lets all bombard NCC social media page and let them know they cant suffer millions of Nigerian because they wanna enrich their pocket...Nice write up man.

Didn't read ooo but I know say nairalanders never disappoint...

1 bag of rice for op dis xmas

U said it all bro

Didn't read ooo but I know say nairalanders never disappoint...always representing

PhonePlanet:
So yesterday I read about all NCC had to say on the issue of introducing a price floor. And I have some comments to make

"The regulatory commission said that it feared that the price war could eventually lead to a monopoly in the telecom industry that would force small operators to shut down.
It said that monopoly in the telecom sector could also push the country back to the days of NITEL to the detriment of small operators in the sector.
The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Professor Umar Dambatta stated this when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Communications."

Well, Professor Dambatta kept mentioning NITEL in his statement, which I believe is a wrong example to make reference to because "in the days of NITEL" there was just one telecommunications company which is NITEL, no competitors, no rivals, no other company offering telecommunications services, and NITEL was owned by the Nigerian Government. But right now we have so many private telecommunications companies, and out of these many, we have four(4) major companies not one. Therefore I do not see how this might lead to monopoly, I don't think the four major telecommunications companies we have would allow one pass the other, which is not equal to monopoly. Unless Professor Dambatta has a different definition of monopoly that is not - (economics) a market in which there are many buyers but only one seller.

Then on the aspect of forcing smaller telecommunications companies to close or shut down. First I would start with what one of my friend said. He believes in the statement - "if you can't beat them, join them". He believes that if smaller or new entry telecommunications companies can't find a way to survive in the market, then they should merge with the bigger companies to provide better services. I once met Audu Maikori in an event and he made emphasis of the need for partnership and collaboration. He said everybody wants to be the head and alone, when if we collaborate, we could achieve greater things. What if we don’t need eight telecommunications companies, what if we just need working four? If these companies could merge they could give us that! Better services, less worries.

I on the other hand thinks that if any company should shut down, it is completely their fault and not the fault of major telecommunications companies. This is not the first time we have seen companies shut down due to pressure from the Market, but to blame a bigger company is wrong. A company can only shut down due to its own mistakes or wrong tactics/market strategy, that is if it had one. For a startup company, the board/team/management are suppose to have a break through plan, enough capital and focus to become as big as any other company in the market. I believe non of these startup telecommunications in Nigeria have one and are now seeking the help of the government to survive? This scenario is like asking a teacher to intentionally fail a student so you who did not read can be on the same level with the brilliant student. Of course it is possible that these companies might have tried their best to gain market share, but Etisalat Nigeria tried to do the same thing in 2008, they slashed all the prices each telecommunications was offering at that time and sold out sim card almost free, even existing telecommunications giants could not keep up, it was a decision, strategy and sacrifice they had to make that got them to where they are today. Ironically Etisalat Nigeria now offers the most expensive service amongst the four telecommunications, but has already built their brand well enough to have a deserving part of the market. Which of these startup companies are able to do this? NON! So I believe they should go back and re-strategize instead of depending on the government introduce a price floor limiting the major operators.

I am still not in support in introducing a price floor. If NCC fills there is still a need for it, the best they can do is stop these big companies from taking their prices below what they offer right now. I wonder if NCC is supposed protect these small companies or we the consumers? Because their actions of protecting these companies is at our own expense. I look at all NCC reasons as excuse including the one they stated that consumers asked for the price floor to be introduced, when clearly there is a petition which five thousand people have signed against it. It makes me feel there are hidden stories, agenda and personal gains to all of this. Price flooring is suppose to be in the advatage of the consumer, Plus the idea of price floor has not had a good reputation in countries that it was implemented. "A price floor hurts society more than it helps. It may help farmers or the few workers that get to work for minimum wage, but it only helps those people by hurting everyone else" according to http://economics.fundamentalfinance.com/micro_price-floor.php . In this case it helps a few CEO's and hurts the general public. This cannot be acceptable.

That is all I have to say to NCC.

In addition to this post, I also have a comment to make on The Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of MTN Nigeria, Mr. Ferdinand Moolman statement for the federal government to ban WhatsApp and other social services that offer call and text.

“the depletion of operator revenues by unlicensed providers of “over-the-top” telecoms services who do not have any physical presence; nor pay any taxes; nor make any significant contribution to employment or other socio-economic objectives of government in Nigeria.”

