By Denrele Animasaun

The world says: “You have needs — satisfy them. You have as much right as the rich and the mighty. Don’t hesitate to satisfy your needs; indeed, expand your needs and demand more.” This is the worldly doctrine of today. And they believe that this is freedom. The result for the rich is isolation and suicide, for the poor, envy and murder.”—Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Sim-cards

My apologies, I am not a crooner and my children will attest to that, but I know a good and meaningful lyrics when I hear one, and this particular one by Bob Dylan comes to mind and it goes like this: “The Times They Are A-changin” that best describes the sweeping changes in Nigeria to a tee; “..Then you better start swimmin’, Or you’ll sink like a stone, For the times they are a-changin’..

Come senators, congressmen, please heed the call, don’t stand in the doorway.

Don’t block up the hall, for he that gets hurt, Will be he who has stalled, there’s a battle outside ragin’, and it’ll soon shake your windows, and rattle your walls. For the times they are a-changin’

It is very apt don’t you think? and I understand that the changes are sweeping the once movers and shakers, the great and powerful and everyday brings up new revelation and arrest,so those who are guilty and had their fingers in the national pie, so they better not ask for who the bell tolls, because next time it will definitely toll for them!

MTN, Africa’s largest telecommunications operator, has been slapped with a hefty fine, although they have begged the  government for  leniency, they will still have to  cough up  $3.4 billion, and  with it they have also offered the scalp of  its CEO, its Nigerian subsidiary( who subsequently resigned). Despite what the critics have said, that it will deter foreign investors from doing business in Nigeria, I believe, yes for those investors, who may think that Nigeria is a soft touch and it will definitely send a signal to them, that if they try they will get served.

MTN has a large share in Nigeria and with 62 million subscribers before the deactivations and it makes more than one third of overall profits in Nigeria, it will not pay them if they pack up shop and go. No, there is still  money to be made in  Nigeria despite its protestations but now it has to put its operation in order because times are changing !This will send signals to those who do or  want to do business in  Nigeria, that they cannot  exploits its people and get away with it.

For the South Africa-based MTN Group, it has begun to lick its wounds and has promised “to change the way it operates and strengthen what it calls its “oversight and regulatory compliance” not only in Nigeria but across all 22 countries of its operations in Africa and the Middle East. For so long, the firm, with majority of Nigerians using its network has been milking the cash cow and was practically given a license to print money.  The Nigerian Communications Commission fined the firm for failing to deactivate 5.2 million unregistered mobile SIM cards by the August deadline.

It is known fact that unregistered SIM cards possess a national security risk and in particular, in cases where extremists often use mobile phones to detonate bombs and criminals use it for their nefarious kidnappings and armed robbery activities.

The  initial  hefty fine was much more, from $5.2 Billion ,down to  $3.4 billion fine, it  remains the heftiest  fine meted out  to any telecommunications industry to  date and also ever by a Nigerian administration and I  do  hope that they  follow it through that they pay every single cent of the  fine or face even stiffer penalty.

While they are at it, they should have reconsidered the renewal of MTN license to operate in Nigeria, and should rescind it, if they do not cough up the fine in full. The fine when it materialises, should be  put to  good use; to rebuild and create employment and it is  pertinent that the  changes are visible and used to transform the lives of ordinary Nigerians for the better.

A warning to big brands that sell  out of date food stuff in Nigeria, the country will no longer tolerate the dumping of substandard and unhygienic goods to be peddled to its people. Nigeria values its people and has set a standard of practice to operate in Nigeria and long may it continue.

No to bribery and no to greedy customs officers

“The covetous man is always in want”. – Horace

I had discussions with some of my friends about their encounters with customs officers and all described a common observations: mean, hungry looking and always extracting money off travellers with menace.  Some of them described them as vultures, who are so rotund, that the uniform they wear is groaning at the seams, with their middles struggling to break free.  Everyone that I know have their own stories of woes to tell and because they are the first port of call and  first contact or  encounter, they are a bad representative of Nigerians, in fact, an encounter with one of these miscreants, you are always guaranteed it mars your entrance to the country and sets the pace on how the rest of your journey in Nigeria will be.

With the new Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Hameed Ali, perhaps the common impression of the customs officer will be a thing of the past.  Mr Ali has declared that he would either discipline, dismiss or jail any officer found guilty of corrupt practices. That is a big declaration but a welcomed one and about time these avaricious vipers are handled and disciplined from top to bottom. This is a breath of fresh air!

And I hope for their sake, that they heed the warning as Mr. Ali is determined that things will have to change: “be of good conduct and show professionalism while carrying out their duties.” He said that his administration: “would have zero tolerance for corruption, hence the need for officers and men of the service to shun all forms of corruption. “I want to make it clear to all of you that I have zero tolerance for indiscipline and corruption. I will dismiss and jail any officer found guilty of such. “Indiscipline will no longer have a place in the NCS. We must have officers and men with impeccable character to promote the image of the service. “Anyone caught falsifying any documents or compromising with fake imported goods will also be dismissed and jailed.

“The NCS has resolved that anyone caught in an unprofessional conduct, no matter the circumstances, will be dismissed and jailed for the offence,” This is music to my ears and those who travel that there is a new sheriff in town and that he won’t stand for nonsense. We will need more Allis in other places, like the police and the civil service. I know it is a running joke in my household when I tell them that I cannot stand customs officers and their greedy and lecherous ways. If this is the sign of things to come, I will gladly change my mind and look forward to my encounter with them.

This is definitely a new broom and Mr Ali has promised that he will serve errant officers with dismissals and jail time and he is not afraid to mete out this as a deterrent to others and result in the reformation of the service.

He said that; “I am determined to undertake reforms and reorganise the service, so we can generate more revenues into the Federal Government’s coffers”.