Twitter’s investment in Africa

by Ejiro Obodo

When Twitter announced that it is assembling a team and will soon launch a physical office in Ghana two weeks ago, there was joy and awe in Nigeria.

Joy, because the most boisterous social media platform on earth is finally berthing in Africa. Awe, because many expected Twitter to site its office in Nigeria, a country that considers itself the most vibrant market for the platform on the continent.

In spite of the mixed reaction, Twitter’s venture on the Continent is a big win for Nigeria. And for those who still do not understand what the platform stands for, it is worth noting that Twitter has been described as the “Usain Bolt” of social media.

A microblogging site, Twitter is one of the most sophisticated integrated marketing communications tools ever created. It is versatile, has extensive reach and is famed for disseminating information with record speed.

As far back as 2012, there were circa 400 million tweets per day, and the lifespan of the average tweet was just 22 seconds. Today, the pace and assortment of Twitter users has greatly morphed.

Presently, the platform is used by millions of big and small businesses, government officials and other citizens for customer support engagement, reputation management, polling, product assessment, research, awareness creation, news dissemination, among other things globally.

Africa’s numbers

In Africa, Egypt seems to have more active Twitter users than any other nation. Some sources estimate that with a population of 100.4million people, 3.7million are active Twitter users in Egypt (1 in every 27 Egyptians). But that is a far cry from the U.S. and Japan which host some of the largest concentration of Twitter users globally.

With a population of 328.2million, the U.S. has 69.3million Twitter users (1 in every 4 Americans). Japan with a population of 126.3million has 50.9 million active users (1 in every 2 Japanese).

Nigeria does not have such impressive figures. With a population of 201million, there are less than 3million active Twitter users in the country (1 in every 67 Nigerians), a situation which Twitter CEO, Jack Dorsey described as “Not enough,” during a visit to the country in 2019.

If the ration of Nigerians on Twitter were to increase to 1 in every 3 Nigerians, there would be at least 55million Nigerians on the platform!

Behind the numbers

There are discernable reasons for low Twitter uptake on the continent. For many years, Twitter was perceived as an elitist platform even in Nigeria. It was viewed as a platform used by politicians and high caliber celebrities to engage their sophisticated audiences for many years.

Our research at Caritas Communications which covered Ghana and Nigeria suggests that there is paucity in understanding of the full value that Twitter brings. This may not be unconnected with the low participation in both countries.

In a survey of 2,500 individuals (60percent Nigerians, 40percent Ghanaians), 75percent of respondents were unable to identify any specific twitter product or service by name even though 70percent of them reported owning and operating Twitter accounts for over five years each!

Interestingly, 85percent of respondents are interested in knowing more about the products and services, while 75percent are open to subscribing for them in order to improve their user experience.

This finding, among others emanated from the survey, which was conducted between April 1 and 20, 2021 and it perhaps cuts out the work for Twitter as it forages into Africa.

Success on the continent will be as a result of how creatively the organisation communicates its services and products with a view of engendering greater uptake and revenue.

Twitter’s marketing and communications team has the task of demystifying the brand, not just to the elite but to millions of Africans who have handled the platform without a clear strategy and purpose.

Also, based on the survey, a number of issues need to addressed. First is the issue of videos and images. A considerable number of users indicate that they look forward to the day when Twitter will become the platform of choice for short videos.

For countries like Nigeria and Ghana, which are very transactional, a video or graphic may be the bridge to another sale for a small business looking for promotion.

One respondent specifically indicated: “we need more video clip time.” The thinking is that Twitter will match Instagram if this need is met. But of course it must be added that Twitter is not Instagram.

Other respondents indicated that the system should be optimized to accommodate more African languages (and letters). While this is up to the developers and policy makers at Twitter, I am of the view that a change in this regard could unlock Twitter to millions of Africans who may not be attuned to communicating in English.

One interesting aspect of our survey addresses the willingness of respondents to recommend Twitter to friends, associates and acquaintances. Respondents were asked: “How likely are you to recommend Twitter to your friends?” Interestingly, 80percent said “Very likely.” Only 10percent of respondents said they were unlikely to do so. This is a greenlight as it indicates the possibility for further expansion for Twitter.

There is no doubt that the landing of Twitter in Ghana is a plus for Nigeria. Not only because Ghana and Nigeria are sister countries but because of the common heritage both countries share in terms of language, neighborliness and history.

