Chinese, Chinese everywhere
An idea occurred to Iortema while he prepared for this trip: he would have to purchase the Chinese lanterns and torchlights which use batteries. Iortema planned that he would purchase two sets so that he could leave a set for his mother in the village. Iortema did his purchases. As he arrived his village that […]
An idea occurred to Iortema while he prepared for this trip: he would have to purchase the Chinese lanterns and torchlights which use batteries. Iortema planned that he would purchase two sets so that he could leave a set for his mother in the village.
Iortema did his purchases. As he arrived his village that evening he was surprised. In his family house, there were about four Chinese lanterns, some bright and some barely illuminating the environment. When Iortema entered his room, he saw three other torchlights which were no longer in use. A thought occurred to him: the Chinese have successfully invaded Nigeria.
All over the country, from the big cities to the depopulated rural areas, Chinese products are in use, altering even the culture of the people. There are Chinese lighting system, Chinese radios, Chinese handsets, Chinese television, computers, generators, name them. To cap it up, there is China town in Lagos, the commercial nerve-centre of the country. Today, the Chinese presence in the country is visible in all sectors and it is fast choking the local manufacturing sector. From modern technology to fast food, children accessories, merchandise, wholesale, retail trade and even oil and gas, the Chinese have found a fertile ground for their interest in Nigeria. It is becoming increasingly difficult for Nigerians not to think China.
The impression that goes hand-in-hand with Chinese product is that they are not genuine. Many of these products die prematurely, an indication that whatever a Nigerian spent to purchase the products is actually a waste. For instance, fake mobile handsets have been dubbed Chinko, in derision of their country of origin. Over time, however, the word has become the sobriquet for all other brands of popular cheap and inferior made-in-China phones on offer in the Nigerian market. The phones come in various shapes and sizes, enabled with tantalizing and enchanting multimedia features which make them difficult to resist. The well-embraced range include N788, N98, S998, N85i, X550, T86i, N76, N818, N3000+, N81, N68, N83, C101, N200+ D8, N2008, N100 and N95. Others come with different brand names like Teckno, Alpha and Nobia.
Perhaps, one amazing feature that attracts Nigerians to these brands is the mouth-watering features which these phones possess. For instance, an N76 China phone, which sells for N12,000, is loaded with camera, video, voice recording, browsing facilities, Bluetooth, infrared, a stylus pen, MP3 and MP4, among several other properties. Other brands such as Teckno and Alpha brands with the same features go for as little as N6,000. While the original Nokia N76, loaded with not up to a half of the above features goes for N38, 000.
In a chat with this medium, George Osula, who uses one of the made-in-China handsets explained that he patronized the products because of their affordability.“It is not everybody who can afford to buy phones of N20,000 and more. So those of us who do not fall into that category simply go for Chinese phones, which are cheaper.”
In spite of their cheap rates, they are grossly substandard.
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