Banks, NCC, Costumers’ Double Jeopardy
Recently, the government agency in charge of communications and banks decided that the heavy yoke on Nigerian banks’ costumers is not that heavy after all, so, they decided to add something extra to it with the introduction of charges of about seven naira. This new charges is coming some few months after telecommunications companies arm twisted this government to sign off on the increase of tariffs on data usage because they claimed over head costs is killing their businesses. Well, that is usually the convenient excuse. At the end, they are smiling to the banks while consumers/costumers are groaning in pains as someone who used 5,000 worth of data monthly before the upward review of tariffs woke up to the reality that even 20,000 is no longer enough for the same period of time. Nigerians kicked, but whoosai, the new charges when you use the USSD code to make money transfers have come to stay. What T4T found shocking with the USSD airtime fee is that, even when transactions fail, you had already been deducted because you had clicked ‘accepted’ before going to the next step. As many times as a transaction fails, seven naira airtime leaves your phone. Meanwhile, there are bank charges for using the same USSD code o! So, just pray that your bank is not going through some technical issues any time you want to transfer money using the USSD code (and you no say e nor dey tay Nigerian banks network to travel to Iran), just ensure you have more than enough airtime on your phone these days, not only for making calls but for making money transfers too. The Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, the Nigeria Communications Commission, NCC’s Director General and even the president of Nigeria truly ‘love’ Nigerians so much, so so much that the only way to express their ‘love’ is to continue heaping on them additional burdens even while they look for ways to feed their families. T4T is not a lawyer but he sure knows what double Jeopardy means in law and if this new USSD airtime charges while banks also have the same charges for the service, does not amount to double Jeopardy, what then should it be called?
This Nollywood Director Deserves An Oscar
T4T is tired of telling you that he enjoys watching Yoruba movies every time he has some time to kill. And so, he was seeing this 2023 Yoruba movie, titled, Abebi Seranko Seniyan, directed by Wasiu Owoiya.
After seeing the movie through, T4T came to the conclusion that Abebi Seranko Seniyan’s Director, Owoiya, deserves an Oscar award for the Best Director (Africa), if not the world sef. This is the reason.
The Director deployed the flash forward technique, so, the viewer is transported 23 years ahead after the opening scenes, but the shocker here is, all the major characters, Feranmi Oyalowo, Afeez, Yinka Quadri and Peju Ogunmola’s physical features remained the same even when the two kids Quadri bore as a king were all grown up with beards and all. At least Owoiya tried to explain why Abebi’s (Feranmi Oyalowo) physical features did not change, which according to a line in the movie, was due to her metaphysical powers, but what about other characters? In real life, Yinka Quadri and Peju Ogunmola are in their early or mid 60s, and the movie started with them as Quadri and Ogunmola, not some younger versions. So, add 23 years to their ages, and after a 23 year old son, one expected to see a made up 80 something year olds, not the same characters we saw over two decades ago, haba na! Owoiya is either too lazy as a Director or the make-up artist in that movie does not know his job.
Maybe, DSTV Should Explain This…
T4T has been meaning to ask Pay TV outfit, DSTV, this important question; Why is it that DSTV always censors actors in Nigeria movies that exclaim “oh my God”, “I swear to God” among other exclamations that have God in them, while leaving, most times actors in American movies that use familiar American swear words like ‘sh*t’, f*ck you etc? Is someone at DSTV not comfortable with the mention of God’s name or the censorship is a directive by the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission?
That Prank On Churches
T4T is not a ‘church person’, he has not been to church in decades, in fact, since 1990, long before Christianity was commercialised and men of God are expected to be paid money by mostly struggling worshippers before they can be ‘blessed’ by God. A prank T4T saw online some couple of days ago strengthened and justified his ‘none church going’ position. Teaser Prank, that is the name of the prankster, disguised as a mad man and was going from church to church last Sunday. Surprisingly, he was turned away at the gates of all the churches he tried to access to ‘worship’. There is this church that is popular with a flashy apron costume where the ushers and armed policemen violently threw him out!
T4T’s understanding of being a Christian is living a Christ-like life. So, if Christians are expected to live the kind of life Christ lived when he was on earth, then, love, compassion, tolerance of others irrespective of their physical appearance should be the watchword here. This is the important question; what would Jesus had done in the situation if Teaser Prank approached him?
