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phone | Zikoko!
  • The Horrible Stages of Losing Your Phone in Computer Village

    Most Lagosians have a Computer Village story; some are hilarious and others are terrifying. They range from buying a phone and seeing semo inside the box when you get home, to having someone shake your hand and realising five minutes later that your phone is gone. If you have a Computer Village horror story, you can probably relate to these seven stages:

    You suddenly realise your phone is missing

    Maybe it’s your first time here, so you’re wondering why everyone is hissing at you, trying to get you to see the new gadget they’re selling. And you can’t tell why this particular guy keeps following you everywhere even though you’ve told him off. He eventually leaves you alone, and a few minutes later, you realise your pocket feels lighter.

    Scared

    Doubt sets in

    At this point, your mind starts racing and running double-checks. “Did I put my phone in my bag?” You check your bag, and it’s not there. Then, you realise what’s happening — your phone is long gone.

    Confused look

    You start to have flashbacks

    Your mind flashes back to the guy who was following you. “Could it be him? Did he touch my pocket?” You decide the only way to find out is to find him and ask.

    deep thought with provoking flashbacks

    You start searching for the thief

    You retrace your steps to the place where you last saw this person, hoping to see them again. But when you don’t see them, you start asking around, trying to describe them to other people. Miraculously, you’re pointed in a particular direction.

    searching for the thief with a gun in hand

    ALSO READ: The Zikoko Guide to Surviving Computer Village


    You decide to confront the person

    You get there, and you see the person you’re looking for. You approach them and ask politely if they took your phone. Unknown to you, this is a cardinal sin. You simply do not ask a thief whether they’ve stolen from you. They start shouting at you, with the familiar “who you be?”

    confronting the thief

    You realize that words alone cannot settle this issue

    Like the Lagosian you are, you decide the best way to go about this is to show some craziness. Obviously, that’s the only way they’ll listen to you, so you start to shout and throw punches like Bash Ali’s protege.

    fighting the thief

    You get beaten really bad

    Unfortunately, you’re not Bash Ali’s protege. You get whopped really bad and no one even cares to listen to the reason why you were shouting in the first place. You now realise what a bad idea this was and decide to leave without your phone.

    sad and in tears

    You realise it’s not only your phone that was stolen

    You get to the bus stop, but just as you’re about to take a bus home in pain and regret, you realise your wallet is now also gone.

    passing out from shock

    READ THIS NEXT: “In Computer Village, Every Day, New Drama” — A Week in the Life of a Computer Vendor

  • QUIZ: Show Us The Apps You Have On Your Phone, And We’ll Guess Your Battery Percentage

    We can guess your battery percentage from the apps on your phone. Take the quiz:

    Select all the apps that are currently on your phone:

  • QUIZ: Are You Addicted To Your Phone?

    Can we tell how much you can’t do without your phone?

    Take this quiz and find out:

  • Quiz: What Kind Of Phone Can Your Salary Buy?

    “If your one month salary cannot buy your desired phone, quit your job” – said no one ever. Really, what kind of phone can a month’s worth of income get you?

    Take this quiz to find out:

  • Almost Had My Phone Stolen By A Pickpocket in Lagos, Here’s What I Did

    I have always heard stories about how one has got to be sharp if you are walking on the streets of Lagos so you don’t end up saying, “Had I known,” to your friends and family while crying tears of blood.

    Oftentimes, I laughed it off, because who could be sharper than someone born in Lagos? But, I was about to find out that there are different levels to this astuteness.

    As a frequent user of danfo buses, warnings of keeping one’s devices secure while in a moving bus, especially during traffic always rings in my ear. “Keep your phone inside your bag o, don’t use it so close to the window,” is the most popular warning.

    I usually pay heed to it, because of the countless horror stories I have heard, but always with the believe that no one could ever steal my phone. Remember, sharp girl?

    I knew the right spot in the bus to sit, so nothing like that could happen to me; in the middle seat of the middle row in the bus. Just perfect.

    And if I had to sit somewhere else, I’d look for a seat partner with great body bulk, to shield me from any thieving hands that might come my way. But, that night was a lucky day for the pickpocket who would have been The Flash in an alternate universe. I wasn’t sitting in the middle and my seat partner was thin and asleep, leaving the window wide open.

    Then I saw the pickpocket, felt his arm against my hands.

    My sixth sense had alerted me to the pickpocket who had been speaking with a friend of his, walking down the busy Oshodi road nonchalantly. All I remember thinking at the time was that he looked odd, kind of like he was lounging, which didn’t fit the night scenery of such a major bus-stop in Lagos.

