Thursday 13 March 2014

IMMIGRATION INTERVIEW CENTERS AND VENUES.

Immigration Interview Centres And Venues
1. Abia – Ibeku High School, Umuahia
2. Adamawa – Trade Fair Complex, Jalingo
3. Akwa Ibom – Community Commercial School, Uyo
4. Anambra – Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka
5. Bauchi – Tafawa Balewa Stadium, Bauchi
6. Bayelsa – Samson Siasia Stadium, Yenagoa
7. Benue – IBB Square, Makurdi
8. Borno – Abubakar Umar Stadium, Gombe
9. Cross River – Federal Government Girls’ College, Calabar
10. Delta – Event Centre, Asaba
11. Ebonyi – Abakiliki Stadium, Abakiliki
12. Edo – Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City
13. Ekiti – Olukayode Stadium, Ado-Ekiti
14. Enugu – Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu
15. FCT – National Stadium, Abuja
16. Gombe – Abubakar Umar Stadium, Gombe
17. Imo – Ahia Ajoku Centre, Owerri
18. Jigawa – Government Commercial Secondary School, Dutse
19. Kaduna – Murtala Square, Kaduna
20. Kano – Sani Abacha Indoor Stadium, Kano
21. Katsina – Federal College of Education, Katsina
22. Kebbi – Haliru Abdu Stadium, Birnin Kebbi
23. Kogi – Township Stadium, Lokoja
24. Kwara – University of Illorin Sports Stadium, Illorin
25. Lagos – National Stadium, Surulere
26. Nasarawa – College of Agriculture, Lafia
27. Niger – Government Day Secondary School, Minna
28. Ogun – Muda Lawal Stadium, Abeokuta
29. Ondo – Nigerian Army Barracks, Akure
30. Osun – St. Charles Technical College, Osogbo
31. Oyo – Liberty Stadium, Ibadan
32. Plateau – Command College, Zaria Road, Jos
33. Rivers – Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt
34. Sokoto – Immigration Command and Staff College, Sokoto
35. Taraba – Township Stadium, Jalingo
36. Yobe – Tafawa Balewa Stadium, Bauchi
37. Zamfara – Sambo Gov’t Sec. School, Tudun Wada, Gusau

Monday 3 March 2014

Know Yourself. Face Your Fear. Follow Your Heart.

There’s one thing I can absolutely guarantee will happen to you at some point in your life. You will look back and say, “Wish I knew then what I know now.”
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not the kind of guy that does that a lot. Long ago, a friend told me, “Never look back. You can go crazy wondering what could have been.” I’ve never forgotten his advice and, sure enough, I rarely look back.
But here’s the thing: There’s a good reason why I don’t have to. For whatever reason, I’ve always followed the path that seemed right to me. I took risks when I needed to. And I didn’t let fear get in my way. Sure, I’ve spent a good part of my life terrified, but I highly recommend it.
That said, there have been moments when I regretted what I’d done or, more frequently, what I didn’t do. To help you minimize those bitter moments, here’s some advice for those who are just getting started.
Observe people. You see a crazy number of laundry lists of attributes and behaviors that successful people are supposed to have, but if I had to pick one – just one thing that made all the difference – it’s observing people. Everything in business is about people. If you get people, you’ll probably kill it out there.  
Take the first step in the right direction. No, I’m not trying to be absurd. Of course you can’t know in advance what the right direction is. But if an opportunity arises and you don’t take that first step, if you don’t go for it, if you don’t say, “OK, let’s rock,” I can absolutely guarantee you’ll never find the right direction. Learn to say yes ... a lot. If it scares you, all the more reason.
Build relationships. If you’re a people person, then friendships and relationships come naturally to you. If not, it wouldn’t hurt for you to get to work on that a bit. No, I’m not saying you can’t be successful if you’re introverted. Of course you can. All I know is, life is like a tree that branches like crazy, and each branch usually involves a person.
Find a way to do what you find exciting. The hands-down best piece of advice I ever got was when someone told me that digital technology was going to become huge. That was in 1977. I don’t know why, but it sounded exciting. And following that path was the hands-down smartest thing I ever did. If it sounds exciting to you, that’s your heart telling you something. Listen. And find a way to do it.
Be geographically mobile. Most of the people I knew growing up that never left, never went anywhere in life. If that was their choice, fine. But I bet many would do it differently if they could do it over. Steve Jobs grew up in Silicon Valley. That was the luck of the draw. Most of us aren’t that lucky. Don’t let geographic boundaries stand in the way of your future.
Try to save money for after college. I speak with a lot of college grads that took out loans, had all sorts of side jobs, and when they finally graduated, ran out of steam … meaning money. If you’re a hot software developer, companies may fly you around and roll out the red carpet. But the rest of you have to pay your own way to interview, relocate, get an advanced degree, or maybe even start your own company.
If it isn’t working, try something different. It’s not always easy to know that what you’re doing isn’t working, but let’s put it this way. If you’re miserable and you would rather be anywhere doing anything but where you are doing what you’re doing, it’s safe to say it’s time for a change. Don’t wait. If you’re not sure, trust your gut.
Regret is the most tragic thing in life. The best way to avoid it is to know yourself, face your fear and follow your heart.

