Nigerians Accused NCC Of Conniving With MTN To Defraud Customers As Services Drop

 

While the telecom industry has witnessed a tremendous growth in over 13 years of existence in Nigeria, this growth has come with a price.

Quality of services is detoriating on a daily basis and it seems the regulating authority, the Nigerian Communications Commission seems handicapped on what to do.

In the past three weeks, the service of the Nigeria’s biggest GSM Company has detoriated so much that the complaint of Nigerians goes unheeded.

Several Nigerians who spoke to CKN Nigeria stated that apart from finding it difficult to load their credits on the MTN platform..Even with airtime, they can hardly make calls.

Also they established that even with airtime as much as N500, when they make calls, the calls were terminated because MTN says they don’t have enough credit for such calls.

A customer of MTN,Chidi Nnaji said in the past two weeks he cannot make any call through the MTN network once his credit is below N500.

Mariam Musa, who spoke from Lokoja ,Kogi State said she has not been able to load her phone in the past three weeks, while Tekina Robert speaking from Etche in River State said, his business has collapsed due to MTN inefficiency.

According to him, many people who called his MTN lines always complain to him that his phones were switched which according to him never happened.

He lamented that Nigeria telecom subscribers are unduly treated by the GSM companies.

Another respondent, Taiwo Rasaq from Lagos, laid the whole blame on the NCC and the Consumers Protection Agencies for the shoddy treatment meted out to Nigerians.

He is of the opinion that, the government agencies have not lived up to expectations in protecting the rights of the consumers.

Our attempt to speak with key MTN management staff were unsuccessful .All text messages sent to the Director,Public Affairs NCC,Mr Tony Ojobo on this were unreplied

Time to port!!

Read More »

Corporate Portraits Of White Women With Black Hairstyles

It almost sounds like the opening line to a joke: A young black woman takes a bunch of middle-aged white women who she doesn’t know in Woodstock, N.Y., to a black salon, gives them a new “black” hairdo, and then takes their portrait. Although photographer Endia Beal laughs freely while discussing “Can I Touch It?” the point of the series that she worked on this summer during a five-week residency with the Center for Photography at Woodstock isn’t about getting laughs. The rules were simple: After getting their new styles, the women had to agree to be photographed in a traditional corporate portrait, even if they weren’t happy with the result. Beal decided not to give the women an option of choosing a style. “I said, ‘I am going to give you a black hairstyle,’ and they were like, ‘You’re going to give me cornrows?’ ” Beal recalled of her conversations with her subjects. “And I said, ‘No, we’re going to do finger waves.’ ‘Finger waves? What’s that? You mean from the ’20s?’ And I said, ‘These are a little bit different type of finger waves!’ ” Beal specifically chose women who were at least in their 40s, but she tried mostly for baby boomers. “I wanted people that had a certain idea of what you’re supposed to look like in the workspace, because it would be a challenge for them to understand what I experienced in that space,” she said. “And to a degree, many young white women have shared that experience, but for older white women it’s an experience they haven’t necessarily had.” Although the project has a quirky sense of humor, Beal is an artist looking to open a dialogue among people of different gender, race, and generations about the ways in which we express ourselves, specifically in a corporate environment. Some of these ideas first came to Beal while she was interning in the IT department at Yale while she was there getting her M.F.A. in photography. Beal is tall and black, and at the time she was sporting a large red afro that stood out among her colleagues, who were mostly shorter white males. One colleague told her about a rumor circulating around the office that many of the men were curious about her hair and wanted to touch it. Being an artist and not wanting to shy away from her afro—or what Beal called “the elephant in the room”—she asked the men to not only touch her hair but to really pull it. She then recorded them a week later on video talking about what was for many of the men a new experience. “I wanted to allow someone to feel something different, to experience something they never had before, and through that experience, they felt uncomfortable,” Beal said. “And then to talk about it kind of amplifies that feeling.” Beal knew showing up in a corporate environment with a nonconformist hairstyle might mean she’d have to overcome obstacles, but she didn’t feel that burden should be entirely up to her. Creating an art project seemed a perfect way to bridge the gap. Many of the women Beal included in the project said they felt excited simply to learn about new products and styles and to be able to ask questions without feeling inappropriate. Beal said the project is all about taking a risk, stepping out of your comfort zone, and trying out a new experience. Beal has also included women in North Carolina in the series and is currently there for a year after receiving a grant to continue her work. She is considering having the women enter their workplace while wearing the new hairstyle, and she is working on a video of the women talking about their experiences. Beal said many of the women she took to the salon took pictures of their new hairstyle on their smartphones and posted pictures on Facebook. Almost all of them embraced Beal after the portraits were taken, saying they were excited to have experienced something new. “Some of them wanted to wear [their hairstyles] out, and some wanted to go home,” Beal said. “Many of them said, ‘I can’t wait to get home and show my husband!’ ” what do you all think?

