It was 11:45 AM on another Monday. I had a very important meeting scheduled for 12 noon. I booted up my PC, adjusted my MTN MiFi in the best position I could find, and hoped for a smooth connection from service provider.
The network connection was incredibly terrible. I clicked “Join Meeting” on the Zoom link, but nothing happened. A second attempt, then a third and fourth, all met with the same frustrating delay: the “connecting notification” on the Zoom app spun endlessly. My frustration mounted with each passing minute.
It was now 12:05 PM, and I was already running late. I tried calling the host on a regular voice call to let him know about my connection problem, but the call wouldn’t go through—”call failed to connect,” it said. I tried using a hotspot from my mobile data. It didn’t work.
I had been through this countless times. The unreliable network has only gotten worse in recent weeks. I tried to connect to my Airtel MiFi. It was worse. After another failed attempt to connect, I had to give up. My scheduled role in the meeting was unfulfilled. Plans cancelled.
This was not the first time I had faced such setbacks, and I have, sadly, learnt to accept it. The network drama tends to occur most during important moments.
I switched off my laptop and slept with frustration. Then I woke up an hour later; navigated to X (formerly Twitter) after noticing a fair signal on my phone, and saw a news link that further amplified my frustration.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) had approved a hike in call, SMS, and data tariffs by up to 50%. I patiently read through to find out the reason for the hike. But I didn’t find what I thought was the reason, or what should ordinarily be the major reason. The telecom companies are not increasing prices because of excellent service delivery to be expected. They are not increasing it to improve their communication infrastructure to boost network service.
I was left wondering when we would get the network services we desperately need in Nigeria to make communications easy. Why have the NCC and the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy allowed these conditions to persist, year after year, with no improvement in service quality? Despite the tariffs increasing, the fundamental problem remained persistent.
In Abuja, where one would expect some semblance of technological advancement as the nations capital, 5G networks are either unavailable or barely functional. 4G networks flicker like a naked candle. Download speeds barely managed 50 kbps during the day and 125 kbps at night, and these are days when the connection does not drop completely. Even in the heart of the city, where such networks are supposed to shine, the reality is different. We cannot have an excellent network service, but we are expected to pay high tariffs.
The NCC and Communications Ministry have done nothing to address the issue of network stability. No one seemed to care about the poor service that always leaves millions of Nigerians in a perpetual state of connectivity limbo.
The NCC gave the telecom operators the go-ahead to raise these charges without pushing for meaningful improvements in network infrastructure. If the service quality cannot support these new tariffs, then what exactly are Nigerians paying for?
How do people whose jobs rely steadily on online communications cope? How many other Nigerians are experiencing the same frustration daily? How many have lost vital work opportunities, or worse, the ability to simply communicate with family and friends due to these perpetual unpredictable network conditions?
As usual, the burden of these increases would be borne by ordinary Nigerians, who are already struggling with the repercussions of a faltering economy.
It was just another day, with another system failure, to compound the growing list of frustrations.
Nigerians are now left with the option of complaining again and again, expending emotional energy, then ultimately resigning to the status quo—adjusting to another layer of systemic frustration. We will grumble on social media, discuss the injustice among friends and family, but eventually, like so many times before, we will adapt beautifully. The cycle of disappointment continues.
We will silently accommodate the new harsh reality of these increased tariffs and unchanged network quality. It is one of the features of an average Nigerian. The system has trained us like that..
The writer can be reached via brightokuta@gmail.com
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")