Mentioning WhatsApp, Viber and the likes, the MTN boss pointed out that these companies were eroding gains of Nigeria’s telecom companies and asked Nigeria to take action like the United Arab Emirates did.


All I see in this man statement is GREED! I think what he said is completely absurd. What he actually meant by this statement is that he is not making as much money as he used to because of WhatsApp and others, and therefore using the excuse of non physical presence, and no taxes etc to buy out the government. This is purley based on selfish interest. This scenario is like asking the government to ban cars because you as a bicycle seller don’t make much money anymore, and stating excuses like cars produce harmful gases to the environment just to win the heart of the government. Someone should tell this man that TECHNOLOGY HAS PROGRESSED!!! If he is pained by the production of cars, he should probably dump bicycles and start producing cars too. Maybe turn MTN into an APP making company or buy WhatsApp or Viber. You can't hold back technology because you don't make enough money. In fact this means you care about money more than you care about technology, and as the CEO of MTN? that is just too sad. You sir are supposed to be in a bank! Not an IT company. Then you went ahead to say like united Arab emirates? How long would this country continue to copy other countries simply because they are more developed? We should be able to decide which steps we take and which we don't. We should only look out for developed countries for solutions to major problems we encounter like how to come out of recession. Not follow every foot step and implement something simply because it was done in UAE or USA or Europe. Please stop! Finally saying that these apps do not make any significant contribution to employment or other socio-economic objectives of government in Nigeria is wrong. Directly it might not, but indirectly it does in every way. To point out a few, making call over WhatsApp is relatively less expensive than traditional phone call. Yes it means less money for you (even if you make money from data) but it means we as citizen would be able to save more on phone calls which would make us have more money to improve our standard of living and businesses which would have positive impact on the economy. Taking for example a typical venture owner who spend a lot on phone calls would save alot if he has to buy only data. On a long run, that savings from phone calls could be used to expand his venture which would lead to more people being employed and growth on the nation economy which is in contrary to Mr. Ferdinand statement. So please don’t think of it. Neither should the Nigerian Government consider it unless again it in support of a company over it's citizens.

That is all I have to say. I am in no way an expert and therefore all I've written here is in my opinion. Please feel free to contact me in any area you feel I am wrong.

u r very correct. D dude also said that they av to buy fuel 2 power their facilities, and I ask how is dat d problem of d masses. Is it not d FG dats meant 2 give us a constant power supply after all d heavy taxes we pay. R we now supposed 2 subsidise 4 these companies? We also buy d same fuel 4 our homes and businesses at d same exorbitant rates, who helps us out? D dude must av been bribed, dats y he's so aggressively pursuing an increase, or his company is one of d upstarts, na so naija things dey. They should remove him, he obviously no longer represents us.

PhonePlanet:
So yesterday I read about all NCC had to say on the issue of introducing a price floor. And I have some comments to make

"The regulatory commission said that it feared that the price war could eventually lead to a monopoly in the telecom industry that would force small operators to shut down.
It said that monopoly in the telecom sector could also push the country back to the days of NITEL to the detriment of small operators in the sector.
The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Professor Umar Dambatta stated this when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Communications."

Well, Professor Dambatta kept mentioning NITEL in his statement, which I believe is a wrong example to make reference to because "in the days of NITEL" there was just one telecommunications company which is NITEL, no competitors, no rivals, no other company offering telecommunications services, and NITEL was owned by the Nigerian Government. But right now we have so many private telecommunications companies, and out of these many, we have four(4) major companies not one. Therefore I do not see how this might lead to monopoly, I don't think the four major telecommunications companies we have would allow one pass the other, which is not equal to monopoly. Unless Professor Dambatta has a different definition of monopoly that is not - (economics) a market in which there are many buyers but only one seller.

Then on the aspect of forcing smaller telecommunications companies to close or shut down. First I would start with what one of my friend said. He believes in the statement - "if you can't beat them, join them". He believes that if smaller or new entry telecommunications companies can't find a way to survive in the market, then they should merge with the bigger companies to provide better services. I once met Audu Maikori in an event and he made emphasis of the need for partnership and collaboration. He said everybody wants to be the head and alone, when if we collaborate, we could achieve greater things. What if we don’t need eight telecommunications companies, what if we just need working four? If these companies could merge they could give us that! Better services, less worries.

