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What's New In W. Africa (Nigeria)

Old 29th Oct 2006, 08:50
  #1301 (permalink)  

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Another One

4 Engineers and their Driver robbed and the car stolen in Lagos last night. Shaken up but not seriously hurt thank goodness.

Another recruitment setback. It never rains.........

NEO
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Old 29th Oct 2006, 15:40
  #1302 (permalink)  
 
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Another airline crash

This is on bbc news:

The Sultan of Sokoto Mohammadu Maccido and his son, a senator, and other northern leaders were on board the ADC airlines flight to the city of Sokoto.
The plane crashed in a storm shortly after take-off, state radio said. Four people have reportedly survived. This is Nigeria's third major air disaster in a little over a year

AP news agency says that the plane was a Boeing 727.
The government had already announced a major plan to overhaul the aviation industry and improve safety following last year's disasters, which killed more than 200 people.
Several airlines were grounded while safety checks were carried out.
ADC planes were not involved in last year's crashes. The president himself blamed corruption and corner-cutting for poor safety standards.
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Old 29th Oct 2006, 19:31
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Devil

And the management response will probably be the same as when the crew bus (including chuks ) was hit on the way to work - kevlar curtains . As Nigeria improves every day the management buries its head further between its knees in a futile attempt to kiss its a** goodbye

Last edited by Tokunbo; 30th Oct 2006 at 07:46.
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Old 29th Oct 2006, 21:51
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NEO!

I am sure that the engineers and the driver were all thinking to themselves, 'Darn! This is really going to mess up our program for recruiting people to come to Lagos!' as they were being rudely disposessed of their transport and whatnot.

Well, if they are the way I was, I never travelled with treasured keepsakes; the Rolex stayed home after a friend nearly lost his arm to a machete-wielding robber on Airport Road who wanted his.

I thought I saw two tiny scars from the lobotomy and I guess I was right. They have you thinking like a manager now.

Or were you making one of those jokes the way sneaky Brits like to? That is the trouble with you people! I am never sure if someone is, perhaps, taking the Michael. Why can't you all just wear funny tee-shirts and leave it at that?
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Old 30th Oct 2006, 11:51
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Aaah Chuks !!

Funny T-Shirts can be so crass...........

NEO
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Old 30th Oct 2006, 18:44
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You got a problem with that?

I like 'crass,' actually. 'Crass' works for me. Well, it's just so... crass!

You get the guy with the funny tee-shirt, hey, he's making a joke.

A Brit says something, you have to stop and think: 'What did he mean by that?'

You know how after a few pints you just have to say something like, 'There I was, blowing Gooks out of the wire with a .50 caliber, my bayonet between my teeth...' when some Brit says, 'That is a very interesting story' and you of course say, 'Thanks, buddy.' Six months later you find out he told you that you were full of hooey!

We use hand grenades. You use hand-tied flies. Hey, we both catch fish but your method is sort of sneaky, isn't it?

Actually, I think I have spent too long hanging around with Brits. I'm beginning to understand how they think! Too, of course I just HAD to run that 'Curate's egg' joke past that boxhead Training Captain, with easily predictable results! Blame that on bad company!

Maybe it's the food. I order a meal here and what I get served, are they taking the mickey or what? '£4.95 for that!?' Then I look around and everyone else is eating the stuff so I eat it anyway. I get the uncomfortable feeling, though, that once I finish my meal, pay up and leave, all the other people in the place, who are only actors pretending to be there dining, burst out laughing.

