Funny... I hear that Nigerian scams ripped off European citizens to a total for 2 billion or something? They need to just tax that....50%?
A bit optimistic of the N Tourism man comparing N to Zambia...at least in Zambia you have a slim chance of spending your holiday money before it gets ripped off you...
But then I grew up there so I know a few tricks on how to keep your cash... which is important because you need it to replace the clothes that went missing from your suitcase in Lusaka airport.
Just kidding. I miss the place. If there was a job there I would snap it up... Does anyone hear this at Vic Falls or in the game parks....? I'm homesick....
Are you in a minority, worried about your employment prospects because of an unusual sickness or disorder? Come and talk to us about it and our Nigerian Equal Rights Program. Have a drink problem? Can't control that canibalism (which we all have in us)? Don't worry, as long as you can fly, we'll employ you. Are you one of those unfortunates who has a problem with exams, test-itis, difficulty with passing flight checks or getting upgrades? Our Equal Opportunities program will make all those things of the past. Anyone can pass and get an upgrade with our new program. Difficulties sorting out fingers and thumbs, dyslexia making it difficult sorting out complicated things like engineering diagrams? We know how difficult things like this can make life and sometimes things can get a bit broken. Don't worry, with our Equal Opportunities program you'll have a job. Come on over now. In addition we pay in a strong, stable currency and you'll live in comfortable housing only minutes from work, with all meals supplied at home or at work - and no company song to have to learn.
Forget what all these other boys are offering - canibals, drunkards, mentally unstable second-raters. Daddy would never allow such people to sully the fine reputation of our company. At present we have only one or two quality expatriates as a number seem to have left, unable to face up to the challenge of working for a world-class company like ours and unwilling to demonstrate managerial commitment by wearing the stylishly pointy shoes which are de rigeur for our management staffs. Some say that, like our most senior expatriate manager, you have to be related to a nudibranch, but really being related to daddy is what really counts.
It seems to daddy and I that there are a lot of unhappy people working for these foreign companies in Nigeria, so why not take an opportunity now to join the best, the company that all others are talking about? Our Twinned Ooter is setting new standards for fixed wings in this country and this have now given us the capitol to invest in Boing 787. Our fantastical experiences with developing a state of the arts heliport in Lagos, which is having so many flights every day with the Squirel jumbolino, has shown that it will be easily possible to expand the Mobile air strip at Bonny into a slightly larger version capable of accepting the new short-field of the Boing Dreamliner to be developed jointly with us, financed by some small contributions from our Marine division.
Please, if you want to eat people or drink heavily, look elsewhere. If you like a heavy salary delivered almost every month bring a large brown envelope containing your CV to our stylishly luxurious head quarter at MM airport. You know it make sense.
Can you or anybody expand a bit more one working for Heli Malongo...........what is an aircraft enginneer pay per month?????????????Is there any kind of problem there that would have a person turn down a job offer there.
One World, One Team, One Pilot, One Helicopter, One Mechanic. and no mention of the song
What happened to the 0 option Or is less more as chcmanagment mentioned
On a more serious note any news on the 6 ex pats abducted this week? the place is becoming slightly risky me thinks.
One World, One Team, One Pilot, One Helicopter, One Mechanic. And they'll be managing with, Zero allowances, Zero ground equipment or spares, Zero training and Zero new staff enforced by a management which has Zero interest in them. It'll be interesting to see how they manage if they're the company selected for the huge Chevron/Texaco contract for the Agbami oil field, being developed at a cost of $3.5 billion and due to come onstream next year. It seems a bit unlikely as CHC are alreadt flying to the location and, unlike Bristow, have demonstrated a willingness to bring in new helicopters and build new engineering facilities before being awarded contracts. CHC will be bringing in at least 4 EC225s in the next few months. Bristows AS332s will look very old and tired alongside them. However, Chevron's Escravos contract is with Pan African/Bristow and they rank as one of Bristow's largest customers worldwide, so it may happen. Then if there really is Zero increase in anything, there will be Zero pilots to fly on the new contract, which is likely to involve S76C++s as well as S92s or EC225s. At least then there will be Zero people to sing the company song!
The kidnappings are just part of a gradual return to the days of a few months back. Responsibility for this, and the attack on the EA field last week, has been claimed by MEND. They have resumed attacks as a result of the arrest of one of their leaders, Henry Okah, on gun-running charges in Angola.
In Port Harcourt, the concern is whether there will be violence as a result of the Nigerian Supreme Court ruling which overturned the Governor Celestine Omehia and repleced him with Chief Rotimi Amaechi. As usual, the new governor is talking big o what he'll do and how honest he'll be, but he's also warned the people to brace up for the challenges of the coming days, adding that the action of the government in addressing the problems might hurt some of the people (but not, presumably the Governor or any of his friends ). Governor Amaechi's troubles are by no means over as Rivers State governors elections are one of those being challenged at the election tribunals currently being held, with allegations of extensive poll rigging. Meanwhile, security in the delta has been beefed up by Presidential decree, with more troops having been sent to reinforce the Joint Task Force (JTF).
