Working Lives: The Phone Engineers of Saka Tinubu
Someone in our team wanted to fix a Samsung Galaxy Note that seemed to have taken in some water after a visit to the beach. He thought the best thing to do was to take it to a certified Samsung workshop. It was a top end phone that he had used for about two years. His expectation had an unhappy collision with reality. A lady at one of the Samsung (approved) repair centres casually told him that he should just get a new phone as the cost of replacing the “board” was N180,000! He has more faith in Samsung products than the Samsung approved workshop- he was sure just a little bit of water could not have damaged a phone advertised as water resistant. He made some enquiries and was directed to a “phone engineer” at the Computer Village Saka Tinubu who “blew out” the liquid in 20 minutes. For the grand sum of N5,000, the Galaxy Note was restored to life. We decided to speak to four “engineers” in the ICT products hub at Saka Tinubu in Victoria Island Lagos.
The Engineer Who Refused to Start Riding Okada in Port Harcourt
Samuel – 12 Saka Tinubu St, Victoria Island,
“I knew there was a potential for me in the big city of Lagos”.
Where are you from?
I am from Port Harcourt in Rivers State.
When did you leave school?
I finished from Community Secondary School, Abuloma in 1997 and that was it, I didn’t further because there was no money.
Tell me about your family
My dad and mom are both farmers back home in the village. They planted cocoa yam and sold it mainly to people in the village. I helped out on the farm before going to school in the morning and after school also. My parents were able to send my siblings and I to school with the little they earned from farming. They no longer work as hard as they used to. I am very grateful to them even if they did not have the money to send me to the university. Some of the kids in the village then didn’t even go to secondary school at all.
Where did you learn to become a phone engineer and for how long?
I learnt in Lagos. I came down to Lagos in 2002 to start learning how to repair phones. My older brother came to Lagos earlier, he got a job through a friend to work in a factory that produces nylon bags. He had a friend that was into phone repairs and he thought it would be better for me to come learn under him instead of just roaming about in the village doing nothing. I wasn’t really doing anything in the village. It was clear I was not going to further my education. I liked the idea of coming to Lagos. I trained under my brother’s friend for four years. The majority of my mates that didn’t come to Lagos either took over the farming business from their parents or went into operating okadas in Port Harcourt. I couldn’t settle for that. I knew there was a potential for me in the big city of Lagos.
When did you start repairing phones on your own?
Immediately I finished learning and got my certificate from my boss, I established my own business right away. This was in 2007.
How much did you first invest in the business?
I invested just N50,000. My older brother gave me a space just beside his shop in Computer Village to manage for some time. He went into selling printers, inks and all other accessories related to printing. He was right in the hub and I didn’t need to pay for rent.
So, what exactly did you do with the N50,000 since you didn’t need to pay rent?
I bought tools for loosening screws in phones. I also bought a soldering machine and other basic things like PCB Holder, multimeter and magnifying lamp that a phone engineer needs to start.
How has the market changed compared with when you started?
There are more phone engineers now so the competition is more serious. Gone are those days when you could bill a customer the way you want, you can’t do that anymore because there are other people willing to repair that customer’s phone for a lesser price. The exchange rate is also a problem, spare parts have become very expensive.
Where do you get your spare parts from?
I import them from China. Other engineers import from the UK. I have built a good reputation with my Chinese suppliers over the years. Now they trust me enough to give me some goods on credit and pay back after selling. This why I deal only with the Chinese.
How is your business affected by the depreciation of the naira?
We have to increase prices! And this is bad for business. Something I would normally sell for N10,000 could go as high as N15,000 even when the price has not changed in China.
What kind of repairs do people mostly come in for?
People drop their phones in water or expose them to rainfall which leads to all sorts of issues- faulty battery, charging port not working, sound problems etc. We get a lot of water-related repairs. But cracked screens top the list of repairs. Once in a while, people come in with problems related to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
Also Read: Working Lives: The UNILAG Mass Comm Graduate Who Learnt Watchmaking in Isola D’Elba, Italy
What are the most expensive spare parts ?
The screen and the processor.
Please, tell us about an interesting experience or customer you have met while doing this business.
I have had the opportunity to repair phones for well-to-do people. I am talking about really big people in the society. You know, I have always had this mentality that rich people treat those that aren’t up to their standard like trash. But I have worked with a few of them and I am glad to say they changed my mind; they were really nice and polite people. They treat you very well and also pay you good money.
Who is your typical customer?
My typical customer is an undergraduate that either needs to get a new phone or wants to swap an old phone for a new one. They also come in for repairs.
Some people think phone engineers in markets spoil phones and others think they fix things the official phone workshops can’t fix. Why the difference in experience?
Sorry, anyone who still thinks like this is living in 2005! There are now a lot of experienced phone engineers in this hub. We have seen many cases of customers bringing their phones here to be fixed after the big stores have failed them. We fix the phones for modest amounts compared to what the big stores would have charged.
How much do you make in a week?
I make an average of N50,000. This is the amount of money I am very sure of in a week, no matter how bad things might get in terms of sales or repairs. Sometimes I make as much as N100,000 or even more.
Do you earn more from selling phones or fixing phones?
I earn more from selling phones of course. Repairs for me these days is just like a side hustle. There are even instances when a customer brings a phone and I just give it to one of my apprentices to fix and keep the money.
How many hours do you work for in a day?
I work from 9 a.m. until 7 in the evening.
How much do you save?
I save N20,000 every week. And then I have another N50,000 I save monthly. Sometimes I miss the weekly savings when sales are poor. No, I don’t save my money in dollars. I here people talk about it though. I just do not know how to go about it, I really don’t trust all these online things. I am old school, I know.
Do you have other investment or businesses?
No, this is the only business I have. And I am looking up to God to continue to bless me and provide for me so I can expand and earn more money.