I on the other hand thinks that if any company should shut down, it is completely their fault and not the fault of major telecommunications companies. This is not the first time we have seen companies shut down due to pressure from the Market, but to blame a bigger company is wrong. A company can only shut down due to its own mistakes or wrong tactics/market strategy, that is if it had one. For a startup company, the board/team/management are suppose to have a break through plan, enough capital and focus to become as big as any other company in the market. I believe non of these startup telecommunications in Nigeria have one and are now seeking the help of the government to survive? This scenario is like asking a teacher to intentionally fail a student so you who did not read can be on the same level with the brilliant student. Of course it is possible that these companies might have tried their best to gain market share, but Etisalat Nigeria tried to do the same thing in 2008, they slashed all the prices each telecommunications was offering at that time and sold out sim card almost free, even existing telecommunications giants could not keep up, it was a decision, strategy and sacrifice they had to make that got them to where they are today. Ironically Etisalat Nigeria now offers the most expensive service amongst the four telecommunications, but has already built their brand well enough to have a deserving part of the market. Which of these startup companies are able to do this? NON! So I believe they should go back and re-strategize instead of depending on the government introduce a price floor limiting the major operators.

I am still not in support in introducing a price floor. If NCC fills there is still a need for it, the best they can do is stop these big companies from taking their prices below what they offer right now. I wonder if NCC is supposed protect these small companies or we the consumers? Because their actions of protecting these companies is at our own expense. I look at all NCC reasons as excuse including the one they stated that consumers asked for the price floor to be introduced, when clearly there is a petition which five thousand people have signed against it. It makes me feel there are hidden stories, agenda and personal gains to all of this. Price flooring is suppose to be in the advatage of the consumer, Plus the idea of price floor has not had a good reputation in countries that it was implemented. "A price floor hurts society more than it helps. It may help farmers or the few workers that get to work for minimum wage, but it only helps those people by hurting everyone else" according to http://economics.fundamentalfinance.com/micro_price-floor.php . In this case it helps a few CEO's and hurts the general public. This cannot be acceptable.

That is all I have to say to NCC.

In addition to this post, I also have a comment to make on The Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of MTN Nigeria, Mr. Ferdinand Moolman statement for the federal government to ban WhatsApp and other social services that offer call and text.

“the depletion of operator revenues by unlicensed providers of “over-the-top” telecoms services who do not have any physical presence; nor pay any taxes; nor make any significant contribution to employment or other socio-economic objectives of government in Nigeria.”

Mentioning WhatsApp, Viber and the likes, the MTN boss pointed out that these companies were eroding gains of Nigeria’s telecom companies and asked Nigeria to take action like the United Arab Emirates did.


All I see in this man statement is GREED! I think what he said is completely absurd. What he actually meant by this statement is that he is not making as much money as he used to because of WhatsApp and others, and therefore using the excuse of non physical presence, and no taxes etc to buy out the government. This is purley based on selfish interest. This scenario is like asking the government to ban cars because you as a bicycle seller don’t make much money anymore, and stating excuses like cars produce harmful gases to the environment just to win the heart of the government. Someone should tell this man that TECHNOLOGY HAS PROGRESSED!!! If he is pained by the production of cars, he should probably dump bicycles and start producing cars too. Maybe turn MTN into an APP making company or buy WhatsApp or Viber. You can't hold back technology because you don't make enough money. In fact this means you care about money more than you care about technology, and as the CEO of MTN? that is just too sad. You sir are supposed to be in a bank! Not an IT company. Then you went ahead to say like united Arab emirates? How long would this country continue to copy other countries simply because they are more developed? We should be able to decide which steps we take and which we don't. We should only look out for developed countries for solutions to major problems we encounter like how to come out of recession. Not follow every foot step and implement something simply because it was done in UAE or USA or Europe. Please stop! Finally saying that these apps do not make any significant contribution to employment or other socio-economic objectives of government in Nigeria is wrong. Directly it might not, but indirectly it does in every way. To point out a few, making call over WhatsApp is relatively less expensive than traditional phone call. Yes it means less money for you (even if you make money from data) but it means we as citizen would be able to save more on phone calls which would make us have more money to improve our standard of living and businesses which would have positive impact on the economy. Taking for example a typical venture owner who spend a lot on phone calls would save alot if he has to buy only data. On a long run, that savings from phone calls could be used to expand his venture which would lead to more people being employed and growth on the nation economy which is in contrary to Mr. Ferdinand statement. So please don’t think of it. Neither should the Nigerian Government consider it unless again it in support of a company over it's citizens.

That is all I have to say. I am in no way an expert and therefore all I've written here is in my opinion. Please feel free to contact me in any area you feel I am wrong.