    But, I forgot all about the thief when my bus zoomed pass him, after being in standstill traffic for 15 minutes. Until–I saw his hands grab the phone I was holding onto. My reflex action and earpiece were the only thing that saved my phone, I didn’t even have the time to bite him like I wanted to in my rage, I was so shocked and confused.

    Like, what the hell just happened right now?

    While I looked at the phone still in my hands, I couldn’t help but wonder how the pickpocket’s Usian Bolt legs were able to get him so close to the bus and away, just as fast as he came. Well, he tried the wrong sistah, I had been practicing my uppercut for just that moment, so even though my hoop earrings flew off my ears during the incident, it was a small price to pay for my phone.

    I didn’t even respond to other passengers asking me what happened, then sharing similar experiences, all I could think of was; “This is a Lagos experience I would gladly not have again”.

  • A Story Of That Time I Had My Phone Seized In Secondary School.

    Let me tell you about that time I took a phone to school when I was in J.S.S.3 and how it was promptly seized.

    My parents always had this fear of me getting kidnapped so to make sure I was safe, they devised a way to check in with me every few hours.

    My parents were kind of paranoid. Don’t blame them. They meant well.

    So even though it was unorthodox for people my age to own phones at the time, they bought me one.

    My first phone!

    And made me promise to keep it a secret.

    If anyone finds out, murder them.

    I lied to them. I couldn’t wait to show everyone at school!

    SO EXCITED!!!

    So I went to school the next day. Feeling myself.

    They will know who I am today!

    My classmates noticed the pep in my step and asked why I was so excited.

    Wetin dey do this one?

    Then dramatically, I showed them the phone.

    YASSSS!!! BOW AND EXALT!!!!!

    Everyone went wild!

    As expected.

    Remember this was 2003, having a phone as an adult was kind of a big deal so for a 13 year old it was huge.

    I was no longer their mate.

    Everyone wanted to hold it. Everyone wanted to be around me all the time. I felt like a celebrity.

    This must be what it feels like to be Beyonce.

    Then our maths teacher came in for first period so I had to quickly hide the phone.

    In my trusty school bag.

    30 minutes into the class, something terrible happened. The phone began to ring.

    GBESE!

    The teacher asked where the sound was coming from. No one answered.

    Nobody wanted to snitch.

    It kept on ringing so it didn’t take him long to find the source.

    My school bag.

    He told me to give the phone to him. I had been caught.

    I was distraught.

    As I took the phone out of my bag, I looked at the screen, wondering how my parents could possibly call at a time they knew i’d be in class.

    Mummy and Daddy, Why na?!!

    But it wasn’t a call. It was an alarm.

    An alarm I KNOW I did not set.

    Apparently while the phone was being passed from person to person earlier, someone probably set an alarm by mistake.

    Imagine nonsense.

    And then I thought, what if someone set the alarm to ring when he/she knew we’d be in class with a teacher?

    What if someone set me up?

    My parents had to come to school the next day to beg my Maths teacher for the phone.

    We didn’t think it through. We’re very sorry.

    They didn’t give the phone back to me. My life as a celebrity was over.

    Back to being regular.

    I never figured out who set the alarm or why.

    Everybody denied.

    And even though i’m now an adult, the thing still dey vex me sometimes.

    Because deep down, I still believe someone set me up.

    To keep the fun about secondary school going, here’s an article about the funny things about relationships in secondary schools.

    12 Situations That Were Real For Secondary School Relationships
    Check out all the things you stand to benefit when you move over to Etisalat’s EasyCliq 2.0. Click here or on the ‘Learn More’ button below to find out more about EasyCliq 2.0!
  • All Of The 21 Thoughts in Your Head Whenever Your Phone’s Internet Disappears

    1. So your phone’s network has vanished.

    What kind of nonsense is this?!

    2. At first you wonder if it’s your phone that has the problem and you get the urge to start slapping it.

    The official Nigerian solution for faulty electronics.

    3. Then you remember that you might break the screen by mistake and you calm down so the devil won’t use you.

    There’s no money to repair screen in this recession.

    4. You realize your mother was right when she said you were addicted to the internet.

    But you won’t admit it to her because if you do, you’ll never hear the last of it.

    5. So you decide to entertain yourself with your networkless phone to try and prove her wrong.

    Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

    6. You find yourself playing the 3D version of Bounce that for some reason, came with your Tecno phone.

    So Tecno just stole this game from Nokia like that? Nawa oh

    7. And you wonder how you even enjoyed this game back then because you’re already bored.

    We didn’t have good taste back then sha.

    8. You remember that you haven’t played Candy Crush since one difficult level made you quit so you go back and try that.

    Ah, Candy Crush. We meet again.

