26/07/2025
No Condition Is Permanent: From Telephones to Solar, the Humbling March of Time
In the early 2000s, Nigeria stood at the dawn of its GSM revolution. It was in this context that David Mark, then Senate President, famously declared:
“Telephones are not for the poor.”
At the time, his words seemed reasonable. SIM cards cost ₦20,000–₦30,000 in 2001 (equivalent to roughly ₦350,000–₦500,000 or $230–$330 in today’s value), and owning a Nokia 3310 or Ericsson handset was a status symbol reserved for the elite. For the average Nigerian, making a phone call was a privilege, not a right.
And yet, in 2025, that statement is almost comical. Today, even roadside food vendors own Android smartphones, managing businesses through mobile banking apps, watching videos on social media, and connecting with the world.
This dramatic reversal proves a timeless truth recorded in Scripture:
“Time and chance happen to them all.” (Ecclesiastes 9:11)
What was once a luxury is now an everyday necessity. This is the story of technological evolution, and it teaches us a profound moral lesson: no condition is permanent.
From Luxury to Lifeline: The Journey of the Mobile Phone
When Martin Cooper made the first mobile call in 1973 using the Motorola DynaTAC, few imagined how far the technology would go. In 1983, the first commercial mobile service launched in the United States, but the Motorola DynaTAC cost $3,995 then—equivalent to about $12,000 today.
The UK followed in 1985, with early mobile handsets priced around £2,000–£3,000, which equals £7,000–£10,000 today. Nigeria finally joined the race in 2001, with basic handsets costing ₦20,000–₦40,000 then—worth ₦350,000–₦700,000 today.
Back then:
Owning a phone signified power and wealth.
Call rates were prohibitively high.
Mobile communication was an elite privilege.
Fast-forward to today:
Phones are everywhere—from rural villages to crowded cities.
Pay-as-you-go models and mass production have made connectivity affordable.
A phone is no longer a status symbol; it’s a tool for survival and empowerment.
The same leaders who once spoke against universal access now witness their predictions shattered by time, chance, and technology. The proud are humbled, and the lowly are lifted.
China: The Factory of the World and the Great Leveller
If one nation embodies this transformation, it is China. Once dismissed as an agrarian economy, China became the engine of global manufacturing. It didn’t just produce cheap phones; it democratised technology for billions.
Affordable smartphones from Chinese brands like Tecno, Infinix, Xiaomi, and Huawei put connectivity in the hands of Africa’s poor.
Huawei and ZTE built Africa’s telecom backbone at a fraction of Western costs.
Today, even in Europe and America, products made in China dominate households—from electronics to solar panels.
Without China’s aggressive mass production, mobile phones—and many other technologies—might still be luxuries. And yet, as China develops and its wages rise, the same pattern will repeat: Africa will become the next frontier for manufacturing, if it seizes the opportunity.
The Solar Revolution: Breaking the Chains of Corruption
Consider electricity in Africa. For decades, rural electrification was a political tool. Billions disappeared into failed projects, while villages remained in darkness. But today, thanks to mass-produced solar panels from China, the game has changed.
A rural household can now run lights, TVs, refrigerators, and fans without a power grid.
Solar-powered boreholes pump water from 120 metres underground, rendering corruption over pipe-borne water projects laughable.
Solar generators, solar air conditioners, and energy storage systems are already here—expensive today, but soon to be commonplace, just like phones.
This shift echoes the words of Proverbs:
“Riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations.” (Proverbs 27:24)
Governments that fail to adapt will be bypassed by innovation, and their monopoly on basic services will vanish. Seeking government jobs for security will soon look foolish and immoral when technology empowers individuals more than bureaucracies.
The Bigger Picture: Time, Technology, and Humility
History repeats the same lesson:
The landline was a status symbol; today, it’s irrelevant.
The mobile phone was a luxury; today, it’s everywhere.
Solar power is expensive today; tomorrow, it will be universal.
AI and automation are elite tools today; soon, they will shape every household.
This is why pride has no place in human living. Nations that boast today may depend tomorrow. Technologies that awe us today will soon bore us. And as Solomon wrote:
“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
The Moral of the Story
Whether it is phones, solar energy, or artificial intelligence, the wheel of time humbles all human pride. The luxury of today becomes the commonplace of tomorrow. The centre of power shifts. What seemed impossible yesterday becomes routine today—and obsolete tomorrow.
So, what should our posture be?
Humility. Adaptability. A recognition that human progress is ultimately under God’s sovereignty. For as Revelation 4:11 declares:
“For Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.”
…and who knows, even this essay hasn’t touched on the awe of this whole story and future generations will expand on it, for who knows tomorrow if not only the owner of tomorrow; God alone. At the end, we all must remain humble, for it’s not about our pride but about Himself who has created all things, and for His pleasure, for which He created them!”