It is worthy of note that as Twitter berths in Africa, the biggest winners are the millions of African youth, businesses and governments that will be lifted by this new presence. Twitter policy is likely to better accommodate this pool of potential users.

Indeed, the evidence suggests that there is Twitter fever in Nigeria and Ghana already. Recent happenings, especially in Nigeria have proved it. But there are veils which have to be systematically ripped off to enable more Africans embrace the platform. That is job which the company’s communications team has to handle in the following weeks.

 

An award winning editor, Ejiro is a senior communications manager at Caritas Communications

 

The Nigeria Police Force: A reputation assessment

 Events and initiatives dating back to 1820 led to the formation of the Nigerian Police Force. By the late 1950 – early 1960s, a merger of the armed paramilitary Hausa Constabulary, the Niger Coast Constabulary, and the Royal Niger Company Constabulary became the Nigeria Police Force as we know it today. At present, the force is estimated to be 371,800 strong and is the principal law enforcement agency in Nigeria. It has 36 distinct State Police Commands which are grouped into 12 zones and administrated through seven organs, all under the supervision of the Inspector

Caritas Communications, a reputations management consultancy based in Lagos conducted a survey to assess the reputation of the Nigeria Police Force by randomly sampling 3,787 Nigerians online between 1, April and 31, July 2020, well before the protests began later in October. Drawn from the six geopolitical zones, respondents are within the 18 to 61-years age bracket.

A complex situation

What we discovered is that even though the moto of the Nigerian police is, “Police is your friend,” 93 percent of respondents said they “do not agree that “Police is your friend.” Eighty-eight percent indicated that they would not allow their children join the police even if the opportunity presented itself on a platter of gold. In terms of specifics, respondents pointed to divers experiences which have molded their opinions about the force. “I was arrested because of a tattoo on my neck and had to get my family to bail me at Ughelli,” “a policeman from Agbaroh told me that when he is done with me my suffering will be more than that of Job in the Bible, I didn’t commit any crime,” two respondents noted.

“It takes me seven hours, instead of three to travel from Lagos to Benin when I need to see family because of over 15 police checkpoints on the road,” another said.

Other comments include, “I had an accident on the road because police barricaded the road and left huge logs of wood there,” “police places logs of wood on the road leaving just one lane open thereby forcing Nigerians to struggle for that lane, causing terrible traffic and suffering for miles on the Lagos-Benin express way,” “police quest for bribes is just mind boggling,” over 85 percent of respondents noted.

Asked why they feel the police is not living up to expectation, respondents pointed to Poor Leadership (42%), Poor Salary and Welfare Package (72%), Illiteracy and lack of exposure (68%), Bad Economy (45%) and poor work equipment (51%).

However, a number of respondents describe the police as an organisation that lives up to expectation when it matters citing cases including that of alleged kidnap kingpin Chukwudi Onuamadike (popularly known as Evans) and the apprehension of the alleged rapists who murdered Vera Uwaila Omozuwa, the 22-year-old University of Benin microbiology student in Benin as examples.

In all, the outcome of the survey confirmed that there is palpable dissatisfaction with the police force, in line with the global trend of distrust of law enforcement agencies as manifested in the #BlackLivesMatter Campaign in the United States and other parts of the world. These sentiments were however heightened in 2020 as the global misery index continues to edge north.

While the highhandedness of the now defunct FSARS is a manifestation of a more pervasive problem, the major challenge which the police seems to face is a disconnect with the aspirations of the Nigerian people. Like much of Nigeria’s society, the police has “marched on its stomach” for many years. It is poorly paid, poorly housed, poorly

trained and poorly equipped. However, many in the force seem not to understand that most of Nigerian society is also poor in all ramifications. Therefore, those members of the force who consider the rest of society a viable “bush kitchen,” fit to forage on, should have been more cautious.

Going forward

As a result of the fallout of the #EndSars protest, the federal government took some important steps at addressing police brutality by way of meeting the five initial demands of protesters. However, there are pervasive reforms that are necessary to bridge the gap between the police and society.

As a starting point, an online platform where members of the public who are violated (or have been violated) by the police can lodge complaints has to be created and made accessible to all Nigerians. This platform should make provision for the name of complainant, detail of incident, time and location of incident and (if possible) name of

officer involved. This should be managed by the police provost in each state with direct

oversight by the Commissioner of Police. Cases which are not satisfactorily dealt at the state level should be referred to Abuja.

