What's New In W. Africa (Nigeria)
TB,
Somehow Tyreburst lingers on.....thus the current management is supporting him yet despite his uncanny ability to run off good help. No change in that regard it seems.
"In yer face" must be a new slant to the same old business.....pats on the back are only recce efforts prior to slipping the knife into your back.
Time to splash the chain race.....errr....splice the main brace!
Somehow Tyreburst lingers on.....thus the current management is supporting him yet despite his uncanny ability to run off good help. No change in that regard it seems.
"In yer face" must be a new slant to the same old business.....pats on the back are only recce efforts prior to slipping the knife into your back.
Time to splash the chain race.....errr....splice the main brace!
I don't imagine NEO has been called a 'Rupert' before!
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Stand well back...
Well, not to his face, anyway! Since when does a Rupert speak using the glottal stop? They don't teach you that at Eton, do they?
I was missing close contact to Management until I met the camel spider. Wow! 'In your face' is about right, until Fred the Frenchman stomped it flat. Turns out they like to overnight inside the wheel chocks, only appearing for the preflight. Very like passing an air-conditioned office to be jumped over some peccadillo or other.
Still contemplating a possible return to the White Man's Grave. You guys are just posting scare stories here, right? It cannot be as bad as all that, can it? There's nothing much on CNN, anyway.
I was missing close contact to Management until I met the camel spider. Wow! 'In your face' is about right, until Fred the Frenchman stomped it flat. Turns out they like to overnight inside the wheel chocks, only appearing for the preflight. Very like passing an air-conditioned office to be jumped over some peccadillo or other.
Still contemplating a possible return to the White Man's Grave. You guys are just posting scare stories here, right? It cannot be as bad as all that, can it? There's nothing much on CNN, anyway.
Nigerian In Law
Wooperts ??
Sas,
If I didn't know who you are I would have taken the time to refute your post. But then I do know you so I won't waste finger time on the premise that we can't change the way a person thinks, however warped that process may be.
Until now I didn't realise your jaundiced ill will was actually directed at almost all Brits, I thought it was only the ones who had, in your eyes, caused your fall from grace. Isn't that called racism these days ? Does that mean you hate all Frenchies too ?
As 212man and chuks say, a Rupert I definitely ain't !! May I suggest you research the meaning and usage of the vernacular for the name before you sling it around ?
Funny old thing, I had to explain the different slant and level of offence that could be taken on various insults depending on which side of the pond you're from to an old (I mean OLD) friend of yours in Eket a couple of weeks ago. I also explained the slang terms "Septic Tank" and "Ham Shank", not that I would ever use them out loud of course...........
Cheers,
NEO
If I didn't know who you are I would have taken the time to refute your post. But then I do know you so I won't waste finger time on the premise that we can't change the way a person thinks, however warped that process may be.
Until now I didn't realise your jaundiced ill will was actually directed at almost all Brits, I thought it was only the ones who had, in your eyes, caused your fall from grace. Isn't that called racism these days ? Does that mean you hate all Frenchies too ?
As 212man and chuks say, a Rupert I definitely ain't !! May I suggest you research the meaning and usage of the vernacular for the name before you sling it around ?
Funny old thing, I had to explain the different slant and level of offence that could be taken on various insults depending on which side of the pond you're from to an old (I mean OLD) friend of yours in Eket a couple of weeks ago. I also explained the slang terms "Septic Tank" and "Ham Shank", not that I would ever use them out loud of course...........
Cheers,
NEO
NEO,
Very few actually NEO....but there are some Brits that do live up to the "Tea Bag" title . I would suppose that might explain the derivation of the name.
If I harbored this intense dislike of things British.....would I not have left you in the care, custody, and control of the police the first time you got "arrested" instead of wrangling your release? Hellfire, I remember that I bought the beer for the trip as well.
