

All in all depending on your experience,skills and all that coming to Nigeria is not a bad option they do pay well if you are really able to prove your worth

A-40:

This guy must be a wizard the C.V is pretty intimidating

All in all depending on your experience,skills and all that coming to Nigeria is not a bad option they do pay well if you are really able to prove your worth

Na my guy
he is not a wizard oo

the sweetest thing is that what people shout about the most is the last thing in his CV

Academic History & other Qualifications/Awards
B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering, 1st Class Hons.
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun-State,.Nigeria 01-07
International Essay Competetion Participation
Award/Certificate

Dearie, if you feel over-patriotic and fall from grace to grass, Nigeria will not help you back up.

Hello house got something a bit confusing here.
Have 2 bank job offers.

Oceanic Bank to resume on Monday 18/08/08 and Fidelity Bank to resume the upper monday 25/08/08.
Please advice me house on which one to take up.

Meanwhile u should consider the factthat im looking unto career development, job security and less pressure when it comes to marketing. So its not just abt the money im considering here.

Aren,t you lucky? Preference should be given to the job that satisfies your immediate need. What you need to consider include what you spend your salary on for the first three years of working like housing, transport, feeding and preparation for the "mad house" if you are not already there.

So , you people make that much, how much would a nigeria company pay me for my skill billions i hope. just joking. The only thing I want from nigeria is contract not a job.  I have just check that Fashola want to improve electricity. i can help him. i called his number, he did not pick up.

Mr Guk, yes you live abroad, and make the money. but nigeria is gold. only in nigeria would you wake up a poor man and sleep as a rich man. my brother there is alot of money in nigeria. they do not depend on salary. one of my friend, i went to school with bring his family of 5 over here twice every years that is like $20,000  ,  remove that from your salary in one year,  and remove tax. how much do you have, 

nigeria is gold.

It depends.
whats your professional status?
200k upwards.

how do you mean by professional status?
if you are refering to my work experience, I work in UK as an ICT Consultant and i have MCSA and CCNP

@ GUK enjoyed your posts and would like 2 get in touch wiv u!

MY BROTHA dont be misguided. d pay is based on ur negotiation skills and expertise (experience is not always the strength). just try to strike a deal with the big banks (i mean d likes of Zenithbank), they'll take you immediately and place u on managerial positions dat'll earn u btw $5G-$10G per month with lots of incentives like a choice apartment on the island and all the paraphernalia of office.

just strike a bargain and dont jump at offers. let ur invitation for interview come with an expense paid ticket (first class), etc or else they'll rubbish u.

bros, dont forget to try telecoms, because its d focus for d next 10 years.

try build ur knowledge on security. it's d most soughted for because of the rate of e-fraud.

have a gud tot

no where like nairaland, NAIJA

I need to move back to Nigeria too. UK is frustrating. I am an IT contractor and I pay 40% tax I have a big mortgage, I end up with noting at the end of the month. My friend who works for V mobile comes to the UK and shops in Harrods.
@Guk I might be looking for a new role in Nigeria and I have about 5 years experience in the IT industry and I have worked for 5 of the FTSE 100 company.

The only advise i have for anyone here is to make sure you've secured a job before you finally move back to nigeria. I just got back from naij and the main reason i went was to see how the IT market was.
I went to see my uncle who works in the biggest telcoms company in naija and he advised me that its not so easy to get a job in nigeria unless there is something very catchy in your CV simply because there are so many technical dudes in nigeria and you'll be amazed at the amount of certificates they have, so you coming from UK have to show something different from all the naija dudes with all their certificates and experiences . . . best thing i'll advise is to be very diversed

Hey Guk

I would like to talk to you vai email pls,

Cheers

compuco_infotec@yahoo.co.uk

You guys amuse me, you seem not to understand what is happening in Nigeria. One thing is sure, there is a wide gap between the rich and the poor in Nigeria. As for the salaries so far quoted I don't think there exist any exaggerations. Imagine in Nigeria Oil Industry, some entry level graduate earn between 7-10 million Naira per annum. My friends I am not exaggerating, I am in one of the companies and I know what our competitors pay. So I know what I am saying. cheers.

hello pple.i have just finished ccna from an academy and wud soon be certified by HIS Grace.I just want to know.can ccna get one a job with telecoms company?

