The Nation Newspaper

Category: Consumer Watch

  • Naija Green Card boosts discount culture amongst youths

    Naija Green Card boosts discount culture amongst youths

    Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, reports that Naija Green Card is not only helping students and Youth Corps members to survive the pressure of economic recession but is also changing Nigeria’s discount culture

    With the over 4000 Naija Green Card holders and partners, the story of Nigerian discount culture has changed radically.

    Before Hon. Bimbo Daramola’s The Bridge Concept Nigeria Limited introduced the discount card, specially designed for youths; students and serving National Youths Service Corps members, no discount facility had gained such national acclaim and acceptance. This was so primarily because individual companies or organisations only gave out occasional discounts either at will or during festivities. Added to this was the fact that most Nigerians considered discount culture as both foreign and insignificant and as such did not make tangible effort to birth a well articulated national discount facility either for all Nigerians or a popular segment.

    That was before March 2016, when Daramola, a former member of the House of Representatives, entered the scene. Since then, the facility has, according to Amaka, one of the cardholders, taken the Nigerian society by storm. For a product introduced to the Nigerian market barely nine months ago to gain acceptance of over 4000 merchants, partners and businesses in 23 states of the federation, Amaka may not have exaggerated the matter.

    Besides, the partners include top brands in almost all economic sectors. Just this week, Tantalizers PLC, the owners of a chain of fast food restaurants across the country, entered an agreement with Naija Green Card to be one of the partners.

    The strategic partnership deal between Tantalizers and Naija Green Card was concluded on Monday, at Tantalizers’ corporate office in Festac Town, Lagos, where Mrs. Bose Ayeni, the Managing Director/CEO of Tantalizers and Hon. Bimbo Daramola, the Chief Executive Officer of Naija Green Card, led other top functionaries of their organisations at the Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony.

    While welcoming the guests at the meeting Daramola took time out to explain the benefits of the card. He said the card is a corporate social responsibility project as it is only made available to students and serving members of the NYSC, to enable them buy goods and services at highly discounted prices from all the partners of Naija Green Card.

    Responding, Mrs. Ayeni, not only declared her company’s interest to partner with Naija Green Card but offered an initial 10 percent discount for cardholders, with a promise for future re-negotiation. She added that her company sees the collaboration with Naija Green Card as something that will be mutually beneficial. According to her, the idea of making it possible for students and youth corps members to enjoy quality services at a discount tallies with Tantalizers’ policy and vision.

    The deal 

     The Naija Green Card, according to the official newsletter, “allows the bearer to purchase items and access services at a discounted price, ranging from 5 – 50 percent and more. It is a systemic integrated support for the vulnerable demography of our nation population – the young people who feel the realities of economic downturn, pay cuts, unemployment, job losses, shrinking income and purchasing power by their parents.

    The first impression many Nigerians have on sighting the Naija Green Card is that it is either another ATM card from one of the banks or a new identification card. But Daramola explained that Naija Green Card is not an identity card. “It is a discount card, made available to students and serving members of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC).” A discount facility is usually card or document, often a plastic card, paper or payment card, that entitles the holder to access discounts on the prices of products or services.

    As the organisation explained in its corporate newsletter, “The Naija Green Card allows the bearer to purchase items and access services at a discounted price, ranging from 5 – 50 percent and more. It is a systemic integrated support for the vulnerable demography of our nation population – the young people who feel the realities of economic downturn, pay cuts, unemployment, job losses, shrinking income and purchasing power by their parents. This is what Naija Green Card is all about.”

    Does it work in Nigeria?

    Since Naija Green Card was introduced in Nigeria in March this year, the holders have been giving testimonies on how they got discounts they initially thought were not possible. There is the story of Rakiya Zuberu, who testified of getting 50 percent discount in Abuja. “I used my Naija Green Card in Ceddi Plaza, Abuja to watch a movie; we actually watch movies for one thousand naira (N1000) but with my Naija Green Card I was given 50 percent discount (N500) to watch the movie- Suicide Squad. Youths, students and NYSC corps members out there should try it out. It works,” she said.

