Leadership (Abuja)
Peter Jones Ailuorio
14 May 2008
column
Abuja — International Trade Fair, to many Nigerians, may have come and gone like any other trade fair. But to Globacom, the memory will linger on for a long time and possibly remain green in history as the Telecom Company regarded as the grandmaster in per second billing, used the fair extravangaza to reinforce its success story in diverse endeavours. PETER JONES AILUORIO, reviews the scenario.
National telecommunications operator, Globacom may have successfully stamped its feet in the business of partnership with the Abuja Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ABJCCIMA), organisers of the Abuja International Trade Fair, which third edition just ended officially last Sunday at the old Parade Ground in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
The third edition of the Fair was Globacom's second outing. In 2007, Globacom was the official telecoms partner and the success of that relationship made the renewal of the sponsorship a desidaritum. A Globacom official disclosed that the company was proud of the success of the Fair in 2007 and the fantastic including the orderly manner it was organized that it decided to support organising the third edition this year.
The chief operating officer of Globacom,(COO) Mr Mohamed Jameel, said that Globacom was making a return to sponsor the Abuja Fair due to the success of the 2007 edition. He further said that the sponsorship underscored the importance Globacom placed on the Abuja International Trade Fair.
Managing director of Medalion Marketing Limited, consultants to ABJCCIMA, Mr. Fidel Ndubuisi on his part said that the Chamber was happy to have Globacom renew the relationship as the move would have far reaching benefits to both parties. He added that being a Nigerian brand, nothing less would have been expected of Globacom, given the phenomenal success it has recorded in the country in the few years since it launched it's services.
Director-general of ABJCCIMA, Mr Joe Wenegieme also expressed the gratitude of the Chamber to Globacom during the Glo Day event held during the Fair.
He thanked Globacom for collaborating with the Chamber towards the prosecution of this year's Fair. He commended the huge responsibility shouldered by Glo, especially its poverty alleviation drive and relentless quest for the empowerment of Nigerians.
"I am proud to note the excellent and world class facilities deployed around the country by Globacom. This company is Nigeria's pride and we are happy to have the network partner with us", he said.
What is more, Globacom's logo adorned the tickets, gate passes, stickers printed for the event bore the Glo logo and colour and the entrances to the Fair were well branded by Glo. The streams of visitors to the beautiful Glo pavilion at the Fair also commended the company for its sponsorship and participation in the Fair.
The Globacom pavilion was a beehive of activities throughout the duration of the Fair as subscribers and visitors had a thrilling time either to purchase Glo products or to configure their phones for the numerous value added services rendered by Globacom. A highly placed Glo subscriber who visited the pavilion was said to have had his phone configured to surf the web. He was so impressed with the courtesy and speedy attention of the Glo customer care representatives that he promised to personally send a complimentary report to the management of the company about the exemplary service he received.
There is no gainsaying the fact that Globacom also gave away to its subscribers and visitors, thousands of give-away items which included T-Shirts, Caps, Bandanas etc, for just being at the Glo stand. There was also a daily draw, during which Glo subscribers won handsets and scores of recharge cards.
The Globacom COO told guests at the Globacom Day on Thursday, May 8, 2008 that as a Nigerian company, Globacom understands Nigeria better and that Glo will continue to provide genuine leadership in the area of meeting the telecom needs of Nigerians.
Within the last five years, Globacom has demonstrated strong commitment towards making life more meaningful for Nigerians. The company has done this through a rich bouquet of products and value added services. It has been spreading it's coverage to all the nooks and crannies of Nigeria. The company has also brought smiles to the faces of many through various promos and restored the hopes and aspirations of good life for many Nigerians.
Relishing the success story of Globacom in Nigeria, the COO said:"Our relationship with this country has seen us moving from 0 to 15 million in less than four years. We are currently the 5th biggest operator in Africa and the Middle East where some of the others have been in existence for upward of 10 years. The story of our phenomenal growth is the story of the commitment of our subscribers to remain with us due to the superior products and services on the Glo network".
He further said:"Currently, we are running the great grandfather of all promos in Nigeria, the Win and Rule promo, in which 500 choice brand new cars are up for grabs by our loyal subscribers," adding that "Globacom was also putting in place as many as 1,500 new base stations to the network in order to increase switch capacity to accommodate 35 million subscribers".
The additional 1,500 base stations across the nooks and crannies of the country would take care of current and new subscribers on Africa's fastest growing network and will cater for an estimated 35 million subscribers, both current and new.
This disclosure was made in Abuja by Globacom's chief operating officer, Mr. Mohamed Jameel, who was represented by the regional manager, Abuja Office, Mr. Victor Ochukenyi at the Globacom Day at the just concluded 3rd Abuja International Trade Fair where Globacom functioned effectively as the official telecoms partner of the event.
Mr Jameel, disclosed that in order to strengthen its network and continuously position itself as the preferred network and leader in the GSM market, Globacom was adding as many as 1,500 base stations before the end of the year. He said this is intended to ramp up Globacom's switch capacity to accommodate 35 million subscribers and thus ensure subscribers make and receive calls without hitches on the network.
The chief operating officer also stated that as part of effort to guarantee excellent services at affordable rates for its subscribers' voice and data services needs, the company is currently deploying a submarine cable that will link West African sub region from Lagos and Bonny, to Europe and have a dedicated link in the United States .
Commending the subscribers for their patronage, he assured them that Globacom is continually dedicated to offering the best quality service and that the network is fast expanding to give the best to the subscribers who have made Globacom a household name.
This piece will not be complete without presenting a recapitulation of what the director general of the CPC, Mrs Ifenyi Umenyi said in Abuja at the presentation of car prizes to winners in the ongoing Win and Rule promo. She lauded Globacom's comsumer reward promo as legal and designed to give back to Nigerians.
The Consumer Protection Council [CPC], however, said that the entry of Globacom into the telecommunications market in Nigeria solved the biggest problem being faced by subscribers as the network's introduction of Per Second Billing gave the consumers the much needed choice which was not available at the time.
In endorsing the promo, Umenyi, who was represented at the event by the Legal Adviser of the Council, Mr Ataguba Emmanuel, said the agency which is in charge of safeguarding the interest of the consumers is satisfied with the way the promotion is being conducted, stressing that no complaint has been received from the consumers since the promotion started.
It would be recalled that Globacom is the only GSM operator given the nod yet to run promotional activities by the NCC.
It is gratifying to note that the Senate Committee on Communication recently singled out Globacom for commendation over its quality of service. Chairman of the upper legislative arm's committee on communication, Chief Sylvester Anyanwu, who gave the commendation during the committee's fact finding visit to the national operator as it were, said even the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has rated Globacom above its competitors in the quality of services being provided for Nigerian subscribers as the report the law makers said they got from the NCC have it that only Globacom has not been sanctioned for poor quality of service.
The lawmaker therefore, commended Globacom for its unparalleled rural penetration strategy in the communications industry.
It has been a litany of success for Globacom, whether in Lagos, Enugu or Port-Harcourt trade fair. The now known phenomenal success which Glo recorded at the Abuja trade fair is just a reinforcement of what the continental telecom network can be associated with, and still counting.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Leadership. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