Well, I guess the cops will be able to find the bus. It will be the one with the blue curtains, right? Or was it that big, new one? Anyway, it is good that no one was hurt.
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Old 31st Oct 2006, 04:21
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My sympathy to the families members and loved ones of all those who died in the ADC crash in Abuja.
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Old 31st Oct 2006, 07:32
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Devil

chuks,

Even if the cops find the bus, it will probably be cheaper to buy a new one than to have to pay all the police fees for, 'note-books and pencils to take down witness statements', 'police overtime', 'release fee from police pound' etc . Actually, it'll probably have been broken down into all its componenet parts by now, and many of these will already have been bought by other bus operators as 'Belgian' spares. The tasteful blue curtains are probably adorning the windows of some charming roadside eatery where 'Hot Food Na Ready'

Actually from your description of where you have been eating it sounds as if a visit to Godspower Restaurant on Airport Road, Warri, for a fine dish of rice and beans would soon rid you of your paranoia!
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Old 31st Oct 2006, 08:35
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Devil

So here we are, final day of October. The once-mighty Bristow can still only crew 3 or 4 helicopters a day at Eket. Pilots in PH running out of hours. Many rumours of a new roster and pay deal, supposedly starting in November, but amidst a huge flurry of total inertia, Neddy Holdon has still made no announcement, and even more crews rumoured to be accepting the CHC 6/6 deal for more money, despite the prospect of the move to East Death Road .
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Old 1st Nov 2006, 06:45
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Angry

Has anybody read the thread about the S76 down in the GOM? The crew waited 3 hours and swam 2 miles to an abandoned platform before being rescued.
Imagine the same scenario in Nigeria. The aircraft goes down an hour before sunset. Even if it had satellite tracking, the person responsible for watching that is busy downloading cooking recipes . Eventually somebody notices that nothing's been heard for around an hour when all the crews are getting ready to go home and someone asks 'Okay, is everybody back now?'. By this time the company's received information that an ELT signal has been picked up. Now the SAR goes into full drive. But wait..... where's the winch-equipped helicopter with a trained and current crew?
The aircraft slowly sinks into the Bight of Biafra. The survivors haven't managed to get the dinghy out because it was too difficult to pull it from under the seat (it having no mechanism to assist in its deployment). Crews fly out on an SAR mission superbly equipped with a spare dinghy (or maybe even an ARK set if there's anybody around who knows how to deploy it). The oil companies despatch a boat towards the site. I wonder how many would survive? For those that did, what expert medical attention awaits them when they get back to the beach. Mobil refused medical attention to the injured from the Eket attack 3 weeks ago. Would they do the same to the survivors of a ditching?
Yet crews fly day in, day out, often in marginal weather, with no SAR cover whatsoever, have inadequate medical facilities, lousy insecure housing and still come back for more! If all of us flying in Nigeria were to go for psychological evaluation I wonder what a psychiatrist would make of us? We must be a truly sad bunch of no brainers to keep on taking it
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Old 1st Nov 2006, 11:20
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Check with my guru...

Well, one of them, anyway!

Musket 33 nailed this when he wrote about how one becomes acclimated.

I have been a bit of a bore about that gun attack. Put it in perspective in this way, if you like: There were six people on that bus. It is just that I am the only one to bother writing about it. Of the six:

The Nigerian Driver is still driving. Wife, kids, best job he can hope for.

The English Contract Engineer freaked out, left, came back to 'face (his) demons' and then left.

The Filipino Greenie is still working there. I guess it must be another wife, kids, etc.

The English pilot, lucky not to have been crippled by being shot in the arsal region, took a long time off, came back and then quit. He had plenty of options, I think.

The Malaysian Chinese pilot, again lucky not to have been much more seriously wounded, is still there. Not to be too harsh but I always found him to be a guy who thought money was his most valuable asset. He was happy to come back to Nigeria after having been rifted.

Me, I had plenty of options that I just didn't want to take. The whole saga has been extensively covered in these pages, of course. I got pushed out, basically and then barred from returning. It was mainly down to a certain German being very stupid, but that's what he does best. Here and now it looks as though I would have to be more stupid than that to go back there but I cannot put my hand on my heart and say that I turned down an offer.

Now I am under a lot of stress trying to come up to the mark for a British CAA Instrument Rating test. Everything I did for 15 400+ hours was badly wrong and must be discarded. Never mind that. The interesting point for you guys is that I see all the stress symptoms I had during my time in Lagos have returned. I have been told not to drink any more (well, one glass of white whine a day, which is not worth the bother) so that I just have to tough it out, but test passed, Inshallah, I shall be back to living without stress, relatively speaking.

