I'm familiar with sasha... she's a budding artist. Her work to date has very much been in the yankee copycat style. Think Faith Evans, Mary J. Bliger, etc.

the year isn't over - we still have half a year left!

NairaEx... I like the sound of your product, it definitely fills a need. A couple suggestions.
Your website doesn't appear particularly professional... that first impression is invaluable in converting someone that's causally interested into a customer.

mosiate, if this posting was so illegal, why didn't the site owner just delete/lock the thread rather than activerly participate in it?

Just Blaze:

Personally I think they are a load of garbage...

same here.

you'll probably need to change your about section :

Joining Nairaland is like joining a club, minus the membership dues.

It would be a good idea to let everyone know exactly what they're signing up for, right now it sounds vague. You have to prove to your users that the services provided are woth paying for.

An easy means of payment would also be necessary to make this work... and, you immediately fragment your userbase to a particular demographic when things are "pay-to-play."

seun, what's your take on them? What has your experience been?

jogego, you bring up some very good points. I think blanket statements like "it's easier here or there" are diffucult to back up because there are clearly exceptions.

Abroad life is not easy... in yankee there is good free public education through high school and state universities can be affordable... it's basically what u make of it.

Nobody can discount the fact that there has been a SERIOUS brain drain from Nigeria... people have left for vastly varrying reasons (education, saftey, jobs, more/different opportunities, etc) and those people are not all suffering abroad.

Imagine if all these people were to return ... Nigeria would be a vastly different place... imo it would start along the lines of development much like Malaysia (for example) has done in the last 20-30 years.

Seun:

Yes, but when you come to Nigeria, we expect you to come with lots of money and be ready to spend it to develop the country.

In my opinion, the wealth does not have to come in the form of money. Intellectual wealth is just as valuable, if not more!

IAH:

To go or to stay?

I don't even know the topic which this thread fits in. Let me direct this question to you...

After graduating from a University in UK, would you go back to Naija to start working or stay here? What is the pay like in Nigeria's blue chip companies(hopefully you will get a job there)? Can it be compared to what you might be getting here? Would it be worth it to go back home?

Please don't talk about patriotism/fatherland/motherland stuff, assume you love Nigeria but you love money more (which is actually true). Let's say you are actually itching to go back to Naija but then you have to weigh the advantages and disadvantages, what do you think would be the best decision from your own point of view?

As others have said, this is a very personal decision... there is no blanket answer to this question.

I will say though, you can learn a lot in foreign companies (that imo would be significatnly harder to come by if @ all in naija) and take that knowledge (much like the knowledge you gained @ uni) to come home and apply it.