Data Rates Applicable In Nigeria: DRAIN | Sayo Aluko

I fell for it, again.

It happened to me sometime ago pertaining petrol usage, some few months after pump prices hiked.

You know that sudden stirring feeling that presses you to pause, and then asks you to think about something.

That yeye temptation-laden voice that says something like, “Guy, wait o. Do you even know how much you spend on petrol per month? All those small small money? Calculate it.”

I fell for it then, I calculated, and got sad for like 4 and half days. No, 6.

Ignorance is bliss, Ignorance is bliss, so I was taught. But mumu me, I’ve fallen for it again, this time on my data usage.

Just know I’m shedding hot Ijesha tears right now.

If you are mèkúnù [common man] like me, you won’t believe how much I’ve spent on buying mobile Data bundle in the past 2 months, and you’d understand my tears.

Psst…Don’t be like me o! Don’t calculate yours unless you have some sadness you are not using. I dey tell you, ignorance is bliss.

No jokes though, there’s something wrong with Data Rates Applicable In Nigeria. Beyond my coinage, it is actually becoming a super story of DRAIN, and even ‘big boys’ are now joining us to complain.

Data has suddenly become an implacable god our pockets worship.

This fact that people have been complaining about it for long shows it’s not just normal anymore.

There’s either a deliberate, cabal-backed conspiracy to rob Nigerians dry unsuspectingly, or that these network providers are just together in a racy relay of greed.

THEM: You have now successfully subscribed to 11Gb monthly data.

MONTHLY o!

But two sleeps later, you wake up to:

‘Dear Subscriber, you now have 20% of your data remaining’

And you just be like, ‘Haaaa!!! HOOOOOW! How nitori Olorun!!!? Did I Skype God? 20 pahsent ke? Now now?’

It’s not always funny.

Getting value from data subscription in Nigeria is now akin to finding pearl in pig’s poo, and it is hightime something is done to fix it.

The WiFi guys, e.g Spectranet and Co, are a bit better compared to the MTN, Airtel and slow Glo, but their pocket-friendly bundles are similarly featherweight in value.

I know we have the Nigerian Communications Commission [NCC]; we also have the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission [FCCPC] currently headed by Kogi’s Babatunde Irukera. I believe these two agencies have statutory powers to protect the rights of the Nigerian service user and consumer, NCC especially in this case.

And, the fact that consumers have been on a spree of complaints is enough cue for them to act, at least, investigate, make a check, and let’s know wassup. This DRAIN is much. This valuelessness is too steep to just keep quiet.

I’m sure no Nigerian is asking for oshofree data, what we simply want is value for money spent.

NCC, FCCPC, abeg, check and fix this, ‘cos our papas nor be Dangotes….but even if, value.

Right?