(For those that are strangers to Nigeria....NEO did nothing wrong except be brand new to the wilds of Nigeria and victim of a "Ah! Your papers are not in order!" bogus pinch scheme.)
NEO, I count many Brits as friends who have blessed my life by my being allowed to know them. It is not "Brits" that I have the problem with but rather pompous, two faced, lying weasels.....of any race, creed, nationality, or sexual preference.
Until now I didn't realise your jaundiced ill will was actually directed at almost all Brits,
If I harbored this intense dislike of things British.....would I not have left you in the care, custody, and control of the police the first time you got "arrested" instead of wrangling your release? Hellfire, I remember that I bought the beer for the trip as well.
(For those that are strangers to Nigeria....NEO did nothing wrong except be brand new to the wilds of Nigeria and victim of a "Ah! Your papers are not in order!" bogus pinch scheme.)
NEO, I count many Brits as friends who have blessed my life by my being allowed to know them. It is not "Brits" that I have the problem with but rather pompous, two faced, lying weasels.....of any race, creed, nationality, or sexual preference.
Nigerian In Law
I hear the NAF Base in Port Harcourt was all but paralysed by news of the arrival of Asari Dukubo this morning. Crowds of cheering fans, heavy NAF and Police cover etc. Passengers couldn't get in and some crews were stopped. Did he actually come ?
chuks,
Come on back mate, we miss you !! Everything is fine, honestly. It's really safe and you'll be well taken care of, senior management promise so you can take that to the bank...............
Cheers,
NEO
chuks,
Come on back mate, we miss you !! Everything is fine, honestly. It's really safe and you'll be well taken care of, senior management promise so you can take that to the bank...............
Cheers,
NEO
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WestAfrica...tropical resort and spa services
Why doesn't all this frackas surprise me at all about CHC/ACN and what have you? The world is an exciting place these days....stay tuned for another breath-taking episode of the swamp-jugglers - including myself - in "can you survive"....
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chuks,
I know what you mean about camel spiders - they were one of the many delights to be found living in our survey camps in Iran and I always used to check that there wasn't one in my bed before sleeping or in my desert boots before putting them on. One of our engineers was bitten by one during his sleep and had asore patch about the size of a Euro coin on his calf, but it quickly turned septic and he had to be medevaced out. Nigeria could be worse - some of what we now suffer is because we have to have security advisers who, naturally advise that we are kept locked down at night. If not they would be failing in their duty. If things ever get better they will be reluctant to change their advice because their own jobs might then be at risk. It was just as bad in 1999, but then managements didn't really care much - they probably still don't but now we're all owned by North American companies, they all have codes of business ethics, duty of care, QA and HSE that nobody cared about 20 years ago
.
NEO,
Dokubi Asari arrived at NAF Base about midday. His supporters had been waiting outside Arik with the usual loud, cheerful Nigerian greetings - only the small sticks of dynamite they occasionally threw drowned out their cheers, chanting and singing. However, 8 bottles of Star down the road later this evening, who knows what will happen?
I know what you mean about camel spiders - they were one of the many delights to be found living in our survey camps in Iran and I always used to check that there wasn't one in my bed before sleeping or in my desert boots before putting them on. One of our engineers was bitten by one during his sleep and had asore patch about the size of a Euro coin on his calf, but it quickly turned septic and he had to be medevaced out. Nigeria could be worse - some of what we now suffer is because we have to have security advisers who, naturally advise that we are kept locked down at night. If not they would be failing in their duty. If things ever get better they will be reluctant to change their advice because their own jobs might then be at risk. It was just as bad in 1999, but then managements didn't really care much - they probably still don't but now we're all owned by North American companies, they all have codes of business ethics, duty of care, QA and HSE that nobody cared about 20 years ago
.NEO,
Dokubi Asari arrived at NAF Base about midday. His supporters had been waiting outside Arik with the usual loud, cheerful Nigerian greetings - only the small sticks of dynamite they occasionally threw drowned out their cheers, chanting and singing
. However, 8 bottles of Star down the road later this evening, who knows what will happen?
