There are consequences for not going through the compulsory national youth service. First, you will not be able to work in Nigeria without the certificate. Most employers do not give full employee status to graduates who do not have NYSC or exemption certificate. If you're considered favourably for employment, your employer considers you as an intern. Your salary (usually called allowances) will only be a fraction of your colleagues'. You will not be entitled to most employee benefits such as car allowance, housing allowance, leave, vacation, profit sharing, etc.

You will not be entitled to government scholarship and/or funding in case you want to go for higher studies. You can only stay immuned if you go into private business as an entrepreneur.

It's a MUST. If she can't cook, then we must be ready to spend a lot of money eating junk food or hire a cook. What has she been spending her whole life learning? Make ups and interior decor? No way! I like home made food.

@POSTER
Where are you located? Cash ready and ready to make immediate purchase. Let me have your phone/contact details asap.

I am aware that the registration is 25K, study texts 6.5K each and each paper (F1-F3) is 50 pounds each.

Fellows,
I am a graduate of Mathematics from a university in Nigeria, as well as a student member of ACCA.  I know there are a lot of Nigerian graduates who hold the prestigious professional certification, and who can become mentors to smart upcoming and talented hopefuls.  I am also aware of the fact that there are folks in the house who are aspiring to  become chartered.  We appear to have a lot in common: same backgroung (science), no prior knowledge of the language in accounting and finance (JJCs), and a host of others. 

As science graduates who are now charter holders, could you please share with us how you scaled through the 'thicks' and 'thins'?  Could you please be of help and mentor the upcoming but very determined ones?

As science graduates who are aspiring charter holders, could you please discuss openly your problems, issues,. concerns, fears, doubts?  Let us be strong and be our brothers' keepers.  We will definitely make it to the top.

Hi Wale, I know a lot of FMCGs where career progression is consistent. As a graduate of accounting and a prospective masters degree holder, you may stand a very good change in their F&A department. I checked up with some of them and found out that P&G has some vacancies to fill in their finance and accounting department. You may apply at www.joinpg.com. Contact me in case you need more information and/or assistance. I wish you the best.

@fokusy
We do not have Colgate Palmolive in Nigeria, but we have colgate as a brand, but you guyz aaren't the ones producing colgate toothpaste, are you?

Hi Pal. My mobile phone number is . You may call so that we can talk better. I may be of immense help.

What type of post graduate programme are you hoping to undertake in ABU, Zaria? A PGD? An MSc? An MBA? or , Different post grad programmes have different requirements.

Hi gals, the question is Do you use Always, Everyday, LadyCare or tissue paper for sanitary protection during your monthly period? I am conducting a research and your opinion counts. Thanks

@Aristole.
I can only adivise you on how to work directly with the company directly if I know which one you work with currently. Each of them has her own standards, test formats, preferences and in-house contacts. I you need me to help you do this, I can, but I need more info.

Fellows,
Working with a fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) company can be quite challenging, eventful and perhaps, fun-filled.  I mean companies such as Unilever (former Lever Brothers), P&G (Procter & Gamble), PZ and Cussons, Reckitt Benkisser, Cadbury, Johnson Wax, Johnson & Johnson, etc.  I work in the Customer Business Development department of one of these companies, and I tell you, the pay is very good, but the challenges are quite enormous. 

Does anyone in the house work with any of these FMCG companies?  What's the pay like?  What are your experiences and challenges?  Would you like to leave your present job for a similar one?  Are you happy with what you're doing?

A lot. There are so many adavntages of being self employed. First, you're more likely to have peace of mind. You don't value it as much as you should if you have it. But some employers of labour can be very frustrating with their unusual and nonsensical demands. Second, you're likely to be happier when your best inputs and hardwork are producing results - I mean ground breaking results. Thirdly, you decide what you do with your resources - time, money, human, etc. No one neccessarily dictates when you wake up or when you sleep, no one particularly tells you what you do with your money and what you don't, no one dictates whether or not you go for holidays or vacations. You make all the decisions and hopefully, in the best interest of your business. In fact, there are many more , Independence.

However, uneasy lies the head that wears the ccrown. You need to work very hard at the beginning and sometimes incur losses! Hardwork pays!

@ogie
I studied Mathematics at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Nigeria. The salary is in Naira, and not a conversion. I don't work in a bank, man.