My God, I was living with that for years and years and it literally made me sick. Why? In large part, just as Musket 33 pointed out, it was because Nigeria was my little world in which I had my place and knew how to function. I liked Nigerian people even when they were doing their level best to cheat me, only drawing the line at trying to shoot me.

It might be worth taking that jump. I cannot say, because I was pushed. Of course, first I did wind up the pusher something rotten! Who knows? Perhaps there was something within me that wanted out of Nigeria.

You look at all the guys who crawl into a bottle, knowing that might get them sacked; do you suppose some of them really just want out without having to walk in and quit? I always had that idea about some of the guys I knew.
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Old 1st Nov 2006, 13:19
  #1312 (permalink)  

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Now here's an unusual and welcome story:

Ten suspects believed to be the brains behind recent kidnap of foreign nationals in Rivers and Akwa-Ibom states as well as some armed robbery operations in Rivers State have been arrested by the Police, in Port Harcourt.

Parading the suspects while briefing newsmen at the Rivers State Police Command conference room yesterday, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Samuel Adetuyi said on October 17, this year, a group of Youths boarded a vehicle at Iwofe area in Port Harcourt to Ogbakiri in Emohua local Government Area of Rivers State before information filtered to the Police that they had a sack containing arms and ammunitions.

Mr. Adetuyi said intelligence report revealed that the sack contained assorted rifles, and the Police immediately swung into action and arrested the gang of hoodlums, while the arms and ammunitions were recovered.

The State Police Commissioner gave the names of the suspects arrested as,Richard Okoye (32) from Delta State, Prince Jihad Amachree (26) alias “General Adekwile” said to be the commander of Ijaw Youth Congress militants, L/Cpl. Kelechi Egonte (Delta State) attached to Nigerian Army Medical Corps and School, Lagos, Dismissed L/Cpl Gambo Ibrahim (31), Augustine Aboh (29) a Herberlist and Ejike Onyeukwu (25) alias “sirk”.

According to him, during interrogation, members of the gang arrested made confessional statements to the crime of Kidnapping of the four expatriates at a Nite Club along Sani Abacha Road, Port Harcourt on August 13, this year and the abduction of two other expatriates at Eket in Akwa-Ibom State recently.

Mr. Adetuyi, who was represented by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bassey Inyang disclosed that three AK-47 Rifles and seven Magazines loaded with a total of 122 – rounds of live ammunition as well as two Mercedes Benz 190E Saloon cars with registration numbers DP228 PHC and AG 854 BGM were recovered, with a pistol, a pair of army booths, camouflage uniforms, caps and slippers.

He said the Police in another development arrested three suspects who gave their names as Moses John, Ubong Anthony and Kingsely Akpan said to have robbed a citizen at gun point of her handbag containing recharge cards and handsets valued at N1,068,000.

In another development, the Commissioner of Police, stated that a team of Policemen on a tip-off recovered two AK-47 rifles with 30-rounds of live ammunition, two empty extra magazines and one Accura Legend Honda car with registration number BN 957 APP on October 23, this year.

A suspect, Cyril Nnaji Uchenna, who claimed to be a student of University of Port Harcourt in the Department of Human Anatomy has been arrested.

The suspect, Mr. Adetuyi said is one of the notorious armed robbers terrorizing Mgbuoba and its environs in Port Harcourt.

According to him, the command is making efforts in arresting other members of the gang and to bring them to book.

He, however appealed to members of the public to assist the Police with timely and concrete information as to arrest suspected criminals in their environs.

The Commissioner noted that at the end of investigations, the suspects would be charged to court.
Source: http://www.thetidenews.com/article.a...n=FRONT%20PAGE
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Old 1st Nov 2006, 19:13
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Tok,

Do you recall the Bell 412 that crashed enroute to PHC one dark rainy night from offshore Escravos? The "Overdue Report" came from the clinic staff who got tired of waiting for the downed aircraft. Not the oil company...not Airwork....not ATC....but the customer the following morning. The aircraft has not been recovered but the bodies have been buried along with a lot of other stuff too I bet.



