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6 Ways to Overcome Smartphone Addiction

Published

9 years ago

September 6, 2017

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We are living in an increasingly mobile-connected age. From a tool whose greatest utility was once tied around making calls and sending short messages, mobile phones have become indispensable gadgets that play multi-faceted roles including computing, banking, online shopping, virtual assistant, fitness coach, personal physician, news source, compass and virtually our window on the increasingly fast-paced world.

According to the Research and Development Unit of Yudala, Nigeria’s pioneer online and offline e-commerce outfit, the growing utility is admittedly related to the rise and penetration of the smartphone: pocket-sized mobile devices, some of which have the capabilities to out-perform even some PC laptops.

The foregoing has seen a growing dependence on smartphones for a variety of tasks. Indeed, a significant majority of users polled in a recent survey revealed that their first action on waking up was to reach for their smartphone.

Another research study on smartphone use found that over 90 per cent of respondents admitted to being phone junkies, claiming a sense of loss/disorientation or a feeling of being cut off from the world when without their smartphones.

Usage patterns indicate a growing addiction to smartphone among various classes and demographics of consumers.

Interestingly, this is not only limited to millennials as research indicates that many in the older generation display similar patterns. The reality of smartphone addiction is now a major concern, especially in view of its debilitating effects on work, health and human relationships.

If you are caught in the web of smartphone addiction, the following tips from Yudala will help you break the habit:

Turn off instant notifications
You are in the middle of a crushing schedule at work, with deadlines looming. Suddenly, your phone buzzes! Immediately, your attention switches to the device to see who has hit you up on WhatsApp, commented on your latest Facebook post, retweeted that tweet or liked your picture on Instagram. Instant notification is one of the features of the smartphone that has contributed to getting a lot of people hooked on their devices.
Good news is that, you can break that cycle by tweaking your settings to turn off push notifications for the various apps on your smartphone, especially the distracting ones from social media. While this may make you a bit late to social media activity, the overall benefits are immense as you will gradually regain control from the tendency to check your device each time it buzzes. For other apps such as emails, you can choose to manually check once every hour or even turn on the notifications when out of the office so you don’t miss out on important correspondence.

Use your smartphone less (with some help from apps)
This is actually possible. By setting particular times in the day when you can use your device and sticking to these religiously, you can gradually begin to ease the heavy usage of the smartphone which often results in dependence and addiction.
It is common to see individuals in a social gathering actually devoting more time to their smartphones, thereby defeating the aim of the meet-up.
As a rule, the smartphone must be kept far away from you during meetings, social gatherings or when having your meals. Interestingly, there are a number of apps that can help limit your smartphone use. Flipd, Moment and BreakFree are three very good examples. These can be installed and set up to gauge and help you control your smartphone use.

Uninstall unnecessary apps
If you fall into the category of app-happy smartphone users, you stand a better chance of kicking that smartphone addiction by uninstalling the unnecessary apps on your device.
Rather than being app-happy (always in a hurry to download any new app you come across), the right mindset to smartphone use is to be app-smart.
This way, you weigh the benefits and utility of each app and even check out the reviews before you download and install them on your device.
Take the time to go through the tons of apps on your smartphone and decide which ones are serving duplicated roles or those that are actually enslaving you to the device.
An app that notifies you of new comments on social media, for instance, may be one of those to let go of. By reducing the number of apps, you are taking a strong step to overcome the addiction to your smartphone.
Not only that, interruptions are reduced, fewer notifications distract you and you also free up the storage space on your device for more constructive use.

Turn off your device an hour before going to bed
For most people, this is a seemingly impossible task. The sad reality is that many smartphone addicts fall into the class of those who can be found using their smartphone until sleep comes, often far beyond the normal hours.
It is hardly surprising, therefore, that there is a strong correlation between this particular improper use of the smartphone and a host of sleeping orders including, but not limited to, snoring, sleep apnea, insomnia, sleep deprivation and restless legs syndrome.
In addition, the eyes come under excessive strain when you peer at the harsh glare of a smartphone screen for hours in a darkened room.
It is advisable to switch off the phone at least an hour before going to sleep. In addition to helping you sleep better, the extra hour before bed can be put to better use through meditation, reflecting on the day’s activity, writing down your accomplishments for the day, reading a book (paper copy), communicating with your partner/spending time with your family, which is a very important part of bonding.

