By Emmanuel Elebeke
It is possible for Nigeria Cyber Café industry  to blossom again and become a hot bed for entrepreneurs,  the President  of Nigeria Internet Group (NIG), Engr. Lanre Ajayi has said.

He said could be achieved only when the operators are focused, dedicated, and  prepared to bring to bear the needed professionalism and innovative skills into the business, without necessarily succumbing to the obvious infrastrutural challenges facing the industry.
Ajayi who stated this in Lagos admitted that the industry is currently going through a lot of challenges but submitted that the problem can be surmounted with the right attitude.

Apart from job creation, the Cyber Café industry when fully comes on stream will enhance e-gorvernance which is about to take the centre stage in all human activity both in  private and public domain.

Ajayi who spoke while delivering a key note address at the  one day survival workshop and mini exhibition, organized by Media Mart limited in Lagos, with the theme “ Scarcity Verses Cost-taking; The Broadband Challenges. Practical Solutions to all Cyber Café and SME Internet Challenges”  said  the survival of Cyber Café business in a challenging terrain like  Nigeria requires people who are bold and  deterbrake even because VOIP was functioning but with evolution of telecom, VOIP declined. To ensure continued sustenance of the industry, he said only a change of approach by the operators will do the magic of saving the ailing industry  from possible collapse.

According to him, changing of  tactics  by the operators had become necessary in view of the  dynamics inherent in running Cyber Café business in the modern day business, more especially as it concerns emerging technologies.

This is even as he revealed that demand for internet services had started increasing, this is in addition to   adoption of online payment in the government establishments across the country in line with the global best practices.

This according to him underscores the need for evolution of Cyber business in Nigeria, built on strong business ideals and professional competence. He cited the recent adoption of e-registration  by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and  the  directives issued by  the federal government to its parastatals on adoption of  e-payment formular, a situation he said bears credence to expected possibilities in the industry, a development he was optimistic could spark  of a quantum jump in the number of Cyber Cafes operating in Nigeria, if diligently adhered to.

“Today, there are more awareness than before about online transactions. Demand for internet services is climbing, and government businesses very soon will move up to online, and whether they like it or not, it is coming to stay. The recent commencement of e-registration by WAEC and the recent directives from the federal government to its parastatals on the  adoption of  e-payment system are clear indicators of what will happen soon in the industry. When this happens, I’m sure  will give rise to a quantum jump to the number of Cyber Café in the country as against what  we have today.

“I’m sure they are  possibilities, by that time  the operators of Cyber Café will have no choice than to go back to business. Every business  needs to go online now because e-business encourages 24 hours operation in a week.  It also reduces a lot of bottlenecks, as well as inconveniences associated with traditional business. In fact, I can see some prospects for Cyber  industry and I have no iota of doubt in me about the future of the industry, ” Ajayi averred.

At the workshop, different presentations were made by  industry experts including: Chief Executive Officer of Junisat Communications, Engr. Gbenga Ojuri, who spoke on the theme “Bandwidth Myths and Reality”.

According to Ojuri,  the problem with Nigeria Cyber business lies with limited bandwidth access by the operators, and posited  that  no bandwidth could be said to be infinite anywhere in the world. He said  the only way  to maximize the available