Read More »

Why Women Should Be Financially Independent.

 

Being financially independent is excellent for everyone.
Each of us, can make a small or big effort to earn money and stand on our own feet. The benefits go beyond the economic reasons. It is good for women and the whole society.
Some of these benefits include:

1. Financially independent women take their own decisions.
When women are dependent upon others for money, they might need to take permission from them. Some women
might be happy to do that while others need to be more independent and take their own decisions.

2. Financially independent women are good financial backups for family.
In times of financial crisis, when many people lose jobs, it is good when both partners are earning income. When
one loses job, other still has income to support the family and fill the gap. In terms of health, if one partner is sick, he or she can take time off and take good rest and recover properly. Finally, in case of unexpected death of family
member, the other person can still handle the family expenses.

3. Financially independent women contribute financially to the family.
When the inflation is up, prices are skyrocketing, if both partners are working, it is easier to own a home and meet family expenses.

4. Financially independent women contribute financially to the society and economy.
When women earn money, they can be financially givers to society. They can give to charities and help in social causes. They also boost country's economy and GDP by earning actively.

5. Financially independent women motivate children to stand on their own feet.
When children see that mother is earning money, they are motivated to stand on their own feet. They see good work ethic in their own home and want to follow it.

6. Financially independent women can follow their dreams.
We all dream but sometimes when we don't have money, we need to adjust to what we have and be content. Women who earn money tend to follow their dreams which could be a social cause or a big car.

7. Personal independence boosts your confidence
Independent people naturally tend to be a little more confident on handling issues affecting their lives. This is mainly because they are more prepared to take actions and do things without having to wait for support or permission from someone else. Being independent therefore means that you will be more likely to try out new things that you want, rather than what or how you are expected to. This also means that you will have more experience than a less
independent individual. This will in time build up more confidence in you with the knowledge
that you can do things on your own. For entrepreneurs, this confidence opens yourmind to taking bigger risks and unbeaten paths that eventually returns bigger rewards.

8. Personal improvement and creativity
Having a free and independent mind gives you
freedom to explore your skills and talents and will ultimately bring out the best in you.

9. Self-value and self-esteem
Independence can help increase your self- value and self-esteem, more so if becoming independent is one of your goals. The achievement of financial, emotional, social, career and personal independence gives you a sense of accomplishment that eventually changes how you rate yourself and how others view you.
The increased self-worth that comes with this independence is a great booster to your self-esteem and personal success.

Read More »

Another Transporter,GUO Motors Boss Escape Assassins Bullets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weeks after the owners of Young Shall Grow Transport escaped the assassins bullets in Lagos, another transporter and owner of GUO Motors, Chief  GUO Okeke on Tuesday evening escaped death by the whiskers when gunmen suspected to be hired assassins attacked his car.

It was gathered that the gunmen, numbering four, in a bid to get rid of Okeke who has been on the hem of security in Anambra, ambushed one of  his private cars at his residence in Onitsha but unfortunately found out that the man was not  in the car.

Speaking on the incident Chief Okeke said that the attack happened at about 6.45pm yesterday . His driver, who was sent on an errand with the car was attacked on his way back by a group of gunmen in a Siena car, who trailed him to the GRA gate II and opened fire on the vehicle.

“We began to hear terrifying gun shots in front of the gate, the assailants trailed the car, thinking I was inside. They first opened fire at the windscreen, directing it to the front seat where they thought a security man was sitting, they shattered the windscreen, shot at the driver but bullets miraculously missed his fore head but scratched through his head and the bullets also hit his hand. They also shattered the tyres of the vehicle and riddled the whole vehicle with over 60 bullets. The scanario lasted for about five minutes.

The assailants came purposely to eliminate me because within the last few months, I have been receiving threats from various criminal gangs, ordering me to leave Onitsha and Anambra State,” he said.

He further expressed fear that the assailants may be the same gang of assassins that specialised in assassinating and kidnapping people in Anambra State especially within  the commercial city of Onitsha, adding that they may be responsible for the assassination of one Emeka at Awka road, Onitsha early last month.

The Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, (DSP) Emeka Chukwuemeka confirmed the incident and said that the command has spread its dragnet to arrest the fleeing members of the gang while calling on the residents of the area to give police necessary information that could lead to their arrest.

Read More »

How Prof Filani Died Watching Super Eagles/Ethiopa's Match

 

An Emeritus Professor of Transport Planning and Development, Michael Filani, died on Sunday while watching the Nigeria/Ethiopia World Cup qualifying match.

The deceased, who was a former deputy vice-chancellor of the University of Ibadan (UI), slumped and died while watching the match at his Oluyole Extension home in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. He hailed from Ikole-Ekiti.His death was received with shock by the university community yesterday. Many people said he was agile and radiant at his last public outing.

The late Filani had 32 years of experience in teaching and research.In the last 37 years, he served in various capacities within and outside U.I.

Read More »