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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15. lOll
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Exploring dealership opportunities with telecoms firms
BIG laira
Begi n s w ith
Small Kobo
Useful hints • S ub-dealers hip offers easy , busi~ess opportunities • ProviHes c heaper call rates for 1. 1 I servl ~e users e-mail: per.;OlUilnonnce(n punchontheweb com
nx1t prices
the dealers and sub-dealers to some of the major GSM operat0'1 in Nigeria, we help people to make telephone calls at lower tariff, or sometimes. at zero tariff. He adds, M As a dealer, I seD lots i that I contract
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lines' at from the GSM and CDMA operators. These lines are laler sold to the public at relatively higher prices. But t>ecause of the contract/dealership agreement we have ~lh the telecoms finns. those who buy the lines are able to ake calls at reduced tatiffs. ~ Adediji says his dealership with the GSM and CDMA operators a~ offers him the privilege 10 offer 'zero tariffs' to group c1iJnts. This, he says, Is a system whereby a group of people cdme together for a particular purpose of making GSM calls a lower tariffs, and also, at zero tariff. , it enables each member to save huge sums
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are about three classes of that therebills. organisations. clubs, associations, associates. This aUows free group , and this helps callers save huge
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a i agreement with one of the major GSM operators. He says his contrclct with the company offers him a lucrative source of income . Ajibade's kind of sub-dealership is one in which some telephone lines are boU9hl ifrom the GSM operator at 5pe(:iaJ rates . The lines, according 10 him, are placed on special calling rales. Ajibade, who is the !Managing Director of Zeze Ventures, explains that his tepn moves around to market the lines to prospective clientS. He says, "The lines are. ~icaHy for group calling, and they are. free for those within the group. The lines are actually benefidal for business associates, who often call one another. They are also good for two or more people, who often call one another. A married couple could also benefit from il. We started selling those lines over a year
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"We actually started with another company in 2005. Then we sold special lines 10 1ca1J centres. which made use of the lines for paid calls. nie lines had good tariffs from which they couJd make good profit. We made good profit also by selling several hundreds of the spKiaItines. Then we bought the commercial lines for NS,DOO. As a subdealer, I sold them for N10,OOO. The lines were usually loaded with NS,OOO air lime ~ery month.· Ajibade says he gol into the business a few years ago through another dealer. According 10 him, the contrclct lines are bought from the dealer for NSOOO. Every month, he says, the line holders. are expected to load Nl ,OOO,arterwhich calls can be made
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Meanwhile, Adediji says he is planning to expand his business further noting that dealership with some of the major companies costs aboul N2.Sm. However, he says some of the telecom firms have reviewed their rates downwards, sometimes to
• Farmers fret over subsidy removal He said that the growing interdependence with partners was crudal in carrying out the institute's mission and vision of eradicating hunger aQ.d
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Meanwhile, the Association of Small Scale Agro-Produom in Nigeria has said that the proposed fuel subsidy removal will have adverse effect on srnaII scale fi!lTtlen. The National Vice-President of the .wociation, Mr. Joshua ~~~~;~ stated this in an interview with the News Agency 0/ Nigerio in I Ogun State, on Monday. The vlce·presldent saki the removal of subsidy would make unprofitllble for small scale fi!lTtler5 and urged the government to
per amt of the maize varieties grovm i
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of parblership and the need t
farming attractive. ~We beIJeve thai the removal of fuel subsidy wiU have a very harsh
on NIgerian fi!lTtlers, particularly the small·scale farmers; even the big 1 farmers as well, because transportation has always been 1I problem,
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For interested enb"epreneurs, who cannol afford the dealership fee, the DoIamosbossadvisesthatthey tan start as sub-dealers with existing dealers. According \D him, the requirements of this line of business include a fair knowl~ge of telecoms operation; a\, outlet; and other structures needed for business Oper1ltions.
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