IT is no longer news that Whatsapp, the world’s most popular
messaging application will not be available on the BlackBerry
platform come 2017. What might be news however,
especially to the Facebook owned company, is that many
Nigerian BlackBerry faithful say they will choose the
Canadian mobile brand over Whatsapp.
Although BlackBerry might have lost face all over the world, it
is still a dearly beloved brand in the world’s most populous
black nation for a variety of reasons. The easy-to-use
physical keyboard associated with many of the older
blackberry models is one of them. Although Android and
Apple devices have relegated the physical QWERTY to the
middle ages, it is still a feature loved by many Nigerians.
Another point to note is the price factor. As a result of the
BlackBerry boom in Nigeria few years ago, the country’s
major networks designed special services for subscribers
who used the brand. The average customers internet needs
can be met with a one-off payment of N1000 a month. This
feature, unavailable on other platforms makes the use of data
more expensive on other Smartphones.
Caterer, Princess Nwadinobi is attracted to the blackberry
brand for this very reason. “I don’t really like the fact that
Whatsapp is leaving BlackBerry. With a cheap subscription
fee, I can browse easily every month on my BlackBerry
unlike other phone brands that will cost me more. I think I’ll
still stick to my BlackBerry because I can talk and do
business with my customers through the BlackBerry
messenger and Facebook messenger.
Although device lovers, Nigerians are feeling the crunch of a
dwindling economy, with the dollar rising faster against the
naira like a cup of Ijebu garri in cold water. For millions of
blackberry users across the country, getting a new device
simply to accommodate an app might not be top priority.
Mr. Sanmi Mosiko for example, a student at Kogi state
University is more interested using his finances to further
his education. He told Glamtech: “I won’t get a new phone
even when I can no longer use Whatsapp on my BlackBerry.
I’d rather do without the app.”
There are still a few who might leave BlackBerry for
Whatsapp. School teacher, Miss Amarachi Williams told
Glamtech that she would have to get herself a new phone that
makes use of the app because whatsapp is important to her.
Be that as it may, it is unlikely that you’ll find a BlackBerry
shelf when you go to a dealer in brand new devices-at least
not in the Lagos metropolis. But that doesn’t mean that BBs
are no longer sold in Nigeria. Just like with almost everything
‘Tokunbo’, the second-hand mobile market here is a thriving
one, and Blackberries are still a major part of that market.
Nigerians are still using Blackberries every day and that’s
unlikely to change overnight or even in the next three months
when Whatsapp will say goodbye to Blackberry
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