I’m featuring this excellent piece by Tim Newman (a British Expatriate) for much the same reasons I had for sending links to it, to 2 business associates I have (one in the UK and the other in the USA). My purpose is to give as many people as possible who are NOT familiar with it, a more accurate picture of what the socioeconomic environment is like in Nigeria.
Every time I’ve wanted to give a non-Nigerian an idea of what made me relocate to Cotonou, and begin to do 80% of my work via the web, instead of dealing directly with Nigerians in Nigeria, I’ve always tended to come across as bad-mouthing my people and country.
Well now, with this truly insightful and well balanced piece by Tim Newman, I no longer need to worry about being misunderstood.
I’ll simply email them the link to read!
And you know the best part?
Virtually every Nigerian at home and abroad who has read Mr. Newman’s article, and chosen to post a comment, has expressed full agreement with all he wrote!
Just the night before I read Tim’s article, I briefed my kids in a small meeting we had, about how the pains of petrol scarcity and erratic power supply even in December, are caused by many Nigerians choosing to collude with powerful others in high places.
YET the churches and mosques get filled up on Sundays, Fridays and even weekdays, just like Tim noted in his article.
I then pointed out to the kids that honest businesses are needlessly hit with hard times as a result, stifling business and economic activities – making it difficult, for my local clients for instance to take up offers they agreed to.
This is what has forced me to aim for more earnings in USD because the crash in value of the Naira (caused by more naughty behaviour by politicians and their wealthy friends) is making nonsense of my efforts to offer some of my services to Nigerians e.g. writing/blogging.
That’s why I’m refocusing such offers towards outside prospects who can pay me in USD. That way my time and effort expended will yield more useful returns.
My point: Nigeria is not a pleasant place to stay prolonged periods in. That’s why my resolve to move my family to Cotonou remains firm, no matter what.
I decided to share this because I feel reading Tim Newman’s piece might give you, the reader – wherever you may be, on this planet – an even better idea of what it’s like out to live/work from out here …compared to what you experience at your end.
Again, here’s the link: http://www.theheraldng.com/britains-tim-newman-reveals-a-thing-or-two-about-oil-corruption-in-nigeria-must-read/
A few years ago I vowed that I would get Nigerians who were refusing to give me a fair and impartial opportunity to sell my products and services, to send payment to me without setting eyes on me.
Many laughed at me when I said it (in 2011), especially since I claimed I would make it happen using the web.
I went ahead with my plans, including taking the bold step of relocating, on 1st April 2013 to Benin Republic’s Cotonou, even though I knew absolutely no one in that French speaking country.
It took me over 6 months of hard work, round the clock (thanks to constant power supply) to setup my Web Marketing System the way I knew it needed to be, and to begin getting the results I knew were possible.
Today, those who were laughing at me before 2012, are no longer laughing – and that’s despite the fact that I’ve yet to reach the “top” I’m aiming at.
It’s now obvious, to them, that it’s only a matter of time before I get there.
You see, my actions stemmed from a discovery that the mental attitude of Nigerians is completely different from that of people in developed societies.
And that applies even to many Nigerians in diaspora.
It took me thousands of hours over the years, to discover what works in selling solutions of the kind I wanted to offer to Nigerians – and Africans in general.
That discovery convinced me I needed to do LOTS of TESTING. It also guided me to understand that I would need to persist and be deliberate in digging deep to identify the 10% good Nigerians that Tim Newman mentioned in his article for me to work with.
Today, I try to share the insights I’ve gained, with authentic others from outside Nigeria, who I come across when they visit Nigeria – or who reach out to me about marketing “intellectual” products and services (e.g. consultancy, coaching, mentoring, software etc) in the Nigerian market.
I go out of my way to try giving them an accurate impression of what to expect. I do this because my experiences have taught me that most people do NOT believe the situation in Nigeria is as bad as it is. The reported reaction of Tim Newman’s French colleagues to anecdotes about happenings in Nigeria is a case in point.
So, for me, this is not about the money. I want to help those willing to come to Nigeria, from their own parts of the world, to boost their chances of making a lasting impact, as much as possible.
The key to making that happen is helping them get mentally prepared for what the culture shock they will most likely encounter.
That way, they stand a better chance of achieving their desired goals, which is likely to influence a change for the better in the mental attitudes of those Nigerians they work with – making them believe it is possible to fight the “cancer” they see consuming the society.
I’m determined to send a message to the 90% naughty Nigerians that change is here, and that merit, competence and excellence will be the standards cherished by a growing new generation of Nigerians I and willing others, will help develop.
The first step in making that happen, is to share the insights from Tim Newman, a british expatriate who got us all figured out in just 3 years!
PS: One more time, here’s the link: http://www.theheraldng.com/britains-tim-newman-reveals-a-thing-or-two-about-oil-corruption-in-nigeria-must-read/