    Olarenwaju Salu had a similar testimony. “I saw someone at Sheraton Hotel who just partnered with Naija Green Card and who was offering 20 percent off her books. I saw a book, liked it and wanted to buy it. Then I remembered I have my Naija Green Card and showed it to her and instead of buying the book for N500, I bought it for N400. So, whoever is not on the Naija Green Card platform, I will advise you to get it; you don’t know what you are missing,” he said.

    Ajikere Henry will not stop at enjoying the services. He has declared interest to carry the message to other youths in Bayelsa State. “I registered for my Naija Green Card at the Youth Summit in International Conference Centre in Abuja and I got my card the next day. I said let me try it and in this convention I met one of their partners. I used my card and got 10 percent discount from what I bought. This initiative is too good and I will be taking this message back to Bayelsa to inform them about the Naija Green Card and encourage them to key into it because it will really help in this recession.”

  • Unfair to Nigerian subscribers? Not MultiChoice

    Unfair to Nigerian subscribers? Not MultiChoice

    What can we do without our subscribers? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Where will we be without them? Nowhere. It is that simple.

    Without them, there will be no us at MultiChoice Nigeria. I believe that is true for any other business or, more specifically, any business that desires long-term viability through quality service, like MultiChoice Nigeria does.

    It is why we have found recent media reports suggesting that MultiChoice subscribers in Nigeria are being unfairly treated very baffling and I dare say, unfair.

    The basis for the reports was the recent reduction in subscription rates in some other countries in which we operate and the fact that the reductions did not include Nigeria and South Africa.

    To be clear, DStv subscription rates, across bouquets, were reduced in those countries. But the claim, as made by authors of the report, that rates were slashed by 20 per cent in those countries were invented and, thus, untrue.

     The facts bear no resemblance to what the reports presented and are easily verifiable on the internet. There simply was no blanket 20 per cent reduction in rates. Why Nigeria’s exclusion? Local dynamics differ from country to country, which, naturally, will impose variations in costs of operations and ultimately, prices.

    And contrary to what is widely believed (this is similarly verifiable), DStv subscribers in Nigeria have always paid lower than those in other countries. The current rates in Nigeria came into effect in April, 2015, when the value of the naira to the dollar had just begun dipping. Now, the value of the Naira has affected every industry and, of course, every Nigerian.

    Currency depreciation rates across Africa are not the same. The naira, as I said earlier, has experienced huge denudation in value. Do not forget that we buy television content, including our beloved Nollywood movies, in dollars.

    Even now that rates have been adjusted in those countries, we in Nigeria still pay way lower (again, verifiable!), a fact ignored by the authors of the reports.

    While we wait (and hope) that things get better, MultiChoice has continued to absorb costs on behalf of the Nigerian subscriber because we recognise that the country is experiencing an inclement economic weather and because we believe in Nigeria.

    We also observed that many of the reports said our non-adoption of a “pay-as-you-view billing system is an index of unfairness to the Nigerian subscriber.

    This is another invention, as there is no such model in the pay-television industry. It does not exist anywhere, let alone in countries where it has been claimed to be in operation. All this, again, is verifiable via a simple google search.

    What is available is the pay-per-view model, something totally unrelated to what is being agitated for. I remember that the two terms were once used interchangeably.

    Pay-per-view is a model used in the broadcast episodic, usually, high-ticket events in sports and entertainment. The model requires a subscriber to have an extant subscription in addition to which payment is made to have access to an event the subscriber desires to watch.

    The cost, almost always, is high. Let us take last year’s world boxing title bout between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, a fight shown exclusively on pay-per-view in the United States and United Kingdom.

    In the US, for example, it cost $99.5 to watch the fight, in addition to having an active subscription.

    Boxing fans who watched it in Nigeria, via DStv’s SuperSport, did so as part of their Premium bouquet. Pay-per-view does not deliver television programming a la carte. If Multichoice operated a Pay-Per-View model, DSTV subscribers who wanted to watch the fight would have had to pay a fee in addition to the usual subscription.

    MultiChoice has no reason to treat its Nigerian subscribers unfairly. As a matter of fact, we are committed to providing improved services and be more customer-centric because we value our subscribers.