@frenchman
if you are still up for it you can mail me : mail_lolu@yahoo.com , we can take this further , and i may have some pointers for you. Bit of info about me, im an SAP consultant in the UK (but know lots about your current decision point)

Quote from: frenchman on August 14, 2008, 05:04 PM
Like I said, I don't REALLY want to come back because though tax is high here, but opportunities are endless. I am being put under pressure by friends and relatives to consider taking a job back home, especially my parents who are in Nigeria.

Dont be daunted by what people say, if you have got the right experience and expertise, you can sure make it real good here.
All I will advice is for you to look for the job from UK, strike the deal and if favourable, come alone to check out the job for like six months, if you find the job and environment encouraging, then you can consider bringing home your wife and kids.

I work in the IT industry and I can say that, time and chance is all that matters in life. It is not all that rosy in the UK too and you can confirm that.

Try Telecommunications or Oil and Gas firms or Management positions in the Banking or other sector, you would haave weighed you options before coming home.

Last and the main issue- "Man, follow your heart and not what people want for you."

All the best man.

Quote from: frenchman on August 14, 2008, 05:04 PM
Like I said, I don't REALLY want to come back because though tax is high here, but opportunities are endless. I am being put under pressure by friends and relatives to consider taking a job back home, especially my parents who are in Nigeria.

Dont be daunted by what people say, if you have got the right experience and expertise, you can sure make it real good here.
All I will advice is for you to look for the job from UK, strike the deal and if favourable, come alone to check out the job for like six months, if you find the job and environment encouraging, then you can consider bringing home your wife and kids.

I work in the IT industry and I can say that, time and chance is all that matters in life. It is not all that rosy in the UK too and you can confirm that.

Try Telecommunications or Oil and Gas firms or Management positions in the Banking or other sector, you would haave weighed you options before coming home.

Last and the main issue- "Man, follow your heart and not what people want for you."

All the best man.

interesting views

How about IT audit profession in Nigeria. Are they in high demand? Some one needs to make sure that the IT infrastructure is running the way management intended.

lusc:

I need to move back to Nigeria too. UK is frustrating. I am an IT contractor and I pay 40% tax I have a big mortgage, I end up with noting at the end of the month. My friend who works for V mobile comes to the UK and shops in Harrods.
@Guk I might be looking for a new role in Nigeria and I have about 5 years experience in the IT industry and I have worked for 5 of the FTSE 100 company.

I quoted that post for a laugh. Your friend in Vmobile is probably either out of a job now, or outsourced to a suckass Arab IT company, or to Ericsson.
Frankly speaking, I don't know why people come on Nairaland and lie like this.
I've worked in Nigeria in IT and Telecoms since 1998 (my service year). The IT market is nowhere near developed, as far as job opportunities are concerned. Some of the stuff all the guys are saying here, like security, etc, there are no standards in Nigeria. Companies are just beginning to wake up to IT Governance (ITIL and the likes).

Software developers just basically build fringe business support applications and websites, but the mainstream apps that support the business (ERP, CRM & Billing, Banking applications and infrastructure) are all from offshore, mostly from Indian companies, not built by Nigerians. Except for Equinox, built by CSA, and I hear those guys are even in some other African countries, not much else is going on. Software companies don't even understand standards like CMMI, and the government, which should be the heaviest IT user, is just a joke. These oil companies everybody keeps talking about, they even run MS exchange out of Amsterdam or Houston or something. Everybody working there is either doing user support, or IT Procurement, or something. IT, in the real sense of it, is not yet practised here the way it should be. But then, just how many professions are?

If you are looking for just money and not career and job satisfaction, by all means come over. But I have to warn you, that's just about all you'll get. You might be just be lucky and get the oil company jobs, because they do pay that well. But banking is a bit in crisis right now, and telecom has caught the outsourcing bug. MTN and Zain have outsourced the bulk of their IT operations, and Etisalat started with a managed-service model. Most likely you won't be that lucky, and get all that 10-18m from Chevron or something, and then you'll really think life sucks.

Let's just say things the way they are, guys.

AjanleKoko i think it gets to a point when one will have acquired the required experience and will be really looking into making some really cool money.

I am probably in the same both as the gentleman. Will like to come to 9ja someday and make some serious money while hoping to use the expereince i have gained abroad to improve standards and practices. surely this should not be that hard right