10 Gbosa for you Gbosa Gbosa Gbosa Gbosa Gbosa Gbosa Gbosa Gbosa Gbosa GbosaGbosa

If Oga Jim Ovia can sell off Visaphone to MTN biko wetin stop Dozie from selling off Swift to MTN after all na e papa bring them come Nigeria.
NCC should face reality the market dynamics have change and the same goes for all the telcos.I can imagine what would have happened if Facebook satellite was allowed to sail, all the telco for don bankrupt.

charlesklaus:
MTN and greediness be like

Don't mind them, they want us to continue with old method of sending SMS for N4.00 SMS to other countries N15.00 thieves.


I don't blame them what they cannot try in their country but only in Nigeria


If PMB pull through with this wicked plan then I will keep praying till God hears that the same thing that happened to Abacha should repeat itself!
Wicked government

Meanwhile dangote is doing same with cement and no one is saying shit...rubbish people. Business is about competition, if you cant take the heat, run away

Excellent write up!

Jailerrr:
Didn't read ooo but I know say nairalanders never disappoint...always representing

Olodo. Na to dey hide things inside book for u sure pass

Am with you on this op as for mtn CEO as he say that to South Africa government if not let him go and die

Countries where Skype or WhatsApp calling is blocked

https://www.quora.com/In-which-countries-is-Skype-or-WhatsApp-calling-blocked

"Voice calls via Skype, WhatsApp, Google Voice or Viber are not working in the following countries:
Azerbaijan
Belize
China
Iran
Kuwait
Morocco
Oman
Pakistan
Paraguay
Saudi Arabia - Skype voice/video calls work, WhatsApp calls don’t
United Arab Emirates
There may be restrictions on messaging too. In some countries, voice calling works on wifi but not on mobile networks.
China redirects skype.com downloads to spyware, but if the app is already installed, it works. WhatsApp is occasionally blocked in Xinjiang.
Temporary bans:
Bangladesh - Nov 2015
Brazil - Dec 2015"

Most of these countries listed above are authoritarian in governance.

Nice write-up Op.

Here have a

babooshka:
u r very correct. D dude also said that they av to buy fuel 2 power their facilities, and I ask how is dat d problem of d masses. Is it not d FG dats meant 2 give us a constant power supply after all d heavy taxes we pay. R we now supposed 2 subsidise 4 these companies? We also buy d same fuel 4 our homes and businesses at d same exorbitant rates, who helps us out? D dude must av been bribed, dats y he's so aggressively pursuing an increase, or his company is one of d upstarts, na so naija things dey. They should remove him, he obviously no longer represents us.

exacly what i tought. but i did not add it to my article so i wont be too foward

It's as simple as this
AN INCREASE IN DATA PRICE... LEADS TO
AN INCREASE IN RETURNS TO NCC
AN INCREASE IN SALARY OF NCC STAFF
AN INCREASE IN THE SIDE MONEY IN NCCS CHAIRMAN'S POCKET.

Most of these men controlling the affairs of this country, got their so called degree/certificates through proxy.One need not blame their ignorance when they give their speech.

kenonze:


Am sure u didn't even read it

I read every word my dear..... trust me Nice vintage phone you using on your profile pic. Im guessing its a Motorola Acompli?

While it is no longer news that the NCC have suspended Telcos to up Data tariff, what most people don't know is that the owners of ntel are those behind this illogical and insane move by the NCC.

These highly powerful and influntial owners (chief amongst them is TY Danjuma) foolishly bought Nitel/mtel's overpriced and impaired asset with a strategy of penetrating the already saturated market with the introduction of the 4G broadband into the country at a 'perceived' reasonable price, but had fail to do their homework in terms of market research thoroughly.

We are all aware of how things have played out since they launched, especially how the 'big 4' Telcos have been responding by rolling out their own 4G services at about the same tariff obtainable with the 3G.

Why the NCC is insisting on making over 160million Nigerians pay for the foolishness of the less than 20 or so buyers of overvalued mtel is beyond sane reasoning.

What did NCC do when Swift lost its 3G market share a few years back? The same way Spectranet did some months ago when they raised their tariff? Why is It now that ntel is in the mix that they have decided to take any action.

These wicked souls are pressurizing the NCC to make them act in their favor just so they can get some chunk of the market and ultimately have their own share of the money spinning Telecoms industry.

