By Nnamdi Ojiego

Ciri Monigod is the CEO of Mountain Computers Limited, an indigenous computer manufacturing firm. In this interview, he spoke of the level of computer advancement in the country, the health implications of used computers, as well as the business environment which he described as frustrating. He also spoke on government’s inability to provide an enabling environment for businesses to thrive, among others. Excerpts:

How do you see the level of computer literacy in Nigeria?

Monigod,CEO Mountain Computers

The problem has always been there. Most people are not aware of the essence of computers in this modern world. Many do not know what a computer is, and it has been a very big burden on the nation. The nation cannot grow the way it’s supposed to because, what really assists a nation to grow is technological advancement and this has not been achieved because a great percentage of the population is not computer literate enough to propel the needed advancement. You can even see it in the recent voters’ registration exercise that took place all over the country. Many Nigerians that were recruited to handle the machines had a hard time understanding it. It took some time for the exercise to stabilize because the INEC ad-hoc staff had to be trained all over again, some of them even on the field when they were supposed to have started registering Nigerians. This in no small way slowed down the exercise. INEC had to deploy consultants to the field, because most of the ad-hoc staff could not handle the computers by keying in the necessary information. To the best of my knowledge, computer awareness in this country is still very low because many were not even taught in schools. Most graduates don’t even know what a computer is, or the advantages it presents. It’s sad, but that is the situation.

Compared to other nations, do you think Nigeria is advancing in terms of computer usage?

If you compare Nigeria to other African countries, it may not be really fair, because most African countries are poor and cannot be compared to Nigeria in terms of resources and population. So in this sense, you can say Nigeria has an edge, but compared to the more developed nations of the world, she does not measure up. One, the kind of computers they use in those countries are yet to come here. And that’s what we try to do at Mountain Computers; we try to bring the latest technologies down to Nigeria. In the modern business world, a company that wants to stay ahead of the competition, both locally and internationally cannot afford to take half measures, or conduct its affairs with outdated technologies. The international business environment does not wait for anyone. You need to move quickly and be in tune with latest technological breakthroughs in your sector of business. Innovations, new ideas and products come with cost. It is about improvements. Innovations don’t flow into Nigeria, and that is what we have been trying to do. The business elite and corporate bodies who appreciate the innovation we are bringing into the Nigerian computer market know what it means to have this edge. Regrettably, the ordinary man on the street has nothing to do with innovations. They are not really ready for it because they are looking at how to meet their basic needs of feeding, clothing and shelter. We would like a situation where the ordinary man on the streets can have these products, not only those in the corporate world.

Some say poverty and high cost of new computers are major reasons why many Nigerians go for used IT products (tokunbo). What is your take on this?

Yes, it’s true that many people buy these tokunbos because of the cost, but it should be discouraged because of its health implications. These computers are machines and have life span. A time comes when they begin to emit toxic fumes, because of the chemicals used for the components. Overseas, they discard these things when the product has expired. But instead of throwing them away they refurbish and bring them here, because people tell them that Nigerians buy them. But there is so much danger in it. They should be banned and stopped from entering the country because of their health hazards. I don’t know why this has been allowed to take precedence in this country. Apart from food, everything else is tokunbo. If you don’t have the money to buy a brand new computer that will last for you, it’s better you keep saving for it because, it’s more costly in the long run to purchase used computers. That is why here in Mountain Computers, we make flexible payment plans for people so that they can acquire a good product and pay conveniently. Most of these tokunbo products are not from the original manufacturers. Some Nigerians put them together and label them with the names of well known brands. Some big stores also do it.

Your company operates in the international arena; how would you rate the Nigerian business environment particularly, as regards to ICT sector?

It’s very unfortunate. Here the government frustrates businesses and investors. It seems as if everybody in Nigeria has one uniform or the other. Government also gives room to all sorts of agencies and set them loose on the people and businesses. These personnel disturb businesses, create all sorts of frivolous excuses and tariffs to extort money thereby making it hard for an honest business owner or investor to conduct their trade. They make you pay all sorts of taxes, legal and illegal. And yet, government makes it easy for them to get away with such things.

Most of these agencies are duplicated. You cannot separate the function of one from the other. They are there just to extort money from those who are really trying to provide employment for people in the country. Such things frustrate business. It should not be so. Government is supposed to provide an enabling environment for businesses to thrive. There’s no encouragement from the government. Infrastructure needed for businesses to thrive are also not there. This is one country where anyone willing to do business has to provide virtually every infrastructure needed for that business. And this invariably escalates the cost of production. There is no constant power supply, which is a major problem. Roads are bad, and you can hardly make use of public water supply because it’s not there.

The only companies that are surviving in the country are those in telecommunications and the oil and gas sectors, and some of the well-grounded multinational companies. But young entrepreneurs find it difficult to operate here, except for those who operate on a hand to mouth basis, like the commercial motorcyclists, who does his task and pockets his money. But businesses where you have to employ people are being frustrated by government agencies, even when the market is not there. So except government comes in to step up their act to make the country suitable, investors cannot come here to operate.