Officers who offend should be adequately addressed in line with laid down rules of engagement. Officers who have taken lives as a result of impunity or committed other criminal offences should be paraded alongside other criminals and it should be known to the Nigerian people that the police does not condone injustice or impunity at any level.

As noted by the respondents to Caritas’ survey, welfare is at the heart of the shortcomings of the police. Therefore, the welfare of officers should form a major leg of reform. Higher salaries, better housing, better health care schemes and better retirement packages should all be on the table. Additionally, regular psychiatric evaluations, trainings and leave packages should be accorded officers.

However, we note that the roadmap to ending torture, unlawful detention, extortion, extrajudicial execution and other human rights violations must incorporate the reorientation of the police and society. The inspector general of police has to commission a massive media campaign that will clean up the image of the police, project its contribution to security in society while also educating the public on how to engage police officers.

The campaign to be launched by the Inspector General should educate Nigerians on the expectation of the police from the public and how to avoid incidences that have led to these unfortunate incidences of deaths, impunity and abuse. We note that in many cases impoliteness to officers is a contributory factor to police brutality. Outright breaking of the law is also a cause of some of the mishaps that have involved officers.

In Africa, the Nigerian police is promoted as one of the most efficient police forces on the continent, that is why it has been involved in many peace keeping exercises outside the country in the past. It need not have a bad reputation at all.

Ejiro is a  Communications Strategic and Research Manager with Caritas Communication

COVID-19: How Nigerians used media during the lock down

 It took less than two weeks of lock down for major newspapers in Nigeria to reduce the number of pages they publish daily from 48 to 32. Our research at Caritas Communications had indicated that that would happen. In the first few days of lock down, we asked Nigerians through an online survey if they were still purchasing newspapers, 91 percent of respondents said no.

Reasons adduced for the change ranged from the logistics challenges occasioned by the lock down, to the fear that newspapers could be carrying “more than news.” We note that these fears have largely been allayed as Nigeria gradually emerges from lock down.

During the lock down, our research identified discernible patterns in media consumption. For media and public relations consultants, it is worthy to note that there was a systematic shift from print media consumption to digital/electronic media consumption. (Interestingly, television and radio were very critical in the media consumption mix during the period.)

Not that this pattern is new, but the magnitude of the shift should suggest to media and public relations consultants that there is no going back on the contraction of revenue models built on print advertising.

Drawn from across Nigeria, 98 percent of those we surveyed are between the 21-45 age brackets and though young, constitute a major part of the media consumption market in the country. It is instructive to note that 84 percent of them relied on social media platforms (including Twitter, WhatsApp, Facebook and YouTube) for news and updates during the lock down.

Interestingly, television was the major source of news and information for 61 percent of those surveyed, while newspapers (in print format) served only 11 percent. But 30 percent of them pointed to newspaper websites as their major source of news and updates.

During the lock-down, two things drove respondents to particular media platforms: Ease of access and Brevity. Therefore, while a disproportionate number of respondents pointed to social media platforms like Twitter as source of news and information, what was revealed in the analysis is that the news which was consumed on Twitter and other social media platforms was provided by the same newspapers which millions of Nigerians had marooned.

Based on the research, radio and word-of-mouth were also deemed veritable sources of news and updates during the lock down, 28 percent of respondents, mostly older citizens were tenaciously inclined to radio. In the period, we observed that there was voracious consumption of television and YouTube.

This is understandable. Social distancing and a compulsory lock down did not mean that millions of Nigerians stopped craving entertainment, intimacy and fellowship.

Forty-six percent of those survey indicated that they watched more television during the lock down than before. Twenty-nine percent spent an average of 2-3 hours watching television daily, while 26 percent spent between 3-6 hours watching television daily.

Their content of choice ranged from News (74 percent), Foreign Movies (42 percent), Nigerian Movies (38 percent), Documentaries (28 percent), Religious programs, Telenovelas, accounted for less viewership and time. The media, advertisers and public relations consultants must take these changes to heart as many organisations have elected to continue their work-from-home regimes.

Based on the foregoing, it is easy to conclude that there has been a shift in marketing budgets from Above-the-line, print and experiential, to public relations that are entrenched in electronic platforms. Smart marketers who are interested in meeting upper and middle class consumers quickly will track them online. However, because a large portion of Nigeria’s population is still not sited around the global-digital-camp-fire, radio and television will remain potent platforms to reach millions, especially the older generations.