In normal climes, where the laws of Economics hold, if a new entrant wants to penetrate an already saturated and matured market, they would have to offer their product or service at a rate below the current market rate (the same way Glo, Airtel and etisalat did) or offer a somewhat novel product or service your would-be competitors doesn't and can't offer. But then, this is Nigeria, Nigeria where anything can happen, Nigeria that continuously breaks all laws of Economics, where the 'Nigerian factor' is supreme, Nigeria where a new entrant wishes to dictate the price of product and services at the expense of consumers.

Nigerians shldn't allow this to happen....modified from an earlier thread

Ghana must go head of MDA.. Buhari and him family wan finish people

There is what we call multifirm monopoly, which is what d telecommunication industry. This is because all the networks have routinely lockd down the market. That is why they set uniform prices for their data nd call services and the likes of spectranet and smile cant penetrate the market

how many companies will want to merge with another and get ripped off at the end of the day? competition na all man for hinself

But dt was 11 Gbosa nw, nt 10

uruba23:


10 Gbosa for you Gbosa Gbosa Gbosa Gbosa Gbosa Gbosa Gbosa Gbosa Gbosa GbosaGbosa

If Oga Jim Ovia can sell off Visaphone to MTN biko wetin stop Dozie from selling off Swift to MTN after all na e papa bring them come Nigeria.
NCC should face reality the market dynamics have change and the same goes for all the telcos.I can imagine what would have happened if Facebook satellite was allowed to sail, all the telco for don bankrupt.

I join my voice with that of the OP. as a Telecomms Engr, the role of NCC apart from regulating spectrum usage is to protect consumer interest. #saynotodatapicefloor

googlepikins:
Mallams have taken over our ICT industry. Nigerians ntooor

y are u so obsesses with buhari, no go kill yourself Oo, d man don't know if u are alive or dead

PhonePlanet:


he did not outrightly say "ban whatsapp" he said "take action like the one taken in UAE" which is UAE banned whatsapp and others.

I have a friend who resides i Dubai and we chat via Whatsapp...i wonder how that is possible when it has been banned there or is Dubai no longer under the UAE?

If the NCC is really concerned about monopoly, they should address DSTV!
Let DSTV sell premier league TV rights to other small cable TV networks.

You killed it op. Well articulated, NCC is against the masses. A prof giving lame excuse. How can he compare the time of NITEl with what we have now? Gosh!

Decryptor:


I have a friend who resides i Dubai and we chat via Whatsapp...i wonder how that is possible when it has been banned there or is Dubai no longer under the UAE?

vpn

PhonePlanet:
So yesterday I read about all NCC had to say on the issue of introducing a price floor. And I have some comments to make

"The regulatory commission said that it feared that the price war could eventually lead to a monopoly in the telecom industry that would force small operators to shut down.
It said that monopoly in the telecom sector could also push the country back to the days of NITEL to the detriment of small operators in the sector.
The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Professor Umar Dambatta stated this when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Communications."

Well, Professor Dambatta kept mentioning NITEL in his statement, which I believe is a wrong example to make reference to because "in the days of NITEL" there was just one telecommunications company which is NITEL, no competitors, no rivals, no other company offering telecommunications services, and NITEL was owned by the Nigerian Government. But right now we have so many private telecommunications companies, and out of these many, we have four(4) major companies not one. Therefore I do not see how this might lead to monopoly, I don't think the four major telecommunications companies we have would allow one pass the other, which is not equal to monopoly. Unless Professor Dambatta has a different definition of monopoly that is not - (economics) a market in which there are many buyers but only one seller.

Then on the aspect of forcing smaller telecommunications companies to close or shut down. First I would start with what one of my friend said. He believes in the statement - "if you can't beat them, join them". He believes that if smaller or new entry telecommunications companies can't find a way to survive in the market, then they should merge with the bigger companies to provide better services. I once met Audu Maikori in an event and he made emphasis of the need for partnership and collaboration. He said everybody wants to be the head and alone, when if we collaborate, we could achieve greater things. What if we don’t need eight telecommunications companies, what if we just need working four? If these companies could merge they could give us that! Better services, less worries.