SAR in the GOM....pull my other leg!

SAR in Nigeria....pull something else!
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Old 1st Nov 2006, 19:27
  #1314 (permalink)  

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Hey Chuks,

What you say rings true, but why so deep ? I looked back over the past couple of pages and you appear almost obsessed by your departure and the manner of it.

You're doing expensive stuff which maybe (I can't read minds but since this is a rumour forum I'm allowed to speculate), fulfills an ambition or permits a "They need me more than I need them" feeling.

Are you really missing it ? Is Musket33's theory more than a hypothesis ? If so, come clean. Don't sit on the fence mate. Either you miss it or you you don't. Which is it ?

The audience need to know

Cheers,

NEO
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Old 1st Nov 2006, 21:05
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Good question well put!

Who knows? Sure I miss Nigeria, parts of it. God knows why. It probably speaks to something or other buried deep within my tortured soul. Either it is that or else it is just being paid lots of money for not much work with a guy hired to walk around picking up after me, eight months a year.

I happen to like brooding deeply over questions. Hell, we spent enough hours propping up a mahogany bar working over various issues of little practical import for you to know that about me, NEO. It is one of my great weaknesses, along with being terminally indiscreet at times. It's not as bad as chasing little boys but it's not much practical use to me or anyone else either.

What I am doing now is pretty simple, just trying to get this JAR-ATPL. Why, you may ask?

1. It is the best way to get another job. Not so easy at my age; I need some credentials to be marketable as a pilot in my chosen, tiny niche. Why a job? I don't want to be a house-husband, which is a distinct possibility if I end up back in the village without immediate prospects.

2. It is difficult. If I get through this I will have achieved something. That's secondary but it is a factor, yes. It would be silly to think that would have an impact on anyone but me and my immediate circle, though. What, Upper Management shall commit collective seppuku with letter-openers upon learning that they invited me to take my act down the road when I am really Super-Pilot? I am sure NEO shall keep me posted on that one!

I have made some mistakes lately in choosing the path to the licence that have added needless layers of complication, difficulty and expense. I didn't do the right research and I was misinformed, perhaps even misled. That is just tough, eh?

In my postings here I have amused myself first and foremost. It has been a sort of continuation of some of those long, wet evenings we used to enjoy in Nigeria. I wish you all the best and hope that you might find something of use in making your own decisions about Nigeria and staying or going in my posts or at least have a shared laugh.
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Old 1st Nov 2006, 23:55
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[QUOTE=Dangagan;2932025]
Originally Posted by Stan Switek
Most of the criminals engaging in these kidnappings for ransoms have I.Q.’s consistent with the magazine capacity of their weapons.

History is littered with the corpses of great men that understimated the strenght, inteligence or determination of their opponents. It is at our own peril that we underestimate the intellectual or physical capacities of these kidnappers. That is probably why they continue to get us on the cheap.

I doubt any of these guys are Phd's. I suspect most did not go far in school. Regardless, I never underestimate a guy with an AK-47 when I am unarmed. If these guys were so bright, they would have honest jobs. I think you are confusing IQ with ruthlessness.

Mobile made 10 billion in profit last quarter. A fraction of that buys a lot of protection for their employees, if they are inclined to spend it in that manner.
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Old 2nd Nov 2006, 08:10
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Another kidnapping

American and Briton kidnapped in Nigeria
02/11/2006 - 08:03:17

Militants seized two expatriate oil workers – an American and a Briton - during a raid on a ship off Nigeria’s southern coast, an oil industry security official said today.

The armed gunmen raided the vessel off the coast of Bayelsa State and sped away in boats with the hostages, said the security official, who works for a large multinational oil company.

Few details were available and government officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

The security official said he believed the ship belonged to the Norwegian oil firm Petroleum Geoservices.