In the next few months, we expect that working from home will continue in various forms. And because of this, advertising spend will gravitate more towards digital media. Therefore, digital skills will become more imperative for successful public relations consultants and marketers.

Public relations consultancies will be compelled to develop competencies in digital marketing and content creation or risk the consequences of not innovating. We also expect smart newspapers to broaden their advertising horizons. It is time to broaden the advertising mix on the shelves to include adverts that are only on the PDF versions of newspapers. In other words, a newspaper can print 32 pages (including adverts), but have a PDF version of 36 pages. The extra pages should cater for adverts that are strictly on the PDF version.

With the reality of COVID-19, the media remains a fluid environment. As changes continue to take place, newspapers and content creators should critically consider models that will enable them generate more revenues from their content. Otherwise, social media platforms will in a sense continue to reap bountifully from where they have not sown. 

 

EJIRO OBODO & ESTHER ABU

Ejiro is Senior manager, Communications Strategy & Research. Esther is Senior Executive, Client Services. Both work with PR Consultancy, Caritas Communications.

Notorious for apathy

Complaints about the poor reception patients get at government hospitals are getting louder, OBODO EJIRO writes.

“That was the fourth government-owned hospital we had taken our ailing mother to on that hot afternoon. We were however told the same thing that we had been told in the three before and as my sister heard those words again, she broke down and began to sub loudly,” Nonso Obiukwu says.

“We were told in all four hospitals that there was no bed to admit our mother,” Chinyere Obiukwu, Nonso’s elder sister, says.

Shadow Migration

More Nigerian families are having their babies in the United States and Europe. This is costing the country hard earned foreign exchange, and is sparking fears of future loss of valuable manpower, writes OBODO EJIRO.

When Mike Ogundipe’s wife was seven and half months pregnant in December 2016, he sold his only car. He had bought the car, a Toyota Camry 2013 model, a year earlier with funds collaboratively raised by himself, his wife and close friends, before his wedding ceremony.

“We had to sell something valuable to fund our ambition of having our baby in the United States,” the 29-year-old property developer and his wife, who works with a newspaper told me in their living room in Surulere, Lagos. 

“Today, my daughter has an American passport and birth certificate, which is a head start,” Mrs Ogundipe cheerfully told me as she revealed that her second child will follow the same path (she is already carrying her second pregnancy).

Eating the rainbow

Nigeria’s soil supports many species of fruits and vegetables, but the level of their consumption lags behind what it should be, writes OBODO EJIRO.

 

“The oranges are brought in from Gboko, Benue State, the watermelon comes from either Kano or Kebbi State, while the pineapples are brought in from Cotonu, Benin Republic or Edo State. We small traders have to rely on big fruit merchants for supplies from different places so our businesses can continue,” says Idris Adamu, a trader who has made a fortune off selling fruits in Apapa, Lagos.

 

Chapter Zero

More local children and teenagers’ storybooks are being published, but they face many challenges, writes OBODO EJIRO.

"I want that one. No, not that one, I want the one with the dancing princess on the cover,” says a teenage girl, as she stoops over a pack of short storybooks under the Ojuelegba Bridge in Lagos.

Photo Credit: AC Nielsen

Bet On The Stars

The industry emerged unannounced, taking off from the ashes of previously popular football pools. Today, sports betting or gaming, as it is called locally, is big business in Nigeria.
In the past five years, the industry has grown in leaps and bounds, attracting new entrepreneurs and higher patronage.
With outlets now numbering over 300, scattered across the country, most entrepreneurs in the business are Asians (particularly, Indians and Lebanese) who see the opportunity in a country where there is much love for sports.

Saturday, saturday medicine

Concerns about the quality of education from part-time programmes university keep growing writes OBODO EJIRO

During the week, she works as a cashier at a new generation bank in Lagos while he works as a shopkeeper at a small shop in Abeokuta, but at weekends, they are classmates at the University of Lagos. This is how tertiary remedial or part-time programmes bring people together across Nigeria weekly.

FG, CBN battle stagflation as inflation, unemployment rise

The Federal Government and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) are battling an economic anomaly called stagflation as both inflation and unemployment which should have an inverse relationship are rising simultaneously.