    9. 80 tries later, you still haven’t passed the level. Your frustration intensifies.

    AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

    10. You violently swear for your service provider for putting you in this position.

    YOU PEOPLE THAT WORK THERE WILL NEVER KNOW HAPPINESS!!!

    11. You decide to re-watch all the funny videos on your phone.

    I guess it’s back to Alfa Sule…..again.

    12. The videos aren’t as funny as they once were but you force yourself to laugh because you’re trying to fight the overwhelming boredom.

    You’re clearly losing the battle but you keep fighting cause mama didn’t raise no quitter!

    13. You pause the current video playing to wonder why you didn’t listen when people told you port to another service provider.

    Had I known!

    14. You start going through your picture gallery and come across a good selfie you took. This makes you smile.

    See as I fine. I AM A SLAY QUEEN/KING!!!

    15. You realize that the only reason you didn’t port when you had the chance was because your current service provider sells cheap data.

    Awoof dey run belle. Lol

    16. You decide to take this time to go through your contact list and delete people you know you’ll never call.

    Olusanya Balogun. This one that I hated. DELETE!

    17. Next, you start taking selfies. Boredom is slowly turning you into Bobrisky.

    OSHEEEEY BARRRDEST!!!!

    18. As there’s no internet to distract you, you decide to do the dishes.

    Every disappointment is a blessing in disguise.

    19. You also decide to cook a proper meal for yourself. Not every time noodles.

    See what I can accomplish when i’m not wasting my time with the internet!

    20. You quietly promise yourself that when your subscription expires you’re porting to another network.

    Enough is enough.

    21. Suddenly, a message comes through. NETWORK IS BACK! All is forgotten.

    After all, God said we shouldn’t make decisions when angry.

    23. But You SHOULD Really Consider Porting Sha

    Check out all the things you stand to benefit when you move over to Etisalat’s EasyCliq 2.0. Click hereor on the ‘Learn More’ button below to find out more about EasyCliq 2.0!
  • 5 Things You Say When You’re Running Out Of Conversation

    1. So what did you eat today?

    How is that one your business?

    2. Can you hear me?

    No oh, he is deaf.

    3. Was there traffic on the way home?

    This question is especially foolish if you live in Lagos, there is always traffic!

    4. So what was the last thing I just said?

    Mumu, this is not an interrogation. Drop the phone!

    5. I saw your ex today.

    That’s how people use their own hand to scatter their relationship.
  • 10 Reactions We Have When Our Phones Ring

    1. When you see it’s someone that owes you money.

    2. When it’s someone you owe money.

    3. When it’s the mechanic that has held your car hostage for 5 days.

    4. When it’s your dodgy tailor who only calls when she has scattered your fabric.

    5. When it’s your best friend that always has sweet gist.

    6. When it’s your ex boyfriend that won’t leave you alone.

    7. When it’s your crush and soon to be love of your life.

    8. When it’s your nosy aunty that only talks about marriage.

    9. When it’s your mum to find out if you went to church.

    10. When it’s your boss trying to give you extra work to do.

  • Do You Panic When Someone Else Has Your Phone? Allow Us Tell Your Story

    1. When you show someone a funny picture on your phone and they start swiping left or right.

    Excuse me?

    2. When children ask you if you have “games” on your phone.

    Please go and play with your parents leave me alone.

    3. When your mum borrows your phone to “quickly make a call”.

    Please oh!

    4. When your dad wants to use your phone to “send text” because his own is not working.

    Buy another one please.

    5. When your boyfriend is holding your phone while you do something, you’re like:

    6. When someone asks you “who is that” when you’re texting and smiling.

    Her name is “mind your business”.

    7. When you can’t find your phone for more than 2 minutes.

    Oh no!

    8. When your boyfriend starts talking about trust because he wants to check your phone, you’re like:

    Nope!
  • 13 Struggles Every Nigerian Has Experienced With AutoCorrect On Their Phones

    1. When you first get your phone and your autocorrect is not even correcting you.

    WYD???

    2. After a while, autocorrect starts acting like it knows more than you.

    Stay in your lane please.

    3. When autocorrect starts correcting and replacing your name in your own phone.

    Time to deactivate you.

    4. When you’re angry and want to swear but it won’t even let you.

    Did I buy you or did you buy me?!

    5. When you’re typing nonsense thinking autocorrect has your back and it leaves your nonsense for you like that.

    What a betrayed!

    6. When you’re typing in your native language and it’s still trying to mind your business for you.

    Mo ti gbo –> Month to go. Be careful please!

    7. When autocorrect changes ‘food’ to ‘good’ in your worst moments of hunger.

    How dare you?!