     In recent months, we have made available toll-free lines on all the mobile telephone networks in the country to ensure that subscribers can reach our call centres at no cost when they have issues with our service.

    The operating hours of our call centres have been extended from 8am to 9pm daily, including weekends and public holidays. We are the first pay-TV service provider, perhaps the only one, to allow customers switch off their accounts for seven days twice a year when they are not at home watching. We also recently announced the Nigerian Television International (NTAi) channel as the Free-to-Air channel for subscribers when their subscription expires.

    For these, we were commended by the Consumer Protection Council (CPC).

    While we hope to do more, available evidence declines to support claims that the Nigerian MultiChoice subscriber is getting a short shrift.

    • Oghuma, Public Relations Manager, DStv, writes from Lagos
  • Rice price not likely to fall soon

    Rice price not likely to fall soon

    Contrary to what the federal government said, the price of rice may not likely fall this month asthepriceof dollar remains high and local farmers are yet to start milling rice.

    As the price of rice went astronomically high like prices of other products in the country, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief AuduOgbeh, declared that the price of rice will start to fall from this month as Nigerians boost local production.

    This came as good news to Nigerians who have endured the hardship of inflation since the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    However, six days into the month, there is no sign of the price coming down as investigations into the major rice markets in the cities reveal almost the absence of local rice, while foreign smuggled rice is vintagely displayed.

    The surprising thing is that the few available local rice in city markets is even more expensive than the foreign ones.

    At the leading rice market,Daleko, in Mushin, Lagos, while a 50kg of smuggled imported long grain rice sells for N18,000 to N18,5000, the locally grown rice of the same quantity sells for N21,000 to N22,000.

    A bag of 50kg long grain rice from Ebonyi State, ‘African Sisi’, sells for N21,000. Also, the same quantity of rice from Benue State, ‘Mama Pride’, sells for N20,000. The unpolished locally grown rice is even more expensive. A 50kg of ofada rice, grown in Ogun State, goes for about N28,000 while a similar rice from Ebonyi State  also sells for about N26,000.

    Investigations reveal that the price of the unpolished rice is higher because health-conscious consumers prefer it as it is perceived to be superior as the natural nutrients have not been stripped off as a result of processing.

    Explaining why the locally grown rice is more expensive, AlhajiSanniAdamu, a major rice dealer, said it was one of the Nigerian factors.

    Prompting him to explain what he meant, he said that a lot of expenses are incurred while handling the product and transporting from the towns it is cultivated to the major cities. For instance, he said, “It costs N2,500 to transport a 50kg of “Mama Pride” from Benue State to Lagos markets while it costs less to transport the same quantity of smuggled rice from the Nigerian/Seme and Idiriko borders to the market.”

    Though, the locally grown rice is cheaper in the areas where they are grown, findings reveal that a 50kg bag of ‘African Sisi’ sells for about N19,000 in the eastern part of the country, with the smuggled rice selling as high as N23,000 to N24,000.

    On why only few bags of locally grown rice can be seen in the market despite the federal government’s promise that there will be surplus local rice in the market this month, AlhajiAdamu, whose warehouse is at No. 300 Kampbell line, in Daleko market, lamented that Nigerian farmers were yet to start harvesting rice, adding that “though consumers demand more for the imported long grain rice.”

    Speaking with Chief Comfort Idowu,another major rice dealer at Iddo rice market in Lagos, she said that going by everything on ground, rice price will not fall this month or even next month.

    “How will the price fall this month when foreign exchange is still going up and our local farmers are yet to harvest rice? Even if they harvest rice, can they produce enough to feed half the country?” She questioned.

    “Okay, this is the miracle month, November. At this Iddo market, how many brands and bags of local rice have you seen? The few bags of local rice here cannot even feed the people in this market, not to talk of the whole of Nigeria,” she hissed.

    “The price of rice will not fall now except the federal government lifts the ban on importation,then empower our local farmers. The ban on rice is just creating avenues for the Custom officers to make more money by extorting money from smugglers and selling off some of the seized rice,” lamented Mr. Michael Ikeduru, a rice merchant at Iddo market.