You need to wake up, pal. I think you were living in a dream land and suddenly, you just discovered that reality is dawning on you. Bachelors, Masters degree, internship and so what? What have you got to offer? What can you do for the companies you're applying to? What have you been doing for the past 7 months? Eating and drinking and waiting for the companies to call you to earn N750K? You seem to be far from realities.

Continue your search, but stop looking down on 'smaller' companies. Chevron, Shell, Mobil, Texaco are good, but they might not be the best for you. I don't work for any of this coys but I earn something good, between N450K and N500K. I've got only a first degree, though and I don't think a masters degree will make it N1 higher. Better performance will definitely make it several hundreds of thousands better!

There are many other coys you can apply to: Accenture, KPMG, PWC, NNPC, new generation banks such as GTBank, Intercontinental Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, etc, Unilever, P&G, PZ, Reckitt Benkisser, and a lot of others.

I quite agree with you. Posssessing a postgraduate degree is not a licence for liberty, or substitute for relevant job experience. a lot of employers prefer to employ fresh smart guys, train them and promote from within. Getting a masters degree does not qualify you for the job yet! There are quite a lot of things you're suppossed to know, and you don't learn such things in school.

In my case, I had a first class honours degree and was offered full scholarship to study for higher degrees abroad, but I had to tuen it down. You need to make some big choices at some points in your career. This might mean consulting and hearing from people ahead of you. A PhD in finace does not automatically get you a job in a bank in Nigeria. So, what the heck? Why do I kill myself getting buried in books while going grey hairs?

I studied Mathematics, had a First Class Honours Degree (Magna Cum Laude) and work for a multinational company, where I get about N450K monthly. I've only worked for about a year. Mathematics is much broader in times of prospects than Economics. I'm surprised that Nigerian graduates still see graduates of Mathematics as teachers-to-be! Mathematics opens you up to detailed objective analysis of real life situations.

However, I'll advise you to take some courses as minor. It could get boring and challenging sometimes, especially from the second year when you begin Real and Complex Analysis, Measure Theory, Number Theory, Probability Theory and so on. For me, I took 7 courses in applied statistics and they've been immensely useful to me. A higher degree in finaces, economics and all sorts require a very deep understanding of undergraduate mathematics.

I wish you the best.

The ref must be on some kind of hard drugs.  He is definitely insane and drunk at the same time.

It's common practice among Nigerian graduates to rush to UK and US for graduate studies immediately they graduate form the university seeking foreign degrees without gaining work experience, and they hope to 'jump start' their career when they return to Nigeria just because of a foreign degree. Most employers I know of employ at the entry level and begin to promote from within depending on potentials and contributions. This clearly shows that a first degree holder and a masters degree holder may have to start from the same point. Graduate degrees are very good, but we should not be sold out to forget the importance of work experience. Work after your first degree first! It's worth it if you can work for three to five years in Nigeria after youth service, and then seek an international degree as a big plus to your CV. It's however not wise to leave a well-paying job in Nigeria after three months and go for grad studies just because you want a higher degree. Just like someone advised, you may need to apply for study leave without pay so as to ensre their is something hanging in the air in case you decide to co me back.

Rubbish!!!

Definitely, a woman is worth much more than gold. I wish she knows how dear she is to her Lord and her Lover.

And even when you tell her how much she's worth, her head begins to 'swell'. Hmmmnnnnn. Na true yarn o.

Hi Folks, I've got a cousin who is very dear to me. I was told by her guardians that she's been seeing her monthly period and needs some guidance and advice. She respects me a lot and her guardian wants me to talk to her. I'm a guy and knows very little about such strictly feminine stuff.
I would appreciate the advice and guidance of women (especially) and experienced men in da house.

And finally, Chelsea 0 Liverpool 1.

Last 10 minutes. The Bridge is about to , Naaaaa. The Blues won't let us down.

I light this candle for my most beloved sister, Folake who passed to the great beyond in December 2006. I miss her very much. She was much more than a sister to me. Rest In Peace, dear. Adieu

PTDF Masters and PhD scholarship forms are out. You need to obtain a scratch card for One Thousand Naira only from First Bank Plc and use the same to access the application form on www.ptdf.gov.ng. You may also obtain a hard copy application form at the same amount at the PTDF offices. You may need to check the national dailies especially Vanguard Newspapers of Thursday, 23rd October for full details and the deadline is November 12.

I wish all applicants the best.

Second half begins.
Malouda Out, Belletti in.

Truly, GT Bank MasterCard is one of the best and most reliable means of paying online. No IP address hustles. No US address fiasco.