Ali C - good luck
Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 12:43 pm
http://www.cafepress.com/oyibosonline/1943346
Scottish Elises
The Scottish Elise Community Online
https://www.scottishelises.com/phpbb/
Ali C - good luck
https://www.scottishelises.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4280
Page 1 of 3
Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 12:57 pm
Nigeria
Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 1:06 pm
That must have been awful for his family. I spent a short time in various places in Nigeria last year and it is an experience I will be happy not to repeat. It is great news that the four guys are well and have been released.
Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 1:14 pm
Just heard an interview with one of the guys - when asked about why 1 was reported dead he replied "That would be my fault - I was beaten again and then had a gun put to my head and was told to phone the headoffice saying that he had died"
Don't think there's enough tea in china to get me going over (not that I'm qualified - I think trees grow on ground)
Mac
Don't think there's enough tea in china to get me going over (not that I'm qualified - I think trees grow on ground)
Mac
Re: Nigeria
Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 1:25 pm
Agreed (sorry if my above post was flippant).ExigeKen wrote:That must have been awful for his family. I spent a short time in various places in Nigeria last year and it is an experience I will be happy not to repeat. It is great news that the four guys are well and have been released.
Thankfully I'll be in Lagos, so nothing like the risk.
Nigeria
Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 2:49 pm
I never really took your response as flippant I think that you have to see the funny side of things like this. I was in the bar in PH were some guys were kidnapped a couple of months ago and I had ventured out without any protection which I now realise was very foolish.
Please take care as even Lagos has its problems admitedly not as bad as elsewhere, it is a well weird country where all the money from oil has just caused problems instead of helping the country a real shame. If you have not been tehre before the airport is a real eyeopener, quite a dangerous place. I hope that you have all the right support when you are there. How long will you be there and have you been there before?
Stay safe, best wishes,
Ken.
Please take care as even Lagos has its problems admitedly not as bad as elsewhere, it is a well weird country where all the money from oil has just caused problems instead of helping the country a real shame. If you have not been tehre before the airport is a real eyeopener, quite a dangerous place. I hope that you have all the right support when you are there. How long will you be there and have you been there before?
Stay safe, best wishes,
Ken.
Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 3:18 pm
Ali
Be very careful with your caredit cards in Lagos. I have fraudsters every day with UK and US card numbers trying to get product shipped out there
Be very careful with your caredit cards in Lagos. I have fraudsters every day with UK and US card numbers trying to get product shipped out there
Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 4:42 pm
I was at school with one of the guys that was kidnapped, it really brings it home when it happens to someone you know, was contemplating a new job last year that would have meant a few trips to nigeria, no way is that happening now
Re: Nigeria
Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 5:55 pm
Ken,ExigeKen wrote:I hope that you have all the right support when you are there. How long will you be there and have you been there before?
I've heard the Airport is the worst part!
I'll be going for a recce probably end of November (will be travelling with one of our guys who's been there a few years). It's a 2 year full time expat deal but involves travel to our sites in Bristol, Aberdeen and Billingstad every 6 weeks or so.
Our company set up seems good with plush new offices, accomodation, driver, security etc. and I'll be living and working on Victoria Island (may also have an office in SNEPCO).
Cheers,
Ali
Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 6:02 pm
Sarahs day worked for Shell back in the 60s and 70s out in Nigeria.
After they put him and his work collegues in prison on jumped up charges because they would not pay bribes and he watch his French friend die in the jail he vowed never to return.
Within a week of returning he joined the forced to try to do some good ....
I have an old friend I used to work with in London who is from Lagos and goes back once a year. I am sure you have plenty of contacts but if you want a locals number in Lagos in case of emergency ....
After they put him and his work collegues in prison on jumped up charges because they would not pay bribes and he watch his French friend die in the jail he vowed never to return.
Within a week of returning he joined the forced to try to do some good ....