    The Agriculture and Rural Development Minister had stated that more Nigerians had returned to their various farms, adding that at the next harvesting season this month, the price of rice would start to crash. This came as the government said that the delay in the approval of the 2016 budget had made it impossible to implement the capital expenditure in the agricultural sector.

    Ogbeh said this while addressing members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development at the headquarters of the ministry in Abuja recently.

    The minister, who stated that the government could not be involved in the importation of rice as speculated in some quarters, stressed that his ministry would not encourage rice importation because it would be detrimental to local production.

    He said the federal government was against rice smuggling and noted that the Seme border had become a notorious route for the smuggling of contraband products into the country.

    “We will not encourage rice importation and there is no way our ministry or government can be involved in importing rice when we are working hard to be self-sufficient in local production. By November when the full-scale harvest starts, rice prices will fall,” the minister said.

    Rice dealers in Nigeria have attributed the rise in price as well as the scarcity of the commodity to the activities of the government and some specific stakeholders. Just a year ago, a bag of rice that was sold at N9000, now goes for N18,500.

    Ganiyu Quadri, chairman of Alimosho LGA, had also said a bag of rice will drop to N9000 in Lagos before December. But the question is: how long will it last? Retailers are of the opinion that the rising price of rice is due to the ban on its importation. They believe that the hike in price is due to the activities of some individuals who monopolise the market.

    Since the marketers got their Form M approved last year, it is said they began stockpiling the now scarce commodity. This, of course, made it easy to monopolise the market after the ban was imposed. Retailers are also of the opinion that the government also influenced the price of the commodity by applying the expert hands of the customs in seizing most brands except the brands which belong to the importers. In March, 24 trucks of rice were seized in Owerri. On May 3, 8000 bags of rice were also seized in Lagos, while on May 27, 575 bags of rice were confiscated,and just recently 2500 bags of rice were withheld by the Nigeria Custom Service.

    A trader said, “Before we talk of banning importation we must first increase local production to avoid scarcity.”

    Nigeria consumes five million tons of rice yearly and currently produces less than 2.5 million tons. Obviously with rice being the staple food of the Nigerian population, it is not producing nearly enough to fight food scarcity.

    Contrary to Mr Ganiyu Quadri’s claims, the probability of the commodity price falling to as low as N9000 is simply very low. Not when the Christmas celebration is just around the corner. If at all a miracle happens and the price of rice falls, it won’t be as low as N9000.  If rice is to sell for N9000 by December, the government might have to temporarily lift the ban on the importation of the commodity or the commodity may well sell at over N20,000 by Christmas.

  • How safe is microwave cooking?

    How safe is microwave cooking?

    y visit to Sweet Sensation eatery last week entirely changed my focus from what I was already penning down for this week’s edition.

    As I queued in the much-busy eatery to place my orders, the man directly in front of me ordered rice, plantain, etcetera. Apparently, the food-holding oven was not hot so the lady server proceeded to warm the food in the microwave oven placed on one of the counters.

    Sighting that the lady with his orders was about to open the microwave oven, the man in an alarmed voice told the lady that he would rather have his food cold than expose it to micro wave rays and risk the negative health consequences.

    Hearing that, I was completely taken aback. Of course, it was not the first time I would be hearing of microwave rays, but it was my first time of encountering somebody who vehemently opposed to having his food warmed that way.

    I mean there is no man-made gadget that does not have both the good and ugly sides. Microwave oven is not the only electrical gadget that emits rays. Do not get me wrong, I do not sell microwave ovens and am not campaigning for those in that business.

    The fact is, that it is not a very popular method of cooking here because it uses sorely electricity which we cannot boast of in Nigeria. Microwave oven is commonly used just as we use gas cookers and kerosene stoves in countries with poor electricity supply.

    However, various researches have shown that microwave ovens don’t make foods radioactive. They just heat them. Microwave ovens heat food by producing radiation which is absorbed by water molecules in the food. This makes the water molecules vibrate and produce heat, which cooks the food.

