Amidst ravaging poverty in the land, Nigeria is reportedly purchasing 53 customised gold-plated iPhones costing N.6 billion for the 53rd independence anniversary celebration billed for the 1st of next month. In a report it published in its edition of Tuesday, The Independent of London, quoted a Bristol-born businessman based in Dubai, Amjad Ali as saying he was fulfilling an order from the Nigerian Government for 53 gold-plated iPhones at the cost of 3,000 pounds each.
At 3,000 pounds, the total cost of the 53 gold iPhones is 159,000 pounds, an equivalent of N662 million. The gold iPhones, according to the businessman quoted by the UK newspaper, was being produce for possible anniversary bash as Nigeria marks its 53rd year of independence.
“We will engrave them with the (Nigerian) coat of arms, a shield and two horses,” he told the London based newspaper.
However, after the story went viral in Nigeria, with Abuja based Premium Times being the first to break it locally, there was a swift denial from the Federal Government, and subsequently, The Independent reported the Dubai based business tycoon, Ali, as reaching out to say he was “fulfilling an order from a Nigerian individual”.
The newspaper was thereby compelled to write a note which said: “In an earlier version of this article, the founder of Gold and Co. claimed the Nigerian Government had ordered 53 gold iPhones. He now informs Independent Online that the order in fact came from an individual in Nigeria”.
But in spite of the correction, there was still suspicion last night that the order might have been placed by an individual on behalf of the government. Although most public servants-in and out of government- who were contacted last night refused to make public comments on the matter, preferring to study the development as it unfolds, some have punctured the government’s position, citing the elaborate Centenary celebrations which it (government) claimed it was not spending any amount for.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Anyim Pius Anyim, had had to make public explanations that, while government was embarking on elaborate ceremonies to mark Nigeria’s 100 years of existence-since the 1914 amalgamation of the northern and southern protectorates- the Federal Government was not committing a kobo to the series of events.
The SGF’s spirited efforts to defend the government did not however convince many Nigerians that only private sector entities were committing funds for the elaborate ceremonies.
In denying yesterday’s report ib tge 53 gold iPhones, the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Information said it was “false and mischievous”.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Information Minister, Joseph Mutai, said in an sms response to Peoples Daily enquiry that: “We never heard anything like that. The story is utterly false and mischievous. There is no any order like that, at least by this government”.
Speaking in the same vein, the Special Assistant on Media to the SGF, Mr. Sam Nwaobasi, also said in an sms that: “The Federal Government did not order 53 gold iPhones for 53rd independence anniversary”.
Nigeria is one of the top six oil producers in the world but its people have been variously ranked among the poorest in the world.
According to recent development reports, the more than 60 percent of the nation’s teeming populace live on less than $2 (about N320) in a day.
The Independent, in its report said, Amjad Ali supplies royal families and minted customers across Russia, China and the Middle East with gold-plated devices that cost up to £50,000.
The 42-year-old entrepreneur, who grew up in Glasgow, has pre-ordered hundreds of new iPhones. His team at Gold and Co. will set to work the day after launch before delivering the devices to luxury retailers.
“We strip the units down and then plate them in copper, nickel and then pure gold,” he told The Independent. “We have limited units per region and each is numbered and placed in a handmade wooden box with a certificate of authenticity and wax seal.”
Ali typically delivers 50 devices a month, including Blackberries and iPads, but orders rose to more than 300 a month when the iPhone 5 was launched last year. The firm expects greater demand still for the sixth-generation device, announced today.
Gold and Co.’s customers, The Independent said, have included the Saudi royal family, which, Ali said, ordered a gold iPhone studded with hundreds of diamonds, including a giant piece that served as the device’s “home” button. The bill is: £50,000.
The company has also supplied an engraved gold iPad to each of the rooms at the luxury “six-star” Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai.
For the new iPhone, Ali has added a platinum option to the gold and rose gold currently offered. “Muslim men are not supposed to wear gold,” he explained.
“We had government departments for example cancelling orders so now we’re launching platinum to tap into a huge market. Most importantly, it’s a third colour. Everyone wants to be different”, he had told The Independent.
- Peoples Daily Nig.
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