    8. When you’ve typed and retyped a word six times because your autocorrect won’t let you move forward.

    I’m not doing again.

    9. When you type an insult to someone and send it but you can blame it on autocorrect.

    Wasn’t me.

    10. When autocorrect changes ‘OMW’ to ‘On my way!’, even though you’ve still not left your house.

    Why so excited?!

    11. When autocorrect starts suggesting words to complete your sentence.

    You don’t know me.

    12. When you’re helping your parents type messages on their ‘unsmart’ phones and you’re missing autocorrect.

    I’m sorry. Come back please.

    13. When it tries to correct your slang.

    Better behave.
  • 13 Things That Are Too True About Nigerian Parents And Phone Calls

    1. When they complain that you’re always pressing your phone, but complain when you miss their calls.

    What do you want ehn?

    2. When they answer your call and wait like 10 seconds before actually speaking.

    What is happening?

    3. When they spend half the conversation shouting “HELLO”.

    Na wa.

    4. How you talk to your parents on the phone:

    For the ENTIRE phonecall.

    5. When you check your phone and see double digit missed calls from your mother.

    When you call back and she says “I was just reminding you to wash your plate.”

    6. When your father says he has been “calling you since”, but you only saw one missed call.

    Since ke.

    7. When their voice increases exponentially when they are on a call.

    Calm down.

    8. Call duration with your mother vs. Call duration with your father:

    Especially when your mum calls to pray for you.

    9. How they hold you hostage when a relative calls:

    Ugh! The worst.

    10. When you just left the house and they call you to come back home.

    WHY?

    11. How your dad answers his phone when he knows you want to beg for money:

    Ah! Daddy, easy na.

    12. When they wake you up with a phonecall early in the morning.

    Can I be?

    13. How they spell over the phone:

    All. The. Time.
  • 14 Pictures You’ll Recognize If You’re In A Whatsapp Group With Nigerians

    1. When you get added to a group chat without warning.

    What the hell?

    2. When you try to leave a whatsapp group and they add you back like:

    Is it by force?

    3. You, in your family whatsapp group like:

    UGH!!!

    4. When the group admin is using everyone to catch trips.

    5. When the group members are no longer having it.

    It’s only right.

    6. You, when your friends start fighting in the group.

    Continue, please.

    7. This struggle:

    The worst.

    8. When you open the chat after the gist has already finished.

    It can pain.

    9. When someone leaves the group and you become the admin.

    Time to add ‘Administrative Skills’ to my CV.

    10. When you’re ranting in the group and no one is answering you.

    See my life.

    11. Whenever a group member posts a joke everyone has already seen.

    Oga, keep up.

    12. When someone gets kicked out with style:

    Na wa for you people.

    13. When you do your finishing move:

    The best.

    14. How you feel when you’re finally out of the group.

    FREEDOM!!!
  • 17 Pictures That Describe Your Love-Hate Relationship With Your Phone Battery

    1. How you feel when your phone finally reaches 100%.

    We did it!

    2. When your battery is at 1% when the gist is getting sweet.

    Hurry!!!!

    3. When someone tries to educate you about not using your phone while it’s charging.

    Thanks!

    4. When you’ve been charging your phone for over an hour and it has only moved by 20%.

    Charge slower. Ugh!

    5. When they take light when your phone is only at 50%.

    I don’t deserve this.

    6. When there has been light for 3 hours so you were not charging your phone, then you plug it in and they take light.

    Must you show yourselves?

    7. When your phone is at 1% and you run to the charger and plug it in and it jumps to 17%.

    What is doing this one?

    8. When you give someone your phone for a minute and when they give it back your battery is half gone.

    Did you drink it?

    9. When you plug the phone to your laptop to charge and it shows “USB Device Not Recognized”.

    I’m not even asking you to recognize it, just charge the damn phone!

    10. Your new best friend:

    The phone cannot die oh!

    11. When your phone is almost going off and your friend says, “I have a charger”.

    YASSS!!!

    12. When you check your bag and realize you left your charger at home.

    Crien.

    13. When you have like 15 apps running at the same time and your battery is just looking at you like:

    Continue.

    14. When someone sends you a video link to watch on low battery and no light. Battery:

    Stop it!

    15. Your battery when you go on social media for 15 minutes.

    Is this life?

    16. And to all those that insist that listening to music doesn’t stress your battery.

    What do you know?!

    17. When someone tells you to increase the brightness of your phone.

    Is it ya battery?
  • 13 Pictures That Are Too True About Nigerian Mothers And Their Phones

    1. When she looks at her phone as if it is trying to deceive her.

    Mummy, your phone is not against you.