Port Harcourt continues to suffer under a curfew from 2100 to 0600 and journey times to and from work frequently take up to 2 hours (and sometimes more). It's not a nice place to be any more and even though CHC live in much worse housing than Bristow, at least their exposure is considerably less when travelling to work.
Yesterday, a number of companies in Delta State received an e-mail, purporting to be from Timi West, the Commander-in-Chief of MEND forces in the South-SouthRegion. In it he gives them 48 hours to evacuate their expatriate staff from the Niger Delta as MEND resume hostilities with the Federal and State governments.
It seems that CHC is able to recruit many French and French Canadian pilots for Nigeria, Bristow has only one or two. Why is this? Does Bristow still favour those from the old British Empire even though it's now an American company, or is it because Canada is bilinguel?
Speaking of Bristow, what's the truth of them getting S92s in Nigeria next year? It seems CHC is definitely bringing in 4 EC225 and they're talking about S92. Are the two companies talking of using them for the same contracts? It seems CHC are willing to bring in helicopters and then get contracts for them which is maybe why their fleet average age in Nigeria is lower than Bristow's. I think also Bristow now have problems because the Canadian dollar is much stronger than the greenback. I also hear that yet again they have made no increase in their living allowance and eating in their Lagos staff house can cost N2000 a day more than the daily food allowance. Since when has any reputable company asked expatriate to have to spend more than their daily food allowance for the privilege of being held captive to eating in their restaurant because of security curfew, while living in lousy accommodation in a dangerous country? At least with CHC an employee can eat 3 good meals a day provided by the company, including hot lunch at the worksite. With the exception of the pension, CHC also offer much better fringe benefits. I know which one I prefer to work for
3 squares a day "free" is a good thing! Especially now that the inmates can't go out to get their own chop.
I wonder what the feeling among the troops would be if access to the shops was easy and someone asked the question about a food allowance instead of 3 free.
I know blokes who have lived like paupers to squeeze the last Naira ot of an allowance.
I know what you mean about blokes who have lived like like paupers to squeeze the last drop out of an allowance, but in Nigeria now it depends a lot on where you live and who you work for.
If you work for CHC you'll be on the unlimited free food option unless you're one of 'koboman's' Captains on grandfather rights, in which case you'll be on N3400 a day and there's always someone to get your food for you.
If you work for Bristow there are many, many variables. If you're in Lagos you can get to the supermarkets but you can only cook if you're in one of the blocks where there are kitchens. It's best you are because the cost of being fed in the staff house now is far in excess of your pathetic N2500 a day allowance. If you're in Snake, things just took a downturn because of new restrictions on visiting the 'suppamakkets', if you're in Escravos Chevron will feed you well, well, if you're in Port Harcourt there's a 'suppamakket' on the estate with rip-off prices or you can chance the awful food at the same rate as your pathetic allowance in the staff house. In Eket, you're pretty much captive to what the hotel charges unless you join the 'salad club'. In Calabar, nothing ever changed. If you like to self-cater you're better off with Bristow even though you'll be hard pushed to live on the measly allowance they pay, but if you want to be fed three meals a day so you don't have even more hassle after a long day in paradise, CHC is the only way to go. With Bristow now, as opposed to a year ago, pay, allowances and benefits are considerably worse. A few months down the line, it'll probably all be changed again. Evergreen may even be finally established by then and together with Caverton good ole 'Neverpay' may manage to drag things down to new lows . It's good to be one of life's little optimists
Trying to set up a venture with Virgin Nigeria so they don't need their own AOC and can get in and set up quickly. Often known as Neverpay for their generous salary packages in other countries they've operated in Africa . They, along with a few other companies, have been trying to break into Nigeria for some time now. Maybe this time they'll succeed. On their website they have a page for pilot applications for Nigeria, stating that they presently have no open positions, but encouraging people to check back frequently. It's rumored that they're looking at bringing in AB139s and 412s.
Yes, look at the drop in Oil Company profits in the last two quarters ... even though we are nearing $100 a barrel, the bean counters will soon put a stop to the glut of spending on luxurious items such as new machines, safety management thingies and exorbitantly paid pilots ..... great prospects of in-roads for the adventurous!
Last edited by tistisnot : 4th November 2007 at 17:49.
Reason: durr
I'm still here . All quiet on the flying front and from an expat pilot/engineer perspective in PH and Lagos, but there was the recent attack on QIT and the MEND attack on the Forcados pipeline. But it is pretty quiet
which is important because you need it to replace the clothes that went missing from your suitcase in Lusaka airport.
An Equal Rights Employer
Or is less more as chcmanagment mentioned
The Fun Continues
. It's good to be one of life's little optimists 
It's quiet, too quiet!
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