There was no claim of responsibility and it was not known who carried out the attack.
Source: http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/stor...10&p=zxxy4yyy6

and

LAGOS, Nigeria (Reuters) -- A Briton and an American were kidnapped on Thursday from an oil-prospecting ship off the coast of Nigeria's southern state of Bayelsa, diplomatic and security sources said.

It was the latest in a wave of kidnappings and violence against foreigners in the oil-producing Niger Delta, which has forced hundreds of workers to pull out of the region and reduced Nigerian oil output by 500,000 barrels a day.

"Two expatriates, an American and a Briton, working for PGS have been kidnapped this morning on board MV Commander, one of the vessels at sea in Bayelsa," a security source said, asking not to be named.

Petroleum Geo-Services (PGS) is a Norwegian-based oil service company specializing in seismic studies. The company's spokesman was not available for comment.
source: http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/africa...eut/index.html

My thoughts are with the 2 people kidnapped and their families.
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Old 2nd Nov 2006, 09:39
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Thumbs down

Stan,
You obviously don't know Nigeria very well. Many of the terrorists kidnapping people right now may not have PhDs or gone far in school, but it doesn't mean they aren't bright (as opposed to just ruthless). One of the things that some of the more genuine ones are fighting for is the opportunity to have a proper education. I condemn their methods, but I can understand their anger and frustration.
As for having honest jobs if they're bright ..... In Nigeria that has nothing to do with anything. It's who you know. If you're not well connected, then you can be an Einstein but never have any opportunity. If one of your family has a good managerial job he will give priority to his own relatives over other, possibly better qualified, applicants. People over here buy qualifications. Hapless, girls have to submit to sexual advances from their educators to pass exams (sometimes maybe done deliberately to secure a pass they're not capable of, sometimes a bright girl will not have her exam results published unless she submits). It's awfully sad, but that's still the reality of life in Nigeria, where 75% of the population subsists on less then $1 a day. That reality leads the terrorists and those politically motivated and trying to force change, to think of all expats as rich and an easy target to get either money or publicity.
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Old 2nd Nov 2006, 11:31
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Rich is relative!

To a guy on a dollar a day I am Onassis!

Anyone remember Willie Sutton?

Willie was asked by the judge why he kept robbing banks. (He kept getting caught.) He simply replied, 'Because that's where all the money is!'

This might have something to do with why white men are a target in today's Nigeria.

Another small point is that a contractor's employees are meant to be looked after by that contractor and NOT by the contractee, such as Mobil. The contract is usually written so that all these points are covered in some detail.

It was instructive to watch the Shell convoy loading up at Port Harcourt when we had landed for a night stop. There would be a Toyota pick-up full of Mobile Police in the lead, two big Toyota buses in the middle and another Toyota pick-up full of Mobile Police bringing up the rear. If we hurried sometimes we could tag along in our little mini-bus. If we were delayed they were long gone, leaving us to travel the long, lonely and dangerous road to town all alone.

What can I say? Life is unfair and I should have tried harder in school and got a job with Shell? Something like that, I guess.

It can get really, really awkward when you are going to cost someone a whole lot of money, such as when you are badly hurt or seriously ill. It is not a good idea to be in danger of falling into a big crack between contractee and contractor in that case. Would you spend $50 000 just like that for a guy who doesn't really work for you? Some companies will but some won't.
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Old 2nd Nov 2006, 15:10
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Hi Stan Switek

Hi Stan,

You are right that security can be provided that would make it more difficult to attack expats. However, that would be attacking the government monopoly on power. The oil companies and contractors are not an occupying military power. Until the National Government can provide security or publicly reliquishes it's right to control security the expatriates working in Nigeria have a serious problem.

Should you believe everything your employer tells you about the job in Nigeria? That's up to you! As I said, over a year ago, the spirit of Biafra is alive and growing in the Delta.

During the thirteen years I worked in Nigeria I never thought of myself as a bad person. However, I sometimes wondered if I was working for the good guys.

Cheers,
Musket33
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