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Hey against all advice im off to work for Bristow in Nigeria soon (mechanic not pilot) and im after some up to date info on conditions in the compounds or whatever.
I realise half the people that post on this thread are anti-Bristow but if anyone has useful current advice id like to hear it.
I tried to read through all the past postings but got bogged down in the doom and gloom crap and personal insults.
Im not expecting paradise and this is not the first ****hole ive ever worked in.
Thanks in advance
I realise half the people that post on this thread are anti-Bristow but if anyone has useful current advice id like to hear it.
I tried to read through all the past postings but got bogged down in the doom and gloom crap and personal insults.
Im not expecting paradise and this is not the first ****hole ive ever worked in.
Thanks in advance
Nigerian In Law
TukTuk,
It would help if you could tell us where you are going to be based. If you haven't been told, we could narrow it down if we know what types you have been hired to work on.
Cheers,
NEO
It would help if you could tell us where you are going to be based. If you haven't been told, we could narrow it down if we know what types you have been hired to work on.
Cheers,
NEO
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TukTuk,
You're right to ignore advice to stay away - as with anything, your life can be as good or as bad as you make it and if you have a positive attitude you'll have a good time in Nigeria.
All of Bristow operating bases have a reasonable standard of security, and the release of the Ijaw leader Mujahid Dokubo-Asari yesterday may be the start of a gradual downscaling of the violence in the delta region. You'll soon see what you need to take out for your personal comfort once you've done your first tour. It's a good idea to take out some money (maybe $600) for things like cigarettes (if you smoke), beer and a sim card for your mobile phone. If you have the kind of mobile which doesn't use sim cards, you'll find there are plenty available at good prices locally. If you have a laptop it's a good idea to take it as all bases have internet access (but only at dial-up speeds). An MP3 player is also a good way to pass the time on your journey to work, depending on the base you'll get to. Paperbacks are a good idea, but there are plenty available in the Bristow compound in Lagos. Again, depending on the base you go to, you'll find sporting facilities from swimming pool, squash courts, tennis and multi gyms.
On arrival at the international airport you'll find immigration and customs are not bad these days, though you may well have a long wait for your bags in the baggage hall, where the aircon rarely works at anything more than feeble! If you need a trollet for your cases, you get a voucher (US$1) on the right just after immigration control. Don't respond to any offers of help before you've past through customs. There should be a driver to meet you in the throng of people outside and he'll be wearing a yellow vest with a Bristow logo on it. If in any doubt, ask to see his ID. If he asks for money he's not Bristow! He'll take you to the Bristow compound. If you want to get some money to tide you over your first few days, there are plenty of touts on the way to the car-park. Don't change too much money at first as it's always easy to get money changed. You should get around 125-130 Naira to the US$.
Let us know how you get on when you arrive
You're right to ignore advice to stay away - as with anything, your life can be as good or as bad as you make it and if you have a positive attitude you'll have a good time in Nigeria.
All of Bristow operating bases have a reasonable standard of security, and the release of the Ijaw leader Mujahid Dokubo-Asari yesterday may be the start of a gradual downscaling of the violence in the delta region. You'll soon see what you need to take out for your personal comfort once you've done your first tour. It's a good idea to take out some money (maybe $600) for things like cigarettes (if you smoke), beer and a sim card for your mobile phone. If you have the kind of mobile which doesn't use sim cards, you'll find there are plenty available at good prices locally. If you have a laptop it's a good idea to take it as all bases have internet access (but only at dial-up speeds). An MP3 player is also a good way to pass the time on your journey to work, depending on the base you'll get to. Paperbacks are a good idea, but there are plenty available in the Bristow compound in Lagos. Again, depending on the base you go to, you'll find sporting facilities from swimming pool, squash courts, tennis and multi gyms.