The burden of a sale

There is a peculiar challenge facing Nigeria’s economy OBODO EJIRO writes.

They can be seen even when it rains heavily. Young men in their early twenties or late thirties braving the cold, chasing vehicles in desperate efforts to sell loaves of bread in front of Nigeria’s National Stadium in Lagos.

Who moved our cheese?

Decline in oil price (and subsequently, government budgets) often predates economic decline in Nigeria. Proposed states and federal budgets for 2015 confirmed this position earlier this year.

In 2014, 33 of Nigeria’s 36 states budgeted higher than what they spent in 2013. But in 2015, only 9 states had higher budgets compared to what they spent in 2014. (27 states budgeted considerably less than what they spent in 2014 for 2015.)

While state budgets rose by 13 percent in 2014, they dropped by 5.3 percent in 2015. The federal budget for 2015 rose by only 4.3 percent over what was spent in 2014, which amounted to a considerable drop compared to the 2013/2014 period.

Diversification or competitiveness, which is Nigeria’s problem?

It is at best unfair to say that the Obasanjo, Yar’Adua and Jonathan administrations did nothing to diversify the Nigerian economy. The structure of the Nigerian economy has in fact changed remarkably since 1999.

In the last four years, the agric and oil sectors which used to occupy commanding heights in the Nigerian economy shrank relative to other sectors.

In the last two years agric sector contributed an average of 22% of GDP; industries and services contributed 24% and 53% of GDP respectively (oil and gas contributed much less). The reality is that the process of diversification has no end, it only has a beginning.

Destination Zero

Militancy in the Niger Delta could remain a big problem in Nigeria, writes OBODO EJIRO.

At exactly 1:32am on January 30 2016, an unknown individual pushed the enter bottom of a computer, launching 16 words onto Twitter and giving birth to the fastest growing, yet mystic online group in Nigeria. 

Agric still in shambles as policy makers fail to tackle key problem

The informal sector’s overbearing influence on agricultural output is seen as responsible for Nigeria’s inability to diversity its export base through farm produce.

Budget: States to spend 5% less y-o-y as economic realities bite

The total amount budgeted by 35 states for the 2016 fiscal year is 5% less than what they spent in 2015. The states presented a combined appropriation of N5.77 trillion for 2016, as against the N6.07 trillion appropriation they presented in 2015 (Zamfara State is yet to release its budget,). 

Nigeria’s import, export dichotomy

OBODO EJIRO examines Nigeria’s international merchandise trade mix.

Legacy of Apapa roads

Two features are sure to be noticed on the roads leading in and out of Apapa, Nigeria’s premier port city. First, though both roads are generally in bad shape, the ones leading out of Apapa are far worse. Secondly, there is always traffic on both sides.

The first of the two features is a subtle indication that much more, in terms of volume and value, comes into Nigeria through the two ports in Apapa than goes out of the country through them. (The roads leading out of Apapa are under more pressure and consequently suffer more wear and tear.) 

Business leaders plan expansion drive in 2016

Obodo Ejiro

Findings from a survey conducted by BusinessDay Research and Intelligence Unit (BRIU), the research arm of BusinessDay, indicates that a high number of business leaders plan to invest more in the coming year.

The survey which targeted 7oo local large and medium size business owners/entrepreneurs was designed to fine out their assessment of business performance in 2015; and gauge their business confidence for 2016.

A tale of two sleeping giants

Obodo Ejiro

China and Nigeria are both giants on their different continents: Asia and Africa. Both were regarded as sleeping giants for decades; but while China has woken up and made remarkable progress, Nigeria lags behind.

Though Nigeria has attained the status of biggest economy in Africa, the truth remains that size matters less when there is widespread poverty, inequality, decomposing infrastructure and an economy that stutters small businesses.

A shot at greatness

China’s journey to economic ‘super-power-ship’ is a brilliant tale of long term commitment to development planning, reform, sweat and sacrifice. But there was a time when Nigeria was ahead of China on several economic indicators.

For instance, from 1960 to 1985, Nigeria’s per capita income was consistently higher than that of China. China’s per capita income was just 22% of Nigeria’s in 1980 (Nigeria: $871 versus China: $193) and that was the case for many year. But things have changed dramatically. Last year, Nigeria’s per capita income was 42% of China’s (Nigeria: $3,185 versus China: $ 7,594).

