Nokia: Winning The Battle Against Counterfeit Phones

Mobile device giants, Nokia has been waging a big war against counterfeit devices in Nigeria and there seems to be remarkable success in this regard going by the following reports by ROMMY IMAH.....

*L-R: Service Network Manager  Nokia West Africa David Efanga, Head of Care Nokia  West Africa, Silvin Sinan, Head of Communications Nokia West Africa, Osagie Ogunbor at the Anti-counterfeit Media roundtable in Lagos

The revolution in Nigeria’s telecommunications industry has no doubt, given birth to so many other things ranging from the good, the bad and the ugly. While it is not contestable that this revolution has greatly impacted on public and private businesses, giving the nation’s economy a fillip, the negatives that are attendant especially in the merchandising of the tools of communication are overwhelming.

A visit to the popular Computer Village in the commercial town of Ikeja, Lagos, South West Nigeria will leave the visitor confounded over what telecommunication device is fake or original. The reason being that they come with multiple attractions; they come cheap, beautifully designed, almost replicating the features of the very quality and notable brands in the market. In some cases, they go by the names of the notable brands. The unsuspecting user buys only to discover moments later that all the attractions are mere marketing gimmicks. They are enveloped in three similar words- fake, false, phony. Or better still, call it counterfeit. But in this part of the world, they are called China phones or Chinko.

Computer Village, Nigeria’s replica of the famous Silicon Valley is the haven that has become the dumping ground of these kill-joy phones. A first-time visitor to this ‘digital market’ is thrown into confusion not only by the seductive beauty of the infamous China phones competing for space with the well-known international brands but by the chaotic nature of the market that has made it absolutely difficult for such a visitor to distinguish the real from the fake.

Unless you have used the popular brands before, it will certainly be pretty difficult for you to know the difference between the real and the counterfeit phones. The worst now is

A Minister And Her Mandate

Minister of the newly created Ministry of Information and Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson reveals her ministry’s mandate and how she intends to actualise them as reported by ROMMY IMAH......

*Minister of ICT, Omobola Johnson

As Country Managing Director for Accenture Nigeria, a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing giant, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, Nigeria’s pioneer minister in the newly created Ministry of Information and Communications Technology was said to be a high flier. In fact, her being the first woman to take up such a position in Accenture Nigeria is an attestation of the kind of personality Omobola Johnson is endowed with.

Like she admitted in an interactive session with ICT journalists late August, this year, Johnson does not in any way think that she could be intimidated by the litany of problems facing the Nigerian ICT industry. Even as a woman in charge of affairs at Accenture, she left her marks on the sands of time implementing Accenture’s strategies in Nigeria and the rest of West Africa.

Now, Omobola Johnson comes into the new ministry of the ICT with that strategic vision, skill, experience and network needed for a brand new ministry. In a manner replicating the passion of a messenger in an urgent mission, Johnson had to hurriedly meet with Journalists reporting her ministry and followed it up a month later with an interactive meeting with stakeholders in the ICT industry- moves described in some quarters as signs of good things that will unfold in the ministry under her.

In a four-point mandate which she earlier unveiled at a meeting with journalists, she said apart from the charge by the President, Goodluck Jonathan on how to take the country’s telecom sector to the next level where access to the Internet and ebusiness activities will become seamless as well as being able to build a more robust and successful IT industry, her ministry will be working on facilitating universal, ubiquitous and cost effective access to communications infrastructure

When ATCON Returned Journalists to The Classroom

Leading industry association, the Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) with support from the Information Technology Association of Nigeria (ITAN) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) recently organised a three-day appreciation training programme for journalists reporting the ICT sector in the country. ROMMY IMAH was there and filed in the following reports....

*Participants at the training programme

It is not often that the contributions of a professional body in the society are appreciated. In fact, if there is any profession that has suffered some degrees of neglect and derision in the society, it is the journalism profession. Little wonder journalists themselves have often described this fourth estate of the realm as an ungrateful profession. This is more so when it is evidently remarkable that the journalism profession is one of the least paid professions in this part of the world. 

So many journalists have lost their lives or became victims of power hungry businessmen and politicians in the course of trying to maintain maximum possible transparency in their news reports by way of impartially analysing the reality of an issue and ultimately relay the news to the apprehensive public. To some people, the journalist is a compliment while to some others, he is mere intruder. Is it then a surprise why in Nigeria, the Freedom of Information Bill took time to earn the nod of the National Assembly?  

However, even in the midst of such high level of ignorance of the role of the media in national economic development, there is still one group that strongly believes that the media is a partner in progress. This group believes that for its members to thrive in their respective business offerings, the media must be carried along and be made to understand the nitty-gritty of such businesses as a better understanding of the industry will impact positively on the overall business growth of the members.

And so, between August 31, 2011 and September 3, 2011, the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) with support from the Information Technology Association of Nigeria (ITAN) and industry regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) hosted journalists on the ICT beat to 3-day intensive appreciation training aimed at “equipping those who report the Nigerian ICT industry with such technology grounding that will assist them to investigate and report accurately.”

Held at the very serene and standard Whispering Palms Hotel, Iworo, Badagry, Lagos state, an excellent environment for training, retreat and conference, the training took journalists on such areas as technology, management, business, regulation and global trends during the three days of 21 hours of intensive class work, one evening of syndicate session and another social evening.

The first day of the training saw the president of ATCON, Engineer Titi Omo-Ettu do a programme preview as well as deliver his first lecture. He said the programme

EDITORIAL

NCC, Extend Subscriber Registration Deadline

*Dr. Eugene Juwah, NCC Boss

The period provided by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for the registration of all existing SIM cards in the country, would have elapsed since September 28, 2011 all things being equal. SIM card registration commenced in Nigeria in March 2011, and was billed to end on September 28, 2011. The exercise came after several years of agitation by some Nigerians that there was need for this especially in the face of serious security issues threatening the peace and unity of the country.

Within this period, the NCC and indeed the telecom operators embarked upon a comprehensive collation and collection of data of all telecom subscribers in the country who made themselves available within the six months that the exercise was billed to last. The exercise was also expected to provide useful data relevant for the development of the country’s telecommunications sector.

However, before the expiration of this deadline, there were calls from several quarters that the SIM Card registration exercise is extended to allow for those who could not register within the stipulated time to do so. More so, several issues arose on the course of the registration exercise which includes the inability of subscribers to have their SIM activated on time thus compelling such subscribers to register twice. This was in addition to the glaring non-availability of registration agents in some areas especially the rural areas.

The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) only recently

Resolving The MTN, Abia State Govt. Impasse

*Gov. T. A. Orji of Abia State

By ROMMY IMAH

It is only a cynic that will fail to appreciate the gargantuan leap both private and public businesses in Nigeria have gained since the liberalization of the country’s telecommunications sector a decade ago, following the introduction of GSM services in the country. It is on record that the national economy has in particular enjoyed a Foreign Direct Investment, FDI of well over $15billion since the country embraced GSM telecom services in 2001.

It is over 10 years since the introduction of GSM telecommunications services in Nigeria. Within this period, the country has witnessed a massive revolution of sort in the kind of services being offered in the telecommunications sector. And the excitement that follows this has remained overwhelming.

This is a clear departure from what it used to be before the liberalization and the subsequent launch of this global system of telecommunications service in the country. Today, Nigerians can avail themselves of the opportunities offered by the various telecom operators doing business in the country. Beyond boosting all aspects of the national economy, the employment opportunities created by this revolution is overwhelming.

In Abia State (the place they call God’s Own State), I am afraid that this excitement