On arrival at the international airport you'll find immigration and customs are not bad these days, though you may well have a long wait for your bags in the baggage hall, where the aircon rarely works at anything more than feeble! If you need a trollet for your cases, you get a voucher (US$1) on the right just after immigration control. Don't respond to any offers of help before you've past through customs. There should be a driver to meet you in the throng of people outside and he'll be wearing a yellow vest with a Bristow logo on it. If in any doubt, ask to see his ID. If he asks for money he's not Bristow! He'll take you to the Bristow compound. If you want to get some money to tide you over your first few days, there are plenty of touts on the way to the car-park. Don't change too much money at first as it's always easy to get money changed. You should get around 125-130 Naira to the US$.
Let us know how you get on when you arrive
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Thanks anjouan
As yet they havent told me where i'll be working so its all a bit of a mystery but thanks for the info youve been a big help.
i wasnt even sure if there was interent access in the compounds and someone recommended i get war coverage insurance because it there was such a high risk of being shot/kidnapped.
Im looking forward to it though
Thanks guys
As yet they havent told me where i'll be working so its all a bit of a mystery but thanks for the info youve been a big help.
i wasnt even sure if there was interent access in the compounds and someone recommended i get war coverage insurance because it there was such a high risk of being shot/kidnapped.
Im looking forward to it though
Thanks guys
I see on another thread (about police salaries) that A Good Man In Africa is on $180,000 pa. He appears to be an Eket B412 pilot, so I was just curious to hear when the pay rise came through?
(Or is he a Do328 pilot retrained but on his original pay??)
(Or is he a Do328 pilot retrained but on his original pay??
)
Nigerian In Law
Not Impossible
212man,
If GMIA is on the 6/6 roster and doing a lot of work overs (they are still very short of pilots) at US$500 per day, then that is not beyond the realms of possibility.
Not a real salary though, more a bonus.
NEO
If GMIA is on the 6/6 roster and doing a lot of work overs (they are still very short of pilots) at US$500 per day, then that is not beyond the realms of possibility.
Not a real salary though, more a bonus.
NEO
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International flights cancelled?
Anyone have the status of international flights in and out of Lagos? Are the carriers like SAA, Virgin Atlantic, BA etc still coming and going as normal into MMA or have flights been canceled due to fuel shortages and the national strike?
Zalt,
Perhaps you have me mistaken for someone else.....am happily retired and living on a nice sailboat and peering into bottles looking for wee Amber Devils. When I left the White Man's Grave....I never looked back. Several others have done the same.
Garth Parfitt, who sued Bristow and won, and I used to enjoy sending almost simultaneous e-mails to Pee Wee asking if there was a light in the window (knowing there was not).
Garth, bless his soul, has passed on and I have retired so no longer any interest in doing a wind up on the Pro's from Dover. Comparing the responses we received were quite the hoot!
A very senior German pilot with a big camera (and master of wind-up's)....would have loved what we did had he known.
Parfitt was also in a class alone in that regard. He had Tyreburst thinking Redhill had sent Parfitt to report on the Somalia Operation (by leaving a bogus letter laying about in his room in Mogadishu knowing Tyreburst read other folk's mail. Seems Tyreburst even bought drinks and the like for Garth.
I shall miss Garth's great sense of humour and dedication to letting the air out of Wind Bags. He was a good friend and I have the fond memory of his last helicopter flight which was in the Huey in the UK.
Perhaps you have me mistaken for someone else.....am happily retired and living on a nice sailboat and peering into bottles looking for wee Amber Devils. When I left the White Man's Grave....I never looked back. Several others have done the same.
Garth Parfitt, who sued Bristow and won, and I used to enjoy sending almost simultaneous e-mails to Pee Wee asking if there was a light in the window (knowing there was not).
Garth, bless his soul, has passed on and I have retired so no longer any interest in doing a wind up on the Pro's from Dover. Comparing the responses we received were quite the hoot!
