BusinessDay 05 Apr 2018

Thursday 05 April 2018
C002D5556
BUSINESS DAY
23
Male gender records highest
purchase of mobile phone in 2017
… As Nigeria is fingered for increase phone theft in UK
MICHEAL ANI AND
DAVID IBEMERE
The male gender,
recorded the
highest buyers of
mobile phones in
2017, data from
an annual mobile report by
Jumia, one of Nigeria’s biggest
e-commerce sellers in the
country shows.
According to the report,
males accounted for 63 percent
of the total number of
mobile phones that was sold
in the country, under the
period under review while
female purchases accounted
for about 37 percent of
phones sold.
“It is not surprising that
there were more male than female
mobile phone shoppers
in 2017” says Juliet Anammah
CEO, Jumia Nigeria said.
In many low and middleincome
markets like Nigeria
& Africa, male mobile
ownership is approaching
saturation, particularly in
urban areas.
“This means that women
represent the vast majority of
the untapped mobile market.
Even among mobile owners,
there is a gender gap in usage
that widens for more transformational,
typically higher
revenue services, especially
mobile internet,”
“There is a commercial
opportunity for closing the
gender gap. The mobile
phones category still remains
the highest selling category
on Jumia” Anammah said.
The number of mobile
subscribers grew astronomically
in 2017 and its penetration
increased to 84 percent
in comparison with 53 percent
in 2016. The availability
of lower price points’ phones
has paved way for more Nigerians
to own mobile phones.
With an increase in the
number of affordable phones
entering the Nigerian market
and looking at the trajectory
of growth between 2016 &
2017 (31 percent growth yearon-year),
there is a strong
indication that by the end of
2018, there might be a 100
percent penetration of mobile
subscriptions.
The report also revealed
that Lagos state took the lead
by accounting for 25 percent
of the Number of mobile
devices that was sold in the
country last year, Abuja coming
in second accounting for
10 percent followed by Edo
with 7 percent, and the rest
of the states added together,
accounted for 58 percent of
the sales made.
“Increasing disposable
income is responsible for in-
crease in smartphone adoption,”
Anammah concluded.
Meanwhile, a UK media
investigation has blamed
the rise in phone theft in the
country to Nigeria.
According to the report
which was published on
Tuesday, revealed popular
computer village in Ikeja, as
being the receiving market
where the UK stolen phones
are sold.
“Between June 2016 and
2017, UK Metropolitan police
reportedly recorded 16,158
phone crimes related to mopeds,
three times more than
the previous year’s record,”
the report revealed.
Explaining further the report
added that most which
were sold in bulk to middle
men was latter ship to eastern
Europe to be stripped
of private information and
reconditioned before they are
then moved on for sale — with
Nigeria, Algeria and India the
main markets targets.
At the popular Lagos market
for phones and computers,
the report says iPhones
are on sale for £560 a price
which is £310 cheaper than
the authorised price.
However, Computer Village
phone traders reportedly
questioned during the
investigation insisted their
merchandise was from reputable
sources.
A seller at Emeka Michael
EB International Shop was
quoted to have said: “Most of
our phones are London used.”
The report further claims
that the stolen phones business
is booming in Nigeria
because the Nigerian government
has not signed up to
a deal prohibiting the sales
of stolen phones across the
world.
“Countries across Europe,
the US and South America
have signed a deal to effectively
blacklist stolen devices
which gives each phone a
unique number which is added
to a global database when
it is reported stolen — making
it useless in those nations who
are part of the agreement.
“But Nigeria is yet to sign
up. And a mobile industry
source said: “By staying off
the blacklist they are creating
the market for stolen mobile
phones.
If all nations stood together,
a mobile would be
useless once reported stolen.
But countries like Nigeria
are effectively inviting illicit
imports.
“A combination of corrupt
officials, unscrupulous
businesses and a booming demand
for Western technology
makes Nigeria an ideal place
for handlers to send stolen
handsets.”
Living under poverty line
How Nigerians are struggling to survive
If you want to contact the writer of this story call: +234(0) 803 889 1567, +234(0)
8155184838 chinwe.agbeze@businessdayonline.com
Patient in dire need of funds to complete radiotherapy
Name: Joseph Ogbeh
State of Origin: Cross
River State
Dependents: Wife and
four children
Occupation: I was working
as a distributor before
I was diagnosed of cancer
which has gulped all my
saving leaving me bankrupted.
I had this lump on my
neck that appeared and
disappeared. I was in Port
Harcourt then, so, I went
to University of Port Harcourt
Teaching Hospital,
UPTH in 2015 and
after spending so much
money, I was referred to
Federal Medical Centre,
Bayelsa. When the hospital
embarked on strike, a
consultant in the hospital
advised me to go to National
Hospital, Abuja for
radiotherapy.
I got to National Hospital
Abuja and did all the tests
I had done before. I paid
N90,000 to use the machine
but after using the machine
for three days, the machine
broke down and I was told to
go home. I started vomiting
blood at home and was taken
back to hospital where
I was given four courses of
chemotherapy at N163,000
per course and another four
courses of chemotherapy
when I started vomiting
blood again some months
later.
When the hospital got
a new machine in December
2017, I went back to
complete my radiotherapy
but was told the cost had
gone up to N300,000. By
this time, I had everything
I had apart from my new
refrigerator I bought for
N175,000. I traveled home
and was able to sell the
fridge for N75,000. I told
them at the hospital that i
was expecting some money
and pleaded with them
to accept N160,000 which
was all I had and they did.
Now, they are threatening
to stop my treatment
if I don’t balance up. I
have sold all my property
including my bus and my
wife sold her wrappers and
jewelries to pay my bills
while I was on admission.
House rent: My rent expired
while I was taking chemotherapy
last year and my
landlord sent my wife and
children packing. A friend
of mine volunteered to offer
them shelter and he did but
his landlord said my wife
and children should leave
because the occupants in
my friend’s house are too
much.
School fees: My children
have not been in
school for two years now
because I could not afford
to pay their school fees
and my wife does not have
a job.
This sickness has dealt
with me but I’m pained that
my innocent children had to
quit school. I want to send
them back to school and
get a place for us to stay but
I cannot do that if I’m still
in this condition. I appeal
to benevolent Nigerians
to help me with funds to
complete my radiotherapy
treatment.
Analysts: Chinwe Agbeze, Stephen Onyekwelu, David Ibemere, Graphics: Fifen Famous