A nation which is seen by a lot of people as the titan of Africa, is an oil-rich nation situated on mid-Africa’s Atlantic coast, or as it is regularly portrayed, West Africa. It is the most populous nation in Africa and the eighth biggest Nation by population on the planet. In the event that Nigeria is to truly experience its desires of rising an extraordinary nation, then it can’t disregard the expanding significance of the Internet in communications, training, business and trade. As of now this noteworthiness is been reflected by the increment in the quantity of cybercafes, ISPs and various Internet based organizations in the nation.
The Internet has impelled the financial and social development of most developed countries and the same impacts are being seen in numerous developing countries. Be that as it may, as reported by Internet world details, Internet entrance in Nigeria remains at just 7.2 percent. Despite the fact that exceptionally poor for a nation priding itself as the goliath of Africa with a tremendous populace of more than 150 million individuals, its potential for development is monstrous and hence positive.
The development of Internet in Nigeria is restricted, contrasted with what is realistic in developed nations. As indicated by late overviews led by one of Nigeria’s principal techonolgy research and managment companies organizations E-shekels limited on effective engagement of the Internet for improvement, has uncovered that individuals were just prepared to utilize an innovation device on the off chance that it enhances their lives. The exploration likewise expressed that there were incredible interest for the Internet offices in Nigeria, yet because of various impediments those requests couldn’t be satisfactorily met. Some of these deterrents impeding ICT and Internet development in Nigeria are listed bellow.
1.) LACK OF POWER SUPPLY –
There is limited and unsteady power supply in the country when compared to the rate of supply in other parts of the world. This has served as one of the major problems hindering Internet growth in the country. The Nigerian government keeps announcing the need for foreign investors to invest in the country without understanding of the fact that no investor would like to push resources, where he would he running at extra cost in energy generation. That is exactly the position of Nigerian investor. Nigeria government has done virtually nothing to ensure steady power supply, her privatization of the PHCN and the change of name to EEDC has not solved the problem. To access the internet fully and steadily, a steady power supply is a criterion, which unfortunately has not been tackled, and this has led to a limited use of the internet by many who desire to use it. With very unreliable power in the country, operators are left with no choice but to acquire and rely constantly on generators; expending huge gallons of fuel daily, in order to distribute internet to offices, homes, or cafes for subscribers. The epileptic power situation in the country has further compounded the woes of the few ISPs and Cyber cafes operating in the country.
2.) POVERTY –
Nigeria is a developing country consisting mainly of poverty-ravaged people who cannot afford three square meals a day. There is high cost of feeding, education, and health in the land. The poor ones will rather not waste their little income to access the internet when they have their priority as food, clothing and shelter. Many cannot afford to own a PC at home, even the fairly used ones being shipped from developed countries; talk less of engagement in internet connectivity for research and exploration.
3.) HIGH LEVEL OF ICT ILLITERACY –
“Illiteracy is a defect,” says the white man’s adage. The high rate of illiteracy in the country is another ugly trend that is hindering the growth of internet use in Nigeria and this has contributed to the decline in the use of this super facility. People are ignorant of what the internet is all about, its uses, applications and benefits in solving their problems. Most people gave not seen a computer before, not to talk of understanding internet concepts. There are other obstacles; just pause, think, and definitely you must remember a few factors you can discuss vividly as an obstacle to growth in Nigeria. Although it must be said that ICT knowledge in Nigeria is growing and being embraced, yet there remain a large majority of rural population that has not seen firsthand, the immense benefits of the internet.
4.) HIGH COST OF GETTING INTERNET – Internet doesn’t come cheap in Nigeria. As it stands, it is arguably the preserve of the rich who often times than one, have access from their homes. One of the reasons for the high cost of connecting to the internet is the costs involved in using satellites due to a lack of cable infrastructure. Most Internet traffic in Nigeria often times needs to be routed by satellite via North America and Europe Website.
5.) LOW SPEED AND TIME-CONSUMING INTERNET – Out of 10 million estimated Internet users in Nigeria, broadband users are few. High-speed broadband requires fiber optic cables. The situation should, however, improve as there are a number of projects underway to connect African countries with the rest of the world through undersea cables which is hoped will eventually lead to affordability and fast internet speed.
6.) INCREASING COMPETITION – Traditional internet service providers are beginning to face increasing competition from internet services offered by mobile operators. The introduction of 3G services in the country has enabled many Nigerians to access the internet through mobile devices. Meanwhile, access to telecom services isn’t necessarily reliant on new cabling. While only 4 percent of people in the country have fixed telephone lines, 30 percent have cell phones.
7.) LACK OF INTERNET READY PCS – Nigerians are not provided with Internet-ready PCs as done in the advanced countries. Though Zinox Computers, a computer manufacturer and a leading CDMA telecom operator are joining forces to make this available, and other efforts are currently being made, much of this still remain in the doldrums.
8.) YAHOO-YAHOO – Another of Nigeria’s Internet problems is the growing internet culture among Nigerian youths representing more than 80 per cent of Nigeria’s population – Young minds due to lack of awareness, low number of Nigerian website on the internet, lack of Nigerian specific e-payment system and poor e-learning culture throng cyber cafes only to check their email accounts, visit pornographic sites, shop online with stolen credit cards and so many other negative vices that has come to be known as YAHOO YAHOO!
Source: nairaland
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