A very senior German pilot with a big camera (and master of wind-up's)....would have loved what we did had he known.
Parfitt was also in a class alone in that regard. He had Tyreburst thinking Redhill had sent Parfitt to report on the Somalia Operation (by leaving a bogus letter laying about in his room in Mogadishu knowing Tyreburst read other folk's mail. Seems Tyreburst even bought drinks and the like for Garth.
I shall miss Garth's great sense of humour and dedication to letting the air out of Wind Bags. He was a good friend and I have the fond memory of his last helicopter flight which was in the Huey in the UK.
Nigerian In Law
Strike Is Over
The unions called off the national strike yesterday. So another few days and things will return to what passes as "normal" in Nigeria.
The militants have also announced a suspension of hostilities and abductions. I wonder if this will spread to the copycat criminals who are in it for the money ? And the militants angry at Agip ?
The sad thing is that the escalation in security related incidents (and consequent upsurge in jobs for security consultants and advisors), has not altered much for expats except they now drink in fortified compounds and move in convoys.
The ones who are suffering (again) are the Nigerians who relied on the business generated by their socialising and purchasing power. Even if things improve, I doubt they'll ever return to the way it used to be. Which security advisor (and MD/GM of the company he advises) is going to give the all clear to move unescorted, sit outside a roadside bar etc ?
Sad.
NEO
The militants have also announced a suspension of hostilities and abductions. I wonder if this will spread to the copycat criminals who are in it for the money ? And the militants angry at Agip ?
The sad thing is that the escalation in security related incidents (and consequent upsurge in jobs for security consultants and advisors), has not altered much for expats except they now drink in fortified compounds and move in convoys.
The ones who are suffering (again) are the Nigerians who relied on the business generated by their socialising and purchasing power. Even if things improve, I doubt they'll ever return to the way it used to be. Which security advisor (and MD/GM of the company he advises) is going to give the all clear to move unescorted, sit outside a roadside bar etc ?
Sad.
NEO
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Not Only Nigeria has 419 Artists
There's a French company out there called Archos who manufacture a DVD player, which is basically a cross between a small tablet computer and a portable hard drive. You're supposed to be able to download movies, videos, music, photos onto it and watch them on it small screen or, using a docking station, play them on your TV. Ideal, I thought, for helping pass the long hours one now spends on lockdown here in Nigeria. I bought a model 704 wifi, which even has a wireless web browser built in.
When I transferred a lot of my music files and music to it, my troubles began as it gave me messages telling me I needed to download a couple of plug-ins to watch some of my movies or listen to my music. I was rather surprised as they advertise their stuff as all-singing, all-dancing. However, I duly paid my €39 and ordered the plug-ins. That's when the trouble started because they won't download. After many e-mails I received a reply saying that it was due to a 'small technical problem' - yeah right >
. I was sent another link which I was assured would fix the problem but, no surprise..... it doesn't work. More e-mails with no reply, except one which had another unfulfilled promise that their webmaster would contact me soon. My advice wouyld be to stay well clear of these French con-artists and their overpriced, poorly configured, badly supported products. You think Nigeria has con-artists: well it seems they're operating in Europe also, under the name, Archos >
When I transferred a lot of my music files and music to it, my troubles began as it gave me messages telling me I needed to download a couple of plug-ins to watch some of my movies or listen to my music. I was rather surprised as they advertise their stuff as all-singing, all-dancing. However, I duly paid my €39 and ordered the plug-ins. That's when the trouble started because they won't download. After many e-mails I received a reply saying that it was due to a 'small technical problem' - yeah right >
. I was sent another link which I was assured would fix the problem but, no surprise..... it doesn't work. More e-mails with no reply, except one which had another unfulfilled promise that their webmaster would contact me soon. My advice wouyld be to stay well clear of these French con-artists and their overpriced, poorly configured, badly supported products. You think Nigeria has con-artists: well it seems they're operating in Europe also, under the name, Archos >