‎By Agabi Chubiyojo Charis,

‎There is an argument that gadgets ranging from mobile phones, laptops, smart watches among other take longer to arrive Nigeria. While others have argued against, this should not be dismissed totally because arrival of cutting-edge technology is frequently hindered by complex customs protocols, logistical bottlenecks, and volatile economic conditions.

‎While the global market moves at the speed of light, the journey to a Nigerian stores is often a marathon of administrative red tape and infrastructure hurdles. From the moment a device leaves a factory floor to the second it lands in a consumer’s hands, several critical friction points dictate a timeline that is often measured in weeks rathe than days.

‎Key Reasons for Delays in Nigeria:

‎1. Customs Delays and Inspections: The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) often holds packages for physical inspections and documentation verification, a process that typically adds 3 to 10 days (or more) to the delivery window.

‎2. Logistics and Shipping Consolidation: International shippers frequently wait to consolidate enough volume to fill a cargo container or pallet. This pre-shipment sorting phase can take on an extra 3 to 4 days.

‎3. Foreign Exchange (FX) Instability: The rapid depreciation of the Naira creates a nightmare for retailers. If the exchange rate spikes between the time an order is placed and the time it hits the border, importers often face a funding gap, delaying the release of goods until additional capital is secured.

‎4. Flight and Freight Schedules: Dependence on commercial international airline schedules means that even ready-to-ship items may sit in a warehouse for 3 to 5 days awaiting the next available flight to Lagos or Abuja.

‎‎5. Port and Terminal Congestion: Once the plane touches down, the cargo enters a secondary bottleneck. Congestion at airport terminals and sorting facilities leads to significant delays in offloading and internal handling.

‎6. Dangerous Goods Requirements: Because most modern gadgets contain lithium-ion batteries, they are flagged as”Dangerous Goods.” This classification demands specialized permits, specific packaging, and restrictive airline space, all of which lengthen the transit time.

‎Excluding formal logistics, another significant factor is the prevalence of the “Gray Market” and informal shipping routes. Many high-demand gadgets enter Nigeria via individual resellers or small-scale importers who bypass official brand distributorship to avoid high corporate taxes.

‎‎While these shippers might offer lower prices, they lack the priority clearance of major tech giants like Apple or Samsung. These smaller players often rely on indirect routing, shipping items first to hubs like Dubai or the UK before forwarding them to Nigeria, which inadvertently doubles the transit time and increases the risk of the product being caught in transit backlogs.

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TECHDIGEST – The Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari has banned all commercial phone charging points in the state as part of measures to tackle the scourge of banditry.

Governor Masari issued the ban on Monday at the Katsina Government House while inaugurating the committee charged with monitoring and enforcing the recently introduced executive order in the state.

The governor believes that the latest measure, coupled with further collaborations with the Federal Ministry of Communications will drastically reduce the menace of banditry in the north-western state.

According to him, “The latest instruction that we gave out is the closure of all commercial charging points in the most affected local government areas. Commercial charging, we believe, is also an area which is helping the bandits to acquire means of communication.’’

We believe with this and further measures we are taking with the Federal Ministry of Communication will also help in restoring normalcy to our respective communities.”

Masari listed the affected local government areas as Jibia, Batsari, Safana, Danmusa, Paskari, Sabuwa, Kurfi, Danja, Kaita, Bakori, Funtua, Kankara, Musawa, Matazu, Dutsima, Mai’adua, Malumfashi and Funtua.

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TECH DIGEST – China’s primary and middle schools had introduced a ban on mobile phone use in classrooms, among wider efforts to protect pupils from internet and video game addiction.

According to a circular from the Ministry of Education (MOE) on phones on campus, primary and middle school students should not bring mobile phones into classrooms.

The MOE states that if students must have a mobile phone at school, a special request should be submitted to school authorities along with written consent from their guardians.

Once the request has been approved, students should hand in their mobile phones to relevant school authorities upon arrival.

The phones would be kept together and should by no means be allowed into classrooms, according to the circular.

Further measures would be put in place by schools to better meet students’ needs in reaching their parents over the phone while on campus. (NAN/Xinhua)

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TECH DIGEST – Users of older Android and Apple iPhone devices will be denied access to American freeware and cross-platform messaging service WhatsApp from January 1, 2021, British newspaper, the Independent is reporting.

The Independent disclosed Tuesday that the affected gadgets will be unable to support the latest WhatsApp version, prompting millions of users worldwide to upgrade their smartphones. Android devices not running at least a 4.0.3 operating system (Ice Cream Sandwich), as well as iPhones not on iOS 9 or newer, will no longer support the popular messaging app, the newspaper said.

Smartphones scheduled to be phased out of WhatsApp messenger in the new year include Apple iPhone 1-4 (which are incapable of updating to iOS 9), Samsung Galaxy S2, HTC Desire, LG Optimus Black, Motorola Droid Razr and Androids released before 2010.

Other devices that may require an update of their operating systems to access the app are iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5S, iPhone 6, iPhone 6S, Samsung Galaxy S3 and newer Samsung Galaxy Note, HTC Sensation, HTC Thunderbolt, LG Lucid, Motorola Droid 4 and Sony Xperia Pro.

Facebook-owned WhatsApp had previously withdrawn support for numerous devices in 2016, before taking it up a notch with all Windows phones in December, 2019.

The instant messaging app, which boasts of over two billion users worldwide, had hinged the move on advanced efforts to protect the security of its users.

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