    Any modern day microwave oven in good condition is perfectly safe as long as you follow the instructions for use. If you use a microwave oven in the correct way, there is no known harmful effects on humans. But people still tend to worry. Understanding the different types of radiation may help to reassure you that cooking in a microwave is not dangerous and won’t cause any health problems.

    Although microwaves are safe to use, it is important to point out that cooking in them can affect the nutritional value of some foods, for example, fruit and vegetables. But nutrients are lost when heating foods in any way – boiling, grilling, frying or even steaming. As long as you don’t overcook foods, microwaving can actually be quite a healthy way to cook, as it uses only a little water. The best way to keep as many nutrients as possible in fruit and vegetables is to use as little water as you can and not overcook them.

    What radiation is and the different types

    Radiation is the release of energy from any source. There are many different sources of energy around us. For example, our bodies give off heat, which is a form of energy. Energy is also released from everyday things such as;

    • Household electrical appliances
    • Heaters
    • The sun
    • X-ray machines

    Not all radiation is harmful. It depends on the type of radiation and how much exposure to it you have. There are several types of radiation. All of which can be grouped under either

    • Ionising radiation
    • Non-ionising radiation

     

    The radiation from a microwave oven is non-ionising. Other examples include

    • Ultraviolet rays from the sun or sunbeds
    • Electromagnetic fields
    • Radio waves
    • Radiation waves given off from household electrical appliances, heaters, mobile phones with or without headsets, and computers and their screens are all non-ionising radiation.

    The only type of non-ionising radiation that we know can cause cancer is overexposure to ultraviolet rays, which causes skin cancer.

    Studies have looked at the possible link between microwave ovens and cancer. Some results suggest there may be a link but other studies haven’t been able to prove this at all. Microwaves do produce a magnetic field while they are in use. This drops sharply the further you are from the oven and doesn’t last long, as you tend to cook in microwaves for very short periods. Most experts say that microwave ovens don’t give off enough energy to damage the genetic material (DNA) in cells so they can’t cause cancer. Microwaves heat food, but do not make any changes to it that aren’t made in any other cooking method. So they do not make food any more likely to cause any disease.

     

    What we should pay attention to when using a microwave is the container in which we have placed our food. Do not use a plastic container as chemicals will leach from the container into the food once the plastic is heated up. Avoid using paper bags as that can also burn. Ceramic containers are your best option.

     

    Additional information from food nutritionist, Caroline Praderio.

     

  • Customer satisfaction: MultiChoice’s new deal with subscribers

    Big deal? Certainly. Given the inherent range of benefits, the new customer-focused initiatives unveiled by MultiChoice Nigeria, the country’s premier video entertainment company, are such that entitle the company to elicit claim to be sensitive to its customer base and is committed to improve customer service.

    The two related attributes have already been attested to by the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) which, at a press conference in June, announced its satisfaction at its interaction with MultiChoice and expressed confidence that certain issues raised by the company’s subscribers would be addressed.

    “The mandate of the council is to ensure that customers’ rights and interests are protected. The CPC has been working with MultiChoice Nigeria in achieving this and we are confident that the issues have been addressed,” Mrs. Dupe Atoki, CPC Director-General, said at the press conference in Lagos.

    The press conference prefaced the implementation of the new initiatives, which include the introduction of toll-free lines for subscribers to reach MultiChoice call centres, extension of the working hours of the call centres, which now function between 8am and 9pm daily, including weekends and public holidays; access to a Free-To-Air (FTA) channel at the expiration of subscription and the much-sought service suspension option.

    MultiChoice thus became the first video entertainment company to implement such service improvement initiatives.

    Next is the FTA. Subscribers, also can now access the Nigerian Television Authority International channel, which MultiChoice has made available as the FTA channel, at the expiration of their subscription. This is in line with the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission code, which requires pay-television operators to carry an FTA in their areas of coverage in public interest. The extended call centre operating hours, which include weekends and public holidays, give subscribers considerably longer time and wider space to reach MultiChoice with complaints about DStv or GOtv service and obtain solutions to such.

