Thumbs up must go to the Nigerian telecom consumer. For years
before now, he wallowed in abject lack of the commonest communications
tool, the telephone; and his hope for that future when things
would work right, was sustained by an unknown force and an
enduring instinct never before seen on the surface of this
earth.
For
over 40 years while the nation’s telecom climate was
ruled by a monopoly, NITEL, the ubiquitous Nigerian consumer
learnt to suffer in silence. Making contact with distant relations,
foreign business partners and kith and kin within the country
was forever a nightmare. Yet, in all those troubles of more
than four decades, the consumer learnt to smile and be grateful
to his Creator for the little mercies of NITEL and its pseudo-telecom
service.
But,
all that changed since 2001 when a new hope was ignited with
the licensing of GSM operators and the explosion that followed
it. In the first year of the GSM operations of MTN Nigeria
and then Econet Wireless, the horizon assumed a new dimension.
The modest number of at least combined one million lines from
the operators in the first one year was outstripped. And since
then, it has been from one level of record-setting to another,
putting the country on the global map of leading countries
with the fastest growth in telecoms.
From
a mere 450,000 active users in 1999, the Nigerian figure has
jumped to an industry all time high of more than 46 million
active lines. Internet usage has also grown significantly
from nothingness to some modest millions thus bringing the
country’s teledensity from an uninspiring 0.45 per cent
to nearly 24 per cent as at the close of business in 2007.
Yet, every indication confirms that this is just the beginning;
that the market would still experience more growth.
This
phenomenal growth has been made possible by the Nigerian consumer
who has sustained hope even in times of hopelessness. An enthusiastic
lot, the Nigerian consumer has consistently exhibited an unmatched
capacity to absorb shocks and faster than any other known
group from other parts of the world, continues to provide
support to businesses where they see a ray of hope in the
operations of a company.
Indeed,
it is this resilience that has set the Nigerian consumers
apart from any other type of people from all over the world.
They continually support their own and foreigners alike especially
when there is a chance that the services such companies would
provide would give them a new lease on life and draw them
close to the global civilisation.
Therefore,
it was not a surprise that barely six years into the GSM operation
that the impressive run of the technology in Nigeria ran into
murky waters with a threatening fall in the quality of service
provided by operators. This was predicted given the paucity
in the nation’s infrastructure.
The
consuming Nigerian public since late 2006 has suffered poor
quality of service in the form of dropped calls, undelivered
SMS, incomplete calls, and so on. This ordinarily has spelt
more frustration to users and businesses with its attendant
loss in revenue and man hour to consumers.
In
other countries, the alarming dimension of this horrible experience
at its peak in 2007 is enough to cause disturbances in the
form of protests and destruction of properties of operators
and investors. Not the Nigerian consumer; they quickly console
themselves with a flashback to where they are coming from
– those days when there was hardly any access to any
form of telecommunications and there was nobody to hold responsible
for it.
It
takes only a considerate people to appreciate that this is
a new era with all the hope that comes with it. And that protesting
violently would only aggravate the situation and this could
mean loss of the gains that have already being made in so
short a time.
So,
instead of taking the law into their hands or resorting to
violent reactions, exploiting the innovative channel of the
Consumer Parliament provided by the celebrated Nigerian Communications
Commission (NCC), has become the wisest thing to do for the
Nigerian consumer. Each session of the parliament has continued
to witness the participation of many more Nigerians from different
walks of life who cherish the opportunity the forum provides
to meet face to face with representatives of the operators
and present their grievances to them, as best they can.
Playing
the unbiased umpire that it has always been, the NCC has continued
to assure the consumers of its determination to protect their
interests and that is the reason why today, two of the operators,
MTN Nigeria and Celtel Nigeria have agreed to pay compensation
to their subscribers in the face of below standard performance
of their services at a certain time early in the year.
Although
this first example of how to protect the consumer was the
subject of a litigation with the court standing on the side
of the regulator, the three parties will be the best for it
as the implication of this is a strong trust and confidence
in one another’s resolve to play the game by the rules;
respecting in the process, each other’s position in
the success chain.
Today,
while the world celebrates the success of the Nigerian telecommunications
industry, it should not lose sight of the significant role
of the wonderful consumers of this nation whose patience and
determination to see the technologies succeed have been most
outstanding. In fact, this display of patriotism and support
may well be described as unparalleled in the world.
As
many visitors to the country would have observed, there is
an air of enthusiasm often displayed by the Nigerian consumer
that is hard to come by in any other country of the world-advanced
or developing when it concerns the ongoing revolution in the
sector.
Perhaps,
it is this unflinching support and dedication to a cause that
makes everyone believe that at 46 million active subscribers,
Nigeria has barely scratched the surface of its potentiality.
They agree that well over a 100 million lines may just be
the average for the Nigerian nation.
It
must however be stated that while there is no doubt that the
Nigerian consumer is one of the most patriotic in the world,
this humane and considerate disposition to the challenges
of an emerging telecom market must not be taken for granted
by a few unscrupulous businesses in the sector who would want
to take for granted this large heartedness of the Nigerian
consumer.
Thus,
protecting the interest of these wonderful consumers must
always be the priority of the regulator, government and social
interest groups, because in the long run the consumers are
actually the real purpose, subject and object the telecom
industry exists and thrives on.
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