I on the other hand thinks that if any company should shut down, it is completely their fault and not the fault of major telecommunications companies. This is not the first time we have seen companies shut down due to pressure from the Market, but to blame a bigger company is wrong. A company can only shut down due to its own mistakes or wrong tactics/market strategy, that is if it had one. For a startup company, the board/team/management are suppose to have a break through plan, enough capital and focus to become as big as any other company in the market. I believe non of these startup telecommunications in Nigeria have one and are now seeking the help of the government to survive? This scenario is like asking a teacher to intentionally fail a student so you who did not read can be on the same level with the brilliant student. Of course it is possible that these companies might have tried their best to gain market share, but Etisalat Nigeria tried to do the same thing in 2008, they slashed all the prices each telecommunications was offering at that time and sold out sim card almost free, even existing telecommunications giants could not keep up, it was a decision, strategy and sacrifice they had to make that got them to where they are today. Ironically Etisalat Nigeria now offers the most expensive service amongst the four telecommunications, but has already built their brand well enough to have a deserving part of the market. Which of these startup companies are able to do this? NON! So I believe they should go back and re-strategize instead of depending on the government introduce a price floor limiting the major operators.

I am still not in support in introducing a price floor. If NCC fills there is still a need for it, the best they can do is stop these big companies from taking their prices below what they offer right now. I wonder if NCC is supposed protect these small companies or we the consumers? Because their actions of protecting these companies is at our own expense. I look at all NCC reasons as excuse including the one they stated that consumers asked for the price floor to be introduced, when clearly there is a petition which five thousand people have signed against it. It makes me feel there are hidden stories, agenda and personal gains to all of this. Price flooring is suppose to be in the advatage of the consumer, Plus the idea of price floor has not had a good reputation in countries that it was implemented. "A price floor hurts society more than it helps. It may help farmers or the few workers that get to work for minimum wage, but it only helps those people by hurting everyone else" according to http://economics.fundamentalfinance.com/micro_price-floor.php . In this case it helps a few CEO's and hurts the general public. This cannot be acceptable.

That is all I have to say to NCC.

In addition to this post, I also have a comment to make on The Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of MTN Nigeria, Mr. Ferdinand Moolman statement for the federal government to ban WhatsApp and other social services that offer call and text.

“the depletion of operator revenues by unlicensed providers of “over-the-top” telecoms services who do not have any physical presence; nor pay any taxes; nor make any significant contribution to employment or other socio-economic objectives of government in Nigeria.”

Mentioning WhatsApp, Viber and the likes, the MTN boss pointed out that these companies were eroding gains of Nigeria’s telecom companies and asked Nigeria to take action like the United Arab Emirates did.


All I see in this man statement is GREED! I think what he said is completely absurd. What he actually meant by this statement is that he is not making as much money as he used to because of WhatsApp and others, and therefore using the excuse of non physical presence, and no taxes etc to buy out the government. This is purley based on selfish interest. This scenario is like asking the government to ban cars because you as a bicycle seller don’t make much money anymore, and stating excuses like cars produce harmful gases to the environment just to win the heart of the government. Someone should tell this man that TECHNOLOGY HAS PROGRESSED!!! If he is pained by the production of cars, he should probably dump bicycles and start producing cars too. Maybe turn MTN into an APP making company or buy WhatsApp or Viber. You can't hold back technology because you don't make enough money. In fact this means you care about money more than you care about technology, and as the CEO of MTN? that is just too sad. You sir are supposed to be in a bank! Not an IT company. Then you went ahead to say like united Arab emirates? How long would this country continue to copy other countries simply because they are more developed? We should be able to decide which steps we take and which we don't. We should only look out for developed countries for solutions to major problems we encounter like how to come out of recession. Not follow every foot step and implement something simply because it was done in UAE or USA or Europe. Please stop! Finally saying that these apps do not make any significant contribution to employment or other socio-economic objectives of government in Nigeria is wrong. Directly it might not, but indirectly it does in every way. To point out a few, making call over WhatsApp is relatively less expensive than traditional phone call. Yes it means less money for you (even if you make money from data) but it means we as citizen would be able to save more on phone calls which would make us have more money to improve our standard of living and businesses which would have positive impact on the economy. Taking for example a typical venture owner who spend a lot on phone calls would save alot if he has to buy only data. On a long run, that savings from phone calls could be used to expand his venture which would lead to more people being employed and growth on the nation economy which is in contrary to Mr. Ferdinand statement. So please don’t think of it. Neither should the Nigerian Government consider it unless again it in support of a company over it's citizens.

That is all I have to say. I am in no way an expert and therefore all I've written here is in my opinion. Please feel free to contact me in any area you feel I am wrong.

Fine piece by all standard. Can I publish it in our Newspaper for a greater impact?

Well stated OP,you made valid points.