    2. How she saves numbers on her phone:

    They don’t even have time.

    3. The kind of texts she sends you when you’re upstairs:

    Hay God!

    4. The kind of texts she sends you when you’re out with friends:

    I’m coming home oh.

    5. When she calls you to come and load her credit.

    Stress.

    6. The kind of Whatsapp BCs she sends:

    Who even sent you this thing?

    7. The kind of pictures she sends on Whatsapp:

    Na wa.

    8. When she calls you for a “short prayer”:

    I don taya.

    9. How she takes pictures:

    Mama D Mama!

    10. When she calls you to come and help her type a “short text”.

    God, epp me.

    11. Nigerian mothers and dual sim phones.

    All. Of. Them.

    12. When she calls you and you don’t answer.

    I’m dead.

    13. Her excuse, when you ask her why she didn’t answer her phone:

    Mummy, it’s called a MOBILE phone for a reason.
  • 14 Pictures Every Nigerian Will Remember From Our Blackberry Days

    1. When this was literally the longest thing ever.

    Something that could load for a year.

    2. Nigerian girls and “how did you get my pin?”

    Was there even a right answer to this question?

    3. You, waiting for that red light to blink.

    Someone should ping me na.

    4. When everyone added “loading” to the end of everything.

    All those ‘Elegushi loading!’ PMs.

    5. When people believed everything they got in a BC.

    Literally EVERYTHING!

    6. When couples used to have full arguments with their PMs and DPs.

    See serious something

    7. When they take light and people start putting DPs like this:

    Ugh! We get it.

    8. Whenever someone started a conversation with “PING!!!”

    You don’t have home training.

    9. When you left your phone for hours and came back and no one had pinged you.

    Nobody loves me.

    10. When getting deleted while typing a message felt like the rapture.

    Chineke!

    11. When it was your birthday and all your contacts had pictures of you as their DP.

    As a celebrity.

    12. Whenever someone sent a BC in the name of doing ‘contact check’.

    Fix it, Jesus.

    13. When you knew someone was angry when they changed their DP to a black screen.

    You’ll be fine.

    14. This demon app:

    The absolute worst.
  • Every Single Thing You Feel When Your Phone Falls Down

    You refused to get a phone case because how will people now know how much you spent if your phone has cover cloth?

    So, since your pride fought with your common sense (and won).

    …and they taught us that pride cometh before THE FALL, you just know it was inevitable.

    That moment your phone fell from your hand for the first time and the whole world entered slow motion.

    It didn’t fall when there was carpet oh, it waited till it saw concrete to show itself.

    Now you’re just looking at your phone face down on the floor and trying to remember if you prayed in the morning.

    First, your account balance flashes before your eyes.

    Then your brain starts calculating exchange rate.

    After saying a small prayer, you finally gather the courage and pick it up and you see a scratch.

    The scratch is small, but because you are a member of RichGang, you cannot be carrying scratched phone up an down.

    You sha somehow cough up the money to fix it.

    Your phone is now looking good as new, so covering it with phone case is not even an option.

    But because these phones are wicked and can never just fall once, it sha falls again.

    This one is not just a scratch, your phone has now turned into a mosaic.

    Your account balance is not even having it this time.

    You try to put it off and on. Maybe somehow the screen will ‘un-crack’ itself as it reboots.

    You leave it overnight and put it under your pillow, hoping God will come down and give you a testimony.

    You sha finally accept it. You cannot come and go and kill yourself.

    Everytime people ask what happened to your phone, your eyes just water.

    They now start giving you ‘advice’ as if you have one time machine sitting in your garage…

    “Why didn’t you buy a screen protector?”

    “Why are you even buying expensive phone like that?”

    “Why didn’t you get insurance?”

    “Why didn’t you hold it well?”

    Then those annoying people that see your phone and tell you how they could never manage a cracked screen.

    But you can’t even be mad because that was how you used to do before.

    You swear you will still fix your phone sha, but you are just waiting for dollar to come down.

  • Nigerians Will Remember the Bullet-Proof Nokia Phone
    Remember how difficult it was to break old Nokia phones?  Well, we have a new testament to their strength today.
    Facebook user Ella Delarose posted 3 pictures to show how an old Nokia phone deflected a stray bullet! Sounds insane? Yeah, that’s what we thought too. So we dug into the archives to find other examples of Nokia’s awesomeness…

    The One About Nokias Against the Wall.

    Nokias Vs Train.

    Nokia vs Liquid Nitrogen.

    Of course today, we can’t find any of these kinds of phones again.  So let’s have a moment of silence for the awesome ancient Nokia phones.