    The toll-free lines free subscribers from incurring phone bills while trying to resolve issues related to the service. They also offer easier access, given that the phone lines include one on the four major mobile telephone networks in the country. For Etisalat users, the number to call is 09090630333, while Airtel users can reach the call centre on 07080630333. MTN users have 08149860333 to reach MultiChoice, while Glo users have 08113630333.

    Speaking on the new initiatives, Mr. John Ugbe, Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria, said: “Over the past year, we have worked closely with the CPC to identify our customers’ areas of need and made a commitment towards implementing solutions that will resonate with our customers and lead to improved customer service.”

    Earlier in the year, MultiChoice improved its content offering on DStv Compact, its mid-tier DStv bouquet, ensuring greater value for subscribers. In addition, it offered DStv subscribers an open week, during which subscribers have access to DStv Premium content irrespective of their subscription status.

    • Coker, a marketing specialist, writes from Badagry

  • Etisalat boosts career in schools

    In its quest to enhance the quality of career choices among students of secondary school grades in the country, Etisalat Nigeria, has held a career counselling session for some secondary schools in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

    The career-focused event, which held inside the Conference Hall of Community Comprehensive Secondary School, Rumuokwurushi, Port Harcourt, is a CSR initiative of the company targeted at enlightening students on existing career opportunities across various fields.

    Speaking at the one-day event, Manager, CSR, Etisalat Nigeria, Oyetola Oduyemi, said the career counselling initiative is part of the company’s commitment aimed at driving sustainable national development through education, health and environment.

    Also speaking, the Principal of the school, Dr. (Mrs.) Justina Dappa, appreciated the telecommunication giant for helping students resolve the confusion that usually surrounds the choice of careers just as she admitted that the students face enormous challenges while making the transition from secondary to tertiary education.”

  • Coca cola announces Coke Studio 4

    Coca-Cola Nigeria ‘has its premier music show, Coke Studio Africa, for the fourth season.

    Coke Studio Season 4, themed “Discover”, has a line-up of 45 of Africa’s finest music acts, who will be performing over 90 songs on 11 thrilling episodes that will capture exciting musical moments of culture, passion, and arts. The show has been airing, since the second week of this month, on AIT and continues on the same station every Sunday at 6pm for 10 weeks.

    This season will feature nine Nigerian artistes including Tuface aka 2Baba, Flavour, Waje and Yemi Alade who had featured in some of the previous episodes, as well as Patoranking, Falz, Cynthia Morgan, Kiss Daniel and Simi who are all making their first appearances on the show. The season also promises a bigger diversity, as there are six additional participating countries – Ethiopia, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, DRC, Togo and Ghana – joining the initial five countries.

    Other top African acts on the show are Kenyan Afro-pop band, Sauti Sol, Congolese singer and songwriter, FallyIpupa, Kenyan gospel singer, Bahati, Bongo’s Pop Princess VeeMoney, multitalented Ivorian artiste, Serge Beynaud, Ugandan R&B singer, Rema Namakula and Angolan Yuri da Cunha.

    “We’re glad to be creating refreshingly new sounds in the music industry across Africa through Coke Studio Africa. Each new season continues to offer something revitalising to the fans, and we are promising that Coke Studio Season 4 will be even more awesome,” Patricia Jemibewon, Marketing Director of Coca-Cola Nigeria, stated.

    Promising that this season will be intense and exciting, Tim Horwood, the Creative Director of Coke Studio Africa Season 4, explained that “This season we will dig deep into each of the artists’ psyche. The audience will discover who they really are by finding out the motivation behind their biggest songs and behind the scene videos of a day in their lives.”

  • Global firm to begin manufacturing in Nigeria

    The world’s largest tobacco company, Philip Morris International (PMI), with operations in 181 countries, has finalised plans to commence manufacturing in Nigeria before the end of 2016. This investment comes in less than two years of their starting operations in Nigeria and clearly indicates the confidence the company has in the Nigerian economy.

    Upon its entry to Nigeria last year, PMI took the opportunity provided by the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) to bring its brands to Nigeria from its manufacturing plant in Senegal, in what is understood to be in keeping with its regionalisation policy.