I have an old friend I used to work with in London who is from Lagos and goes back once a year. I am sure you have plenty of contacts but if you want a locals number in Lagos in case of emergency ....
Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 6:07 pm
Thanks Sanjoy always good. 
I have a fair few contacts already including locals. There a quite a few Nigerians working in Aberdeen!
I have a fair few contacts already including locals. There a quite a few Nigerians working in Aberdeen!
Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 8:28 am
Ali,
It is good that someone is taking you there and showing you the ropes. you should use your driver and security at all times even on VI. There are some pretty good ex-pat bars on VI and some of them have armed security on the door. The good side of life there is that the ex-pats love to party so I am sure that you will enjoy that and that you will have some stories to tell when you come back.
The company I did work for arranged for a armed vehicle to escort me from the airport, the issue is that being white you stand out in the crowd obvious really.
I stayed in a secure compound but when to some of the secure accomodation that the long term guys have and it was pretty swish to say the least.
Sanjoy's advice is good. I am sure that the guys in the company you will be working for have all kinds of contacts to help you out.
One of my favourite memories of Nigeria is that when you have finished speaking to the locals and they have not gone away you just shout "scatter scatter" and off they go quite funny really. Oh and you will get 4 million Nigerian girls wanting to marry you which is cool.
The roads are awful so there is no way you could drive a Lotus there I am afraid.
Stay safe and come back and tell us all your tales you may end up with pictures like Tut's.
Best wishes,
Ken.
It is good that someone is taking you there and showing you the ropes. you should use your driver and security at all times even on VI. There are some pretty good ex-pat bars on VI and some of them have armed security on the door. The good side of life there is that the ex-pats love to party so I am sure that you will enjoy that and that you will have some stories to tell when you come back.
The company I did work for arranged for a armed vehicle to escort me from the airport, the issue is that being white you stand out in the crowd obvious really.
I stayed in a secure compound but when to some of the secure accomodation that the long term guys have and it was pretty swish to say the least.
Sanjoy's advice is good. I am sure that the guys in the company you will be working for have all kinds of contacts to help you out.
One of my favourite memories of Nigeria is that when you have finished speaking to the locals and they have not gone away you just shout "scatter scatter" and off they go quite funny really. Oh and you will get 4 million Nigerian girls wanting to marry you which is cool.
The roads are awful so there is no way you could drive a Lotus there I am afraid.
Stay safe and come back and tell us all your tales you may end up with pictures like Tut's.
Best wishes,
Ken.
Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 8:42 am
Crikey, I never knew Ali could fly a chopper or know how to use a AK-47ExigeKen wrote: Stay safe and come back and tell us all your tales you may end up with pictures like Tut's.
Best wishes,
Ken.
Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 8:52 am
Depends on which chopper you are talking about
Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 10:00 am
Do you guys run scared through your lives?
I lived a couple of years in Warri, Port Harcourt was like a holiday resort compared to Warri, and Lagos was like Disneyland!
To top things off, I had just got married and my nice Italian wife, not used to the nice European life, went with me.
I guess it was a test of fire, if she didn’t leave me then, she’ll cope with everything.
It’s not so bad, you just have to use common sense.
Nigerians are very emotive. If they’re your friends they can kill for you, if you get on their wrong side… well, not much fun.
Once I was waiting for a day at the wellsite, near the Niger river, about 200 kms from Warri and went out of the camp to walk. Found this Hut with some locals and started speaking to them.
Turns out they had some beers there and offered me some.
They were cool, and we got on really well, so much that after a few hours he offered me his sister. I graciously declined, but he kept on insisting…. anyway, that’s another story.
On another occasion it could have gone very wrong, and the wellsite I was on got raided by angry villagers that took the well, beat up the company man and wanted to beat my Indonesian engineer.
I was there making his wellsite test, he passed, but I came to know one year later he went to the Tibet to become a monk.
