Denied

[yecatsoya 2]

I myself felt safer in Ghana too. I wasn't asked for anything from anybody there. I was not in the tourist areas and could even walk in the night by myself. I wasn't asked for anything at the airport...but in Lagos? forgetaboutit! Every one i pass wants something and my husband is hassled for money by police just to get in the airport to help me and see me off. Don't get me wrong....I am willng to stay wth my husband there if we are denied but It wont be easy.

LOL..yes! Oh don't get me started on the airport difference. lol. I've flown in and out of the Accra airport at least 20 times now and nobody has asked me for anything. I tip the guy that I ask to help me get my bags off the carousel and bring them to the car, but that is something expected anywhere. Shoot, at JFK in NY you have to pay just to use the cart to pile your bags on, in Accra they are free. At MM airport, I was stopped in every corner and asked to produce unheard of documents just to hold me up til I made "payment" to keep going. I can be in any village in Ghana, in city center, anywhere, alone and have no fear. The only time I got bothered by some touts were at the Togo border, other than that, NEVER. It's really a shame that Lagos can't be like this.

Edited November 3, 2013 by yecatsoya

[His Glory 25]

I know right? lol I don't need any help with my luggage. I have a strap that piggybacks my two big pieces. Last time I was in lagos they had rounded up the foreign luggage and put them in one spot and one guy guarded them and was offering help but I said no I don't need it and he insisted and I told him I can take them both alone and he said "let me see" so I strapped them together and rolled it away LOL. but them some airport worker asked for my yellow fever vaccination and even tho i know don't need it I had one and presented it....she then proceeded to ask if I have something for her. I just shrugged my shoulders and said i have nothing. sheesh! i don't stand around...i walk like i know where im going and if someone ask for anything as i walk by I just act like i don't hear or understand....or smile and keep walking till i see my husband. lol I feel very stressed going through there. But its a sacrifice im willing to make as many times as i can to be with my husband even if its a short period of time till we can stay together.

[yecatsoya 2]

I know right? lol I don't need any help with my luggage. I have a strap that piggybacks my two big pieces. Last time I was in lagos they had rounded up the foreign luggage and put them in one spot and one guy guarded them and was offering help but I said no I don't need it and he insisted and I told him I can take them both alone and he said "let me see" so I strapped them together and rolled it away LOL. but them some airport worker asked for my yellow fever vaccination and even tho i know don't need it I had one and presented it....she then proceeded to ask if I have something for her. I just shrugged my shoulders and said i have nothing. sheesh! i don't stand around...i walk like i know where im going and if someone ask for anything as i walk by I just act like i don't hear or understand....or smile and keep walking till i see my husband. lol I feel very stressed going through there. But its a sacrifice im willing to make as many times as i can to be with my husband even if its a short period of time till we can stay together.

LOL...sounds like you've got it down to a perfection!

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

(USC writing under my husband's VJ account) Gowan, I know you are Nigerian, and know Nigeria far better than I...but from an American's point of view, Ghana is a million times safer than Nigeria. Just visit the Department of State site for both countries and you will see the difference, not to talk of personal experience. I spent about 5 weeks in Naija and even while trying to hide myself in the backseat of the car/taxi etc , if a police officer saw me I did not escape being pulled over and harassed til we shelled out money. I had guns pointed in my face, yelled at and Even at times when my husband was refusing to pay, we were dragged to a police post. Luckily he knew someone who knew someone and he called him to have the police release us, but the place is no joke. And this was in the middle of the day, if it was night time Im sure I wouldn't be here writing this. We could never go out at night and almost everytime we left the bank we were 'escorted' to our car by the friendly boys who were out to get our money! That is just is just a couple examples, I could write a novel! It was too hard to enjoy anytime there, unfortunately. Im sure people will say they had a different experience, but honestly I stayed in nice areas, went to nice places and still found the harassment overwhelming. Ghana, on the other hand, where I've been living for 4 years....the light is (for the most part) stable, NO police harassment. I mean we are out til after midnight some nights and certainly after 10 most nights and coming home we hit at least 3 police stops...they look in the car, see me clearly and wave us on to keep going. Ive never ONCE been harassed or asked for anything. I come and go to the markets, the banks, everywhere and no area boys come targeting me. Its just so free and cool here. I love Nigeria because it is my husbands country, but as an American, it is FAR safer to live in Ghana.