Keep the phone away
A common observation among smartphone addicts is their tendency to always keep their devices within reach.
One of the ways of beating this particular habit is to put some distance, physical or virtual, between you and your smartphone. When at work, you can have the device locked up in a drawer with set times for checking it.
The same practice can apply at home, especially when spending time with family or friends. Complicated or multiple passwords or screen locks could also come in handy in preventing you from constant use of the device.
Reviewing your smartphone use patterns can also be a good way of achieving this. Keeping the phone locked up in another room, for instance, can help you break the habit of immediately reaching for it upon waking up in the morning.
Same goes for the ability to hold back from posting a picture on social media immediately it is taken. Control and self-discipline is key.

Switch to a feature phone for a while
To break your smartphone addiction, you may need to take a radical step by switching to a feature phone for a while.
While the prospects seem unbearable, you may discover that the decision could eventually help you regain your life, enrich your relationships and may not be such an uncomfortable experience after all.
For a start, you can use a feature phone for a month before switching back to a smartphone once certain you are in better control of the addiction. The experience may turn out to be a life-changing one…

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Dimension Data to Channel Funds to Support Nigerian Fibre Expansion

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1 hour ago

August 5, 2026

Ebere Melum-Nwogbo

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Dimension Data has said that the proceeds from its Series 1 corporate bond, will support the expansion of the company’s fibre infrastructure to meet Nigeria’s growing demand for digital connectivity.

Dimension Data to Channel Funds to Support Nigerian Fibre Expansion

This followed the successful subscription of the corporate bond.

Recall that Dimension Data Limited said that it has completed the signing ceremony for the issuance of N4.05 billion (approximately US$2.9 million).

This sum marks the first tranche of a N20 billion (US$14.7 million) bond programme announced earlier this year.

The bond programme was raised under Dimension Data SPV Funding Plc, following approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of Nigeria.

The company says the proceeds will support the expansion of the company’s fibre infrastructure to meet Nigeria’s growing demand for digital connectivity.

Speaking at the ceremony, Olugbenga Olabiyi, managing director of Dimension Data Limited, said the investment reflects the company’s long-term commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s digital economy.

The planned investments will fund the continued expansion of Dimension Data’s fibre network, supporting increasing demand from financial institutions, fintechs, enterprise customers and other technology-driven sectors.

Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Johannesburg, the company has grown its footprint across the Middle East and Africa.

Today Dimension Data is a member of the NTT Ltd Group, one of the world’s leading technology companies.

As cloud adoption, digital financial services and data-intensive applications continue to grow, the company believes resilient fibre infrastructure will remain a critical enabler of Nigeria’s digital economy.

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FG Commences 90,000km Fibre Optic Rollout within Weeks

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1 hour ago

August 5, 2026

Chike Onwuegbuchi

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The Federal Government has announced that work will commence within weeks on a 90,000-kilometre fibre optic network expected to connect every state, local government area and ward in Nigeria, marking what officials describe as one of the country’s most ambitious digital infrastructure projects.

Dr Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, disclosed this on Tuesday after briefing President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, on the progress of three flagship digital transformation initiatives being implemented by his ministry.

According to the minister, all resource mobilisation and contractual processes for the nationwide fibre project have been completed, paving the way for physical deployment.

“We’re now at the point where, in a few weeks’ time, we should start to lay those fibre, so people will start seeing us around the country deploying the fibre. This is going to transform Nigeria for good,” Tijani said.

He explained that the project would deliver fibre optic infrastructure to every geopolitical zone, state, local government area and ward, significantly expanding broadband access and improving the quality of internet connectivity across the country.

“This is a project where every state, every geopolitical zone, every local government and every ward in this country will be covered with fibre optic cables, which will transform the quality of connectivity,” he added.

Bosun Tijani attributed the progress in the digital economy to a series of reforms approved by President Tinubu, including the designation of digital infrastructure as Critical National Infrastructure, tariff adjustments and tax harmonisation measures sought by industry operators.