    Managing Director of PMINTL Nigeria Limited, Mr. CoskunKaganDicle, said “We are proud to be in Nigeria at a time when economic diversification is so critical to Nigeria’s long-term economic objectives. Our company was incorporated in December 2014 and during 2015 received all regulatory approvals required to commence importation of some of our world-class brands into Nigeria under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme from our factory in Senegal.”

  • Subscribers groan under MTN treatment

    Subscribers groan under MTN treatment

    Mr. UzoObidike said he received a message from MTN last month, with an underlying threat of his telephone line being disconnected if he did not update his SIM registration which he claimed to have already done last year.

    The text message which he made available to Sunday Nation read: ‘Please visit any MTN store urgently with a valid ID to update your registration records and avoid disconnection. You have been compensated with N10,000 for use after registration. Dail *559*40 to check.’

    Re-counting his ordeal, he said he was baffled when he first saw the message as he was sure of having updated his SIM registration late last year, so he ignored the message thinking it was a mistake from the Telecom. “But I was surprised when they kept sending the message and not wanting to risk a disconnection, despite my very busy schedules, I decided to visit the nearest MTN to my residence and that was at Ikotun roundabout, IkotunEgbe.”

    Narrating further, Mr. Obidike said that he got to the MTN office at about 9.30am on a Monday only to meet a crowd of people who looked tired and frustrated waiting outside the gates. While some were sitting others were standing as the available chairs were not enough for all of them.

    According to him, two security men were attending to new comers so he also joined them and collected two forms, one yellow and the other white. The forms, he said, stated he was number 116.

    Assessing the crowd, he asked the security man whom he identified from his name tag as Emma, if all the people were also waiting to update their SIM and if that was the case, how long was it going to take?

    To his dismay, the security man told him that some had already been disconnected and came for reconnection while the others came for SIM upgrade like him. As per how long it will take to get to his turn, the security officer told him, indifferently, that it could take up to five hours as the network was very slow.

    Compounding his woes, the security personnel informed him that some of the people waiting were people who came on Saturday but were not fortunate enough to be attended to.

    With an air of defeat and resignation, he leaned on the wall to wait as there were no available chairs. He could not go because he could not afford to risk his line as that was the line many people identify him with, having registered it for N30,000 when GSM was newly launched in Nigeria.

    According to him, many of the subscribers were complaining loudly that other networks were not puttingtheir subscribers through the harrowing experience MTN was forcing them to go through.

      After about three hours of not being attended to and with only a hand full of subscribers having been called into the office, he decided to go and attend to his business hoping the next day may be better.

    The next day, despite the fact that he came early, he met a larger crowd. Calling the Customer Service number 180, he narrated his ordeal. He was advised to visit another branch in a less busy place. Heeding the advice, he went to the MTN office at Fatai Atere Way, Mushin, but the story was not much different.

    As at the time of going to press, Mr. Obidike’s phone line had been disconnected by MTN and he is planning to sue the telecom company.

    Alhaji Jumoke Fatai, with MTN No. 070…..9757, said she received a similar text message from MTN, though they promised her N1,000 worth of air time at the completion of her SIM upgrade. Not wanting to be disconnected, she immediately went to the nearest MTN office to her residence, which happens to be the one at Akowonjo Road,Egbeda, at Alimosho LGA.

    On getting to their office early last week, she said she met about 50 persons sitting tiredly in defeat outside the gate under two canopies.

    Wondering if all those people came for the same purpose as she, Fatai gingerly walked to the security officer that she observed was attending to people. Looking at his name tag, she noted his unusual name, James Raphael Chibuzor, but told him the purpose of her visit.

    According to Fatai, the security officer gave her forms with numbers ‘15126765’ to fill. On the form, it was stated she would be the 125th person to be attended to and the time was just 11a.m.

    Reluctantly, she decided to wait. After about three hours of not hearing her number called out, she asked the security officer how much longer it would take. Turning briefly to her, the security man responded, “Madam, I know fit answer that question.”

    After another 30minutes, she requested to see the Branch Manager, to which the security man rebuffed her. In frustration, just like most other people who had been waiting, she stormed off in anger.