Richard Branson on Why Leading Means Listening

Editor's Note: Entrepreneur Richard Branson regularly shares his business experience and advice with readers. Ask him a question and your query might be the inspiration for a future column.
Q: What is your advice if you want to stand out as a leader, even if you’re hoping to lead students instead of workers? --Corentin
Q: What is the best part of being successful? -- Lola
While those two questions don’t appear to be related at first glance, the answers are almost one and the same.
It’s often easy to spot an inexperienced leader. If you see someone raising his voice at employees, stuttering nervously in front of a group or avoiding admitting when he’s wrong, that’s a person who is just starting out.
Corentin, if you want to stand out as a leader, a good place to begin is by listening. Any organization’s best assets are its people, and if you are ready to help the team to achieve its goals, you can start gathering information on how to move things along just by paying attention to what employees are saying.
This skill will help you throughout your career. Leaders who are great listeners are often terrific at uncovering and putting in place strategies and plans that have a big impact. (A term one of my editors suggested is “force multipliers.”)
Which brings me to Lola’s question. It has turned out that Virgin’s successes have allowed my colleagues and me to devote a lot of our time and energy to helping others. Providing the encouragement and advice that young people need to start companies and help their communities is one of the most rewarding things we do.
There is never enough time or money to help everyone who needs it, so we use our background in business and leadership to try to reach as many people as we can -- multiplying our forces! We supply practical advice through discussions and speeches; offer courses at our Branson Centres for Entrepreneurship in Johannesburg, South Africa, and Montego Bay, Jamaica; and provide access to a network of mentors through our foundation Virgin Unite.
We rely heavily on social media to get our message out, and on Feb. 13 I took part in Google Hangout arranged by Virgin StartUp, with a group of young entrepreneurs who were launching their businesses with assistance from the Start-Up Loans Company, an initiative funded by the British government. All of them were looking for insights to help them kick-start their companies, trying to find cost-effective solutions that make their rather meager resources go far.
Adam Jones, one of the co-owners of CrossFit Witham, a minimalist gym in the city of Lincoln, explained that what sets his fledgling business apart is its friendly atmosphere. His gym only offers free weights -- no treadmills or weight machines -- and no heating in winter; everyone is expected to pitch in, and they work out together. 
This has fostered a close community among the members, and Adam wanted to know how to keep that personal touch when his business expands to new sites and as membership increases.
I explained that we at Virgin often worry about the same things as our startups become established. In every case, maintaining the staff’s connections with the customers and each other helps to preserve that unique energy.
I suggested to Adam that he delegate more decisions to his team, so they can run the first club and maintain and grow those relationships. In the meantime, his job should be mostly to look for and set up the second site. His company’s potential for growth hinges on his ability to let go.
Tom Travers and Sophie Frost, the co-founders of Yucoco, have a different challenge as they try to build their brand in the confectionery market. Their business idea does stand out: Yucoco helps customers to design and create personalized chocolate bars using an array of tempting toppings and chocolate options, with delicious results. Their challenge is to break through in a market where enormous advertising budgets are the norm.
Tom and Sophie just launched their startup in January, and they asked me for advice on how to tell potential customers about their chocolates and their brand. I explained that customers are an artisan confectioner’s best advocates -- word-of-mouth marketing will be the most effective way of spreading the news. Knowing this, they should look to social media to promote their new bars and flavors. The early signs are good, judging by their efforts online, and I’m looking forward to tasting the chocolate bar they’re creating for me.
After 40 years in business, I really enjoy helping young entrepreneurs to get started, and conversations like these sometimes provide me with new insights as well. This is a true “force multiplier,” in that we help each other. Through discussion and listening, you can stumble on solutions that no one else has thought of - solutions that will help you to create your unique foundation for success.
The author is an Entrepreneur contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer