The Vice Chairman of Abuja GSM Village, Abdulfatah Aliyu, says worsening economic conditions and rising inflation have changed how Nigerians spend on technology, with more people choosing to repair their phones rather than buy new ones.
Aliyu disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja, noting that consumers now prioritize repairs as a cost-saving measure.
He explained that many Nigerians who previously replaced faulty phones now prefer fixing them because of the high cost of new devices.
“The economy is not where we expect it to be, so consumers now carefully set their priorities before spending money,” he said.
“If you own a phone worth N500,000 and it develops a minor fault, you won’t rush to buy another one. You will rather repair it because it can still perform the same functions as a N1 million phone.
“Why spend more when you can fix what you already have? That is why we are seeing a significant increase in repair jobs.”
Aliyu said the most common faults technicians handle at the technology hub involve broken screens and damaged charging ports.
He attributed the trend to accidental drops, poor handling and negligence, particularly when children use mobile devices.
“A phone can last for many years if it is handled properly,” he said.
“Some parents allow their children to plug in phones for charging, and because they do not know the correct way to insert the USB cable, they end up damaging the charging port.”
Aliyu also noted that the soaring prices of brand-new spare parts have encouraged repair technicians to use genuine second-hand components salvaged from other devices.
“Many new replacement parts are very expensive, so we often use original, fairly used parts from other phones,” he said.
“The customer benefits because they still receive a genuine component at a much lower cost.”
He urged phone repair technicians and engineers to remain transparent with customers by informing them whenever they install alternative or fairly used replacement parts.
The Abuja GSM Village is one of Nigeria’s leading technology hubs, specializing in the sale, maintenance and repair of mobile phones and other digital devices.
