| With the coming of the GSM in Nigeria in 2001 | | | | Courtesy of the coming of GSM in Nigeria, we |
| first with the then ECONET, MTN, MTEL and | | | | realized that phone numbers could have as |
| GLOBACOM every single Nigerian has quite an | | | | much as 11 digits. |
| interesting story to tell. These mobile | | | | |
| phones in the past were considered status | | | | Ladies would seem the most beneficiaries of |
| symbols in the Nigerian society but this | | | | GSM phones in Nigeria the reason being that |
| consideration has now been consigned to | | | | advancements made to them attract monetary |
| oblivion as everyone in the Nigerian society | | | | gift in form of recharge cards. Recharge card |
| can now be held in high esteem. "All Animals | | | | is a well known common name for phone credit |
| are now equal" | | | | card. The situation is now considered |
| | | | unprecedented a means of extorting money from |
| Children now carry mobile phones to school. | | | | boys. Subsequently "send me credit" is now a |
| Sadly, we Nigerians forget too soon therefore | | | | common language in Nigeria |
| only a few people can remember that only an | | | | |
| opulent man in the Nigerian society once | | | | A new name also crept into the Nigerian phone |
| carried this mobile phone. | | | | dictionary. This is "business centre" a kind |
| | | | of umbrella shade provided by owners of such |
| We are now well tutored in phone | | | | businesses and usually in the colors of |
| terminologies such as no network, network | | | | service providers. Above all, Nigerians have |
| failure, no network coverage, no SIM, battery | | | | learnt to speak very briefly on the phone as |
| low and so on. This have all enriched our | | | | repeated speeches on the phone could be very |
| sense of phone dictionaries. We can now send | | | | costly. A general lesson of this is that |
| text messages and even browse online, listen | | | | nothing in life is free. Talking is therefore |
| to music and watch video on our phones. | | | | no exception of this. Welcome GSM to Nigeria. |