My first trip we were travelling from Lagos to the East and you run into the never ending road blocks. About 1/2 into the trip I got a bit over heated and at the next road block my brother in law rolled down the window and simply said " she is very sick we are rushing to the doctor " The police did not want a dead white woman at their post so we were always waved through/ As I recovered the aunt traveling with us touched up my wilted look with our water and we zoomed through all the rest of the check points until we hit home state where we had a police escort thanks to one of the other brothers.

[His Glory 25]

LOL...sounds like you've got it down to a perfection!

I learn a little bit more every time I visit. But the asking for something bothers me because I don't have money on me when I land. I wire money ahead to my husband to hold for me...but hes outside....so sometimes I panic thinking they will one day insist. its very uneasy feeling for me. And the police stopped us on the way to airport and they are very intimidating waving their machine guns around (hopefully in safety mode) they threatened to take me the office and I would miss my flight. We didn't move till my husband forked over everything he had. I guess if I lived there I would get used to it and learn the ins and outs of it.

[yecatsoya 2]

I learn a little bit more every time I visit. But the asking for something bothers me because I don't have money on me when I land. I wire money ahead to my husband to hold for me...but hes outside....so sometimes I panic thinking they will one day insist. its very uneasy feeling for me. And the police stopped us on the way to airport and they are very intimidating waving their machine guns around (hopefully in safety mode) they threatened to take me the office and I would miss my flight. We didn't move till my husband forked over everything he had. I guess if I lived there I would get used to it and learn the ins and outs of it.

ugh, that's horrible. It bothers me when some Nigerians get offended by our stories of harassment. I don't know why they take it so personal, its the truth and Im sure you and everyone else that has experienced it would like nothing better than to go there and live free and with a peace of mind. I know I would! Ghana's tourism is booming because the police and the citizens are making it a safe place to be.

My first trip we were travelling from Lagos to the East and you run into the never ending road blocks. About 1/2 into the trip I got a bit over heated and at the next road block my brother in law rolled down the window and simply said " she is very sick we are rushing to the doctor " The police did not want a dead white woman at their post so we were always waved through/ As I recovered the aunt traveling with us touched up my wilted look with our water and we zoomed through all the rest of the check points until we hit home state where we had a police escort thanks to one of the other brothers.

LOL...thank God for your quick thinking.

[His Glory 25]

ugh, that's horrible. It bothers me when some Nigerians get offended by our stories of harassment. I don't know why they take it so personal, its the truth and Im sure you and everyone else that has experienced it would like nothing better than to go there and live free and with a peace of mind. I know I would! Ghana's tourism is booming because the police and the citizens are making it a safe place to be.

LOL...thank God for your quick thinking.

I don't mean to offend anyone....Im only relaying my experience. Even my husbands and friends there express all this. I still love naija...its where my husband is from. His home and maybe even my home someday.

[yecatsoya 2]

I don't mean to offend anyone....Im only relaying my experience. Even my husbands and friends there express all this. I still love naija...its where my husband is from. His home and maybe even my home someday.

EXACTLY!

[TAI &A 0]

hello please is anyone know where we can get married in lagos that the uscis aspect pls.

[dwheels76 5,468]

hello please is anyone know where we can get married in lagos that the uscis aspect pls.

Any church, registry garden. It's about who marries you and the official marriage certificate you get at the registry. It's no diofferent than here. You go appky for marriage license pay fee show up wedding day. You can pick your own venue and place.

[del-2-5-2014 1,339]

hello please is anyone know where we can get married in lagos that the uscis aspect pls.

1) Your timeline shows a K1, are you changing to a marital petition?

2) Where does the Nigerian entity reside since you don't have to get married in Lagos if you don't live in Lagos.

3) As long as you have a marraige license (I beleive that it's national registry now) then US will recognize. They certainly won't recognize church, Islam, Sharia marraige, etc without an official marraige license.

Edit: The mods might consider fracturing this to it's own thread.

Edited November 6, 2013 by Gowon