    On Saturday, that is 15th of this month, after her morning chores, she went back only to meet a large crowd and the same security officer, James Chibuzor. On requesting for forms, the man told her nonchalantly to come back on Monday before 8a.m as the branch had run out of forms.

    “Do you think I am jobless? Do you know where I am coming from for you to say indifferently that I should come back on Monday? Will you pay for my transport and time?” queried the woman in anger.

    That is the unfortunate situation in most of the MTN branches now. The stories are many, diverse, with different ugly twists.

    At the Ikotun branch, many of the subscribers alleged that the security personnel extort money from people before they are given forms. One name mentioned was Emma.

    “Since late last year, I have registered my SIM four times. Each time after registering, MTN would still send me a text that I should come and re-register or have my line disconnected. Actually, on one occasion, I refused to re-register and they disconnected me,” lamented Mr. Idia, at the MTN Akowonjo branch on the 15th of this month.

    The man who said he came all the way from Abesan Estate said he would have done away with the number but, unfortunately, he has given many people the number.

    Interviewing one of the fortunate subscribers who successfully updated her SIM records at the MTN, Akowonjo, she said that one of the things responsible for the slow response to subscribers was the obsolete equipment being used in some of the MTN branches and the poorly trained staff.

    “A staff named Chioma attended to me and it took her so long before she could capture my image. At a point, she called one of her colleagues, Chineye, to hold the light for her. After a while, she called out for Chike. Even before it came to my turn, I observed her and her other colleagues calling each other to hold lights for them.

    “Asking her why she was calling them to point phone torch light at my face, she explained that the light above her equipment was not clear enough. The wasted time attending to one person, ordinarily, would have been spent attending to five persons.”

     

    To be continued next week

  • Oral B celebrates 5 years in Nigeria

    Oral B celebrates 5 years in Nigeria

    Reading household oral care brand from Procter & Gamble, Oral-B, is celebrating its 5th anniversary this month having reached five million households in Nigeria since 2011 when it came to Nigeria.

    To celebrate this milestone, Oral B is launching its first ever National Consumer Promotion in appreciation of its customers for supporting the brand in the past five years. In addition to the consumer promotion, Oral-B will visit various communities in Nigeria to provide free dental checks to people through the Oral B Mobile Dental Clinic Programme which currently reaches over two million Nigerians annually.

    The Oral-B National Consumer Promotion will run from October to December 2016, which will give consumers who purchase a pack of Oral-B Pro-Health toothpaste, within the period, a chance to win instant prizes ranging from airtime, products, and cash prizes from N10, 000 to N300, 000.

    Speaking on Wednesday, during the media launch of the National Consumer Promotion, Tolulope Adedeji, Brand Marketing Director, P&G Nigeria said; “Oral B has reached more than five million households since we launched in Nigeria five years ago. We are celebrating this milestone with a consumer promotion and Mobile Dental Outreach as a mark of appreciation and celebration of our teeming customers.”

    According toAdedeji, “The essence of the promotion is to celebrate and reward Oral-B consumers across the country.  At Procter and Gamble, it is our purpose to touch and improve the lives of customers with our brands. We will be rewarding as many winners as possible in the weekly and monthly draws as well as the grand draw of the Oral B National Consumer Promotion.

    Four winners will get N200, 000 and one mixed case of Oral-B each at the end of the first and second months. The grand prize winner will get N300, 000 and two mixed cases of Oral-B at the end of the promotion. In addition to the monthly and grand prizes, we will be giving out cash prizes weekly as well as daily airtime to winners.”

    Tolulope also reaffirmed the brands dedication to improving the oral health of all Nigerians through its Mobile Dental Clinic Programme. “A large number of Nigerians do not go for dental checkups nor use the right toothpaste with the right toothbrush and the Oral-B Mobile Dental Clinic programme will provide the opportunity for our customers to enjoy free dental health checks and oral advisory by our accredited dentists across various communities in the country’.”

    Ifeoma Chuks-Adizue, Brand Manager for Oral B, also speaking at the event, expressed the commitment of the brand in ensuring that people have a healthy oral experience. She added that the introduction of the product was driven by the need to have a truly, all-round protection health toothpaste in a market surrounded by basic fresh breath products.