In recent times there have been fears that after three soaring decades of growth, China is on the decline.  However the rate of growth posted by the country in the last three decades has continued to fascinate economists.

China grew its economy by an average of 9.82% in the last 36 years, becoming the second largest economy in the world in 2010. The World Bank famously says China pulled 500 million people out of poverty in the last three decades. Already, it is projected that China’s economy will surpass that of the United States by 2025. But how did China attain this feat?

China’s ascent began in the late 1970s when it finally embraced on market reforms as opposed to pure central planning. This became necessary because in the 1960 and early 1970s, while China's neighbours were industrializing and making serious progress, its citizens could hardly feed or cloth themselves properly.

It was obvious that the country had to head in the direction of its more liberal Asian neighbours (including Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong). The way to do this was to reform.

Reforms in China did not immediately mean that it dumped communism; however, minor adjustments were made to the country’s development strategy. For China it was an experiment: New ideas were introduced in small localities and if they worked, the whole country adopted them.

Like most modern development successes, China made creative use of short and long term development planning.

The period between 1979 and 1989, which marked the beginning of the reform process, was designated the “period of readjustment.”  During that period, key imbalances in China’s economy were corrected and a foundation was to be laid for a well-planned modernisation drive.

The major goal of the readjustment process was to expand exports rapidly; overcome key deficiencies in transportation, communications, coal, iron, steel, building materials, and electric power; and redress the imbalance between light and heavy industry by increasing the growth rate of light industry and reducing investment in heavy industry.

In 1984, China made a significant move to designate fourteen of its largest coastal cities commercial and industrial centers. The aim was to create productive exchanges between foreign firms with advanced technology and major Chinese economic networks. These centers have since grown to become large export hubs.

Over the period of reform, plans were continuously reviewed where necessary and new projections and goals were set in line with realities. 

In this regard, China differs from Nigeria, where in the last twenty years; most leaders have preoccupied themselves with dismantling and discrediting their predecessors instead of acknowledging the progress that has been made and consolidating on them.

Also, the quagmire in which Nigeria currently wallows can be traced to some of the dislocations caused by military adventurers who took every opportunity to dislodge sitting governments so as to institute their looting campaigns.

On the other hand, China has enjoyed political and policy stability in the past three decades. One has to fathom the size of China in the late 1970s to fully appreciate the task the country accomplished.

Its 969 million people (in 1979) were distributed among 23 provinces (24 with Taiwan), 4 autonomous regions, 4 municipalities plus Hong Kong and Macau; 18 of those provinces had population number of between 90 and 35 millions.

At present, China has more cities of 1 million-plus population than the rest of the world combined. Among China’s stated-owned enterprises there are 500 that employ more than 100,000 people. It has been estimated that China creates 10 million to 15 million new jobs every year!

Nigeria’s untapped potential

A key lesson from the Chinese is that they never deluded themselves with visions of false riches as a nation. They saw themselves as a poor country and rectified the problem.

Nigeria has not done so in the past three decades. Nigeria is a poor country that is sitting on vast potential! It will remain poor if it does not tap into its power points. (Take away the oil sector, which is even shacked by archaic laws, and see how poor a country Nigeria is).

It must be understood that Nigeria’s major advantage lies not in the oil wells but the vast potential inherent in its teeming population, especially, its youth population.

These should be engaged in factories. But the factories will remain elusive if policies that make the Ease of Doing Business easier are not implemented.

Pay-television: Insights from consumers

Obodo Ejiro

There are a number of indicators that underscore the rising profile of television in Nigeria. For instance, last year, 1,115,985 flat panel television sets were sold across the six geopolitical zones. Also, in the first seven months of this year some 547,000 units have been sold already (based on data provided by GFK Nigeria).

What is even more interesting is that most of the television sets sold are of the 24, 32, and 42/43 inches range; confirming that the crop of Nigerians buying them have a preference for larger screens.

These days, the average Nigerian home has at least two television sets. There seems to even be a push to go beyond the second television set in most homes. (The trend is that when a flat panel TV set is acquired, it is placed in the living room. The cathode ray tube TV set which used to be in the living room is then moved to another room within the house.)

In the midst of this expansion in the number of television sets in use, there is evidence that more Nigerians subscribe to pay television services now than five years ago. Also, there are more pay TV service providers operating in the country now than half a decade ago.