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The Torchlight (Flashlight) as a Product in Nigeria
Product Under Review: Torchlights (Flashlights) in Nigeria
Situation Report: I am angry, very angry. I am so angry at the number of fake products we have in this country that I made the move to take them all one by one, analyze them and expose them all as fake, so that you may ‘shine your eyes’ and look well before you leap into the abyss of fake products.
I will start with one simple product, the torchlight or flashlight, like it is called in many countries. I have in my house a million torchlights I bought over the years. I have them in all types and colours: metal ones, plastic ones, tiger ones, lion ones, panda ones, eagle ones, grey ones, blue ones, green ones, red ones, yellow ones, disposable battery ones, rechargeable-battery ones, you name them, all of them fake or criminally inferior, because, I believe, someone deliberately made them so, to make you and me buy another one, and another and another. Fake, fake, fake, because none of them lasted two weeks without developing a fault.
The most annoying thing about a fake torchlight is: you buy brand new batteries, insert them in the torch, tighten the lid, slide the switch on and, wait for it: there is no light. Did you hear me? I said there is no light, in a flashlight you bought a few days ago, with brand new batteries in it. No light! and at the most needy moment, when big NEPA (that’s the name I still prefer) has just struck and given you total darkness. Maybe you were at the dining table in the middle of a sumptuous meal and you needed the light urgently so people did not put the food in their nose or something, or your car just broke down at 9 pm in the middle of nowhere, and you needed that light to quickly check the engine compartment. The brand new torch light brings no light and you are left in darkness. I am angry at products like that!
It is true that there are many fake products in Nigeria. It is also true that there are many genuine (original) products in Nigeria, but the fake ones, unlike in other countries I know, are so many that one is tempted to think there are more fakes than genuine ones. But I am sure that Government protection agencies like the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) are equal to the task and are working hard to reduce the blight.
Brands: I will not even bother to write the type of names I see on these things. They are all unbranded and you print any name you like on them. Look at the flashlights in the above picture. I am sure you must have been seeing them all over the place, in supermarkets and shops, in the open markets, in the street pushed around in mobile kiosks etc. They are imported in large quantities to keep all of us in misery while there are high quality ones from other places that can be imported.
Recommendations: My recommendation to residents of Nigeria is simple. If you can, import yours from the US, the EU, Japan or from anywhere you find strong and lasting types. Pay online with your Visa or MasterCard and, in less that a week, they knock on your door and hand it over to you. The e-commerce system works well, especially since the arrival of king COVID-19, and I have imported many things like that. If you can’t import yours, there are genuine ones but they are much more expensive. You can find them in supermarkets and other expensive places for between =N=2,000 and =N=15,000. It is better to spend a little more money and buy something that will last a long time and give you real value for your money.
What is your personal experience regarding torch lights in Nigeria? I am sure most Nigerians are having this same type of experience. That is why it is better to spend a little more money and buy something that will last a long time and give you real value for your money; it is advisable to buy one expensive product that will last up to ten years before misbehaving instead of buying five to ten cheap ones a year that will not last a month.
Pricing: =N=700 to =N=5,000, depending on the type of torchlight and the place of purchase, mostly negotiable a la Nigeriana. Have a look at some flashlight prices in Nigeria.
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