“I think our sector has been extremely fortunate. Mr. President has given us quite a number of things that the sector has been demanding for a long time. Whether it’s the Critical National Infrastructure designation for all digital infrastructure, the slight adjustment in tariff, or the tax harmonisation, these are reforms the industry has long requested.

“I think it’s probably the sector that is most appreciative of this government because when we came in, the sector was contributing between 16 and 18 per cent to our GDP, but today it is tracking close to 21 per cent. That represents significant growth,” he said.

The minister noted that the reforms had also improved the financial performance of major operators in the telecommunications sector.

On efforts to bridge the digital divide, Tijani disclosed that the government would begin deploying about 3,700 telecommunications towers from October to provide network coverage for more than 20 million Nigerians currently living in underserved communities without access to telecom services.

He said the President had approved the project after months of capital mobilisation and planning.

“Today we’re at a point where, before the end of the year, we’ll also start to deploy close to 3,700 towers. It’s taken a lot to put this project together and raise the required capital, but we are now ready to begin deployment around October,” he said.

The minister also announced that Nigeria would officially launch an alphanumeric postcode system on October 1, a move he said would place the country among a select group of nations operating an advanced digital addressing system.

“Nigeria will be amongst maybe 10 or 15 countries in the world with an alphanumeric postcode. It’s the latest design in postcode systems, where we can identify every property in this country. We’re hoping to launch that on the 1st of October,” he said.

Tijani explained that the new system would assign a unique address to every property nationwide, enhancing logistics, accelerating e-commerce, improving emergency response and strengthening public service delivery.

“Inability to locate places comes at a cost. You can imagine what this will do for e-commerce. It means goods can now be delivered in record time,” he said.

He added that integrating the postcode system with existing government identity databases would improve security and make public services more efficient.

“Our alphanumeric postcode is unique because it allows us to assign a unique address to every property. In many countries, such as the UK, postcodes cover clusters of buildings. What we are introducing will uniquely identify every building, and that will be a game changer for Nigeria in terms of security, commerce and public service delivery,” the minister stated.

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Treepz Partners with CMS T&M to Digitize Public Transportation for Millions of Lagos Commuters

Published

1 hour ago

August 5, 2026

Ugo Onwuaso

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Treepz has officially announced a strategic partnership with CMS Taxi & Motor Nigeria Limited (CMS T&M) to modernize public transportation through digital technology to ensure cashless, transparent and more efficient commuting for passengers across CMS – Ajah routes.

The partnership brings together Treepz’s transportation technology and CMS T&M’s decades of experience moving passengers.

By integrating Treepz’s digital mobility platforms into CMS T&M’s operations, passengers will enjoy a faster, safer and completely cashless payment experience, while the transport operators gain access to real-time operational insights, digital ticketing and improved revenue management.

Speaking on the partnership, Johnny, Co-Founder of Treepz, said: “Public transportation is the backbone of every thriving city. Our mission has always been to use technology to make commuting easier and more efficient for everyone.

“Partnering with CMS T&M represents another important milestone in digitizing public transportation in Nigeria and empowering operators with the tools they need to scale sustainably.”

He added: “By replacing manual ticketing and cash collections with digital systems, we’re creating greater transparency for operators while delivering a better everyday experience for commuters.”

Also commenting on the partnership, Andrew Akhigbe, Managing Director of CMS T&M, said: “CMS T&M has proudly served Lagos commuters for decades, and innovation has always been essential to our growth.

“This partnership with Treepz allows us to embrace modern technology that improves operational efficiency, enhances accountability, and delivers a more convenient travel experience for our passengers.”

The collaboration reflects a shared commitment by both organizations to accelerate the digital transformation of Nigeria’s transport sector while improving the quality, reliability and accessibility of public mobility.

Treepz continues to expand its footprint across Africa by providing technology solutions that help transport operators digitize their services and deliver better customer experiences.

Beyond public bus operators, the company also powers mobility solutions for businesses, educational and religious institutions as well as governments seeking smarter transportation systems.

As Lagos continues to evolve into one of Africa’s largest smart cities, partnerships like this demonstrate how technology can reshape urban mobility, making transportation more connected, efficient and accessible for millions of commuters.

Visit website: https://www.cmstaxiandmotor.com

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