They took my car, I tried to get it back and even managed to get the 5 villagers out of it, but when the craziest one came jumping on top of it I said, that’s it, you can have it.
Rescuing my junior engineer from the hands of them, he was being pushed on a big circle and was not in such good shape. Me and Godwin (my main operator, 7 foot tall 300 lbs monster) took him and got in the truck. Then they started to rock it telling us how they would kill us.
The saga lasted the whole day and amongst doing negotiations with them, recovering from the aggressive outbursts, securing the well, etc.
We managed to walk free, they kept everything and we just walked 2 miles to the camp.
Saw later the military trucks trying to get it under control. The next day we got the well back, no villagers, don’t know what happened to them.
But they were on the right, and Shell had fcuked them up.
Made a big report to Shell when I got back but there was no further mention of this.
Had to do a 48 hour job (no sleep) with Malaria. No other solution because there was a killer around the wellsite and there were no crew changes until he was caught.
By the time they caught him, I had finished the job. Don’t remember much of it as I had high fever throughout… 40 degC (when I reach 40 I tend to forget things)
I have seen lots of dead bodies left to rot on the roads. That’s on purpose, thieves, a lesson for the youngsters.
Once I went to the office and saw some smoke driving by the market.
Arriving I asked a local what happened, he told me they caught a thief, beat him up, poured some fuel on him and some tyres and burnt him alive.
Ahhh, that was the smoke then!
You have to be very wary of “expertsâ€
I lived a couple of years in Warri, Port Harcourt was like a holiday resort compared to Warri, and Lagos was like Disneyland!
To top things off, I had just got married and my nice Italian wife, not used to the nice European life, went with me.
I guess it was a test of fire, if she didn’t leave me then, she’ll cope with everything.
It’s not so bad, you just have to use common sense.
Nigerians are very emotive. If they’re your friends they can kill for you, if you get on their wrong side… well, not much fun.
Once I was waiting for a day at the wellsite, near the Niger river, about 200 kms from Warri and went out of the camp to walk. Found this Hut with some locals and started speaking to them.
Turns out they had some beers there and offered me some.
They were cool, and we got on really well, so much that after a few hours he offered me his sister. I graciously declined, but he kept on insisting…. anyway, that’s another story.
On another occasion it could have gone very wrong, and the wellsite I was on got raided by angry villagers that took the well, beat up the company man and wanted to beat my Indonesian engineer.
I was there making his wellsite test, he passed, but I came to know one year later he went to the Tibet to become a monk.
They took my car, I tried to get it back and even managed to get the 5 villagers out of it, but when the craziest one came jumping on top of it I said, that’s it, you can have it.
Rescuing my junior engineer from the hands of them, he was being pushed on a big circle and was not in such good shape. Me and Godwin (my main operator, 7 foot tall 300 lbs monster) took him and got in the truck. Then they started to rock it telling us how they would kill us.
The saga lasted the whole day and amongst doing negotiations with them, recovering from the aggressive outbursts, securing the well, etc.
We managed to walk free, they kept everything and we just walked 2 miles to the camp.
Saw later the military trucks trying to get it under control. The next day we got the well back, no villagers, don’t know what happened to them.
But they were on the right, and Shell had fcuked them up.
Made a big report to Shell when I got back but there was no further mention of this.
Had to do a 48 hour job (no sleep) with Malaria. No other solution because there was a killer around the wellsite and there were no crew changes until he was caught.
By the time they caught him, I had finished the job. Don’t remember much of it as I had high fever throughout… 40 degC (when I reach 40 I tend to forget things)
I have seen lots of dead bodies left to rot on the roads. That’s on purpose, thieves, a lesson for the youngsters.
Once I went to the office and saw some smoke driving by the market.
Arriving I asked a local what happened, he told me they caught a thief, beat him up, poured some fuel on him and some tyres and burnt him alive.
Ahhh, that was the smoke then!
You have to be very wary of “expertsâ€