Your phone can be a valuable asset in the hand of anyone; there is a whole lot someone else can do on your mobile device. From the simplest of activities like scrolling through your phonebook to that which might rock your pocket/purse in some ways [especially if you are on low budget], your phone opens a vast avenue of opportunities through which a stranger or even a friend can infiltrate your life – this can be very devastating at times, I must confess. But you do not need to be a secret service agent before you take precautionary measures towards safeguarding what is yours. Here are some tips to help you secure your phone and/or valuable information:

1. Formatting: We often do not get to think of formatting our mobile device until it starts acting up or loading slowly. But formatting is yet important to undertake before giving out your phone [as a gift] to another person. This will help you keep sensitive information from getting into ‘wrong hands’. However, before you go ahead with the formatting, you should make sure you have created a backup of the data saved on the phone. To effect the format, just locate the ‘factory data reset’ option and have the phone restored to the default setting. For Smartphones; switch off the phone and press down the power button and the volume up/down buttons – depending on the phone you use – at the same time and then select ‘clear data’.

2. Using App Locks: There are an ample of software applications that you can use to lock the apps you have on your phone. These will not only keep prying eyes away but also stop strangers from accessing your prized asset (that is, your phone). Software applications like AppLock-Fingerprint, SpSoft AppLock and Perfect AppLock and so on will help you achieve this objective to a great extent. More so, this is a good way of keeping confidential information [available on your device] safe in case the phone gets stolen.

3. Locking and unlocking your call credit with codes: This is quite simple and straightforward. To lock your credit, just dial

*33*0000#

if you want to unlock, dial

#330*0000#

and send.

To make it more personalized, you will have to create some sort of PIN [a 4-digit number] and then press

**03*330*0000*PIN*PIN#

and send.

For instance, let’s say the PIN you selected is 8342, it will appear like this:

**03*330*0000*8342*8342#. 

Having done that, you can now proceed to lock your credit by dialling

*33*8342#

To cancel or deactivate the setting, dial

#33*8342#

At one instance or the other, some of us have had to part ways with our mobile devices – probably losing it to thieves or as a result of carelessness. However, irrespective of how one might have lost his/her own, the feeling is far from being dissimilar; a sore demeanor – which could last for some hours, if not days – is not far-fetched as one rues the loss of a once prized possession.

Nevertheless, you can still recover the thing you have the capacity to get back. This is when the reality of your SIM card being a highly valued asset dawns on you, retrieving it becomes a pursuit you undertake with huge commitment. But rather than going to one of the offices of your service provider to join the queue as you seek to retrieve your SIM, you can do it at your own convenience, without any hassle. That is what I am about showing you in this article. So, read on to discover how you retrieve your lost SIM without having to visit any branch of your service provider.
• Purchase a backup SIM card [provided by your network service provider] from an accredited local shop. Do not insert the card immediately.
• Use a different line to call the customer care of your network service provider in order to relay the details of your old and new SIM cards. In the course of this (call), you will be asked few questions like your ‘most frequently called numbers’, ‘the day you lost your SIM card’ and some other relevant questions.
• Provided you answered these questions correctly, your line should be ready within the next 12 hours.

You must have watched some movies where a certain character was kidnapped; had a chip inserted into him and allowed to regain his freedom – has he really got any? Since he is being monitored, there is hardly any freedom gained. But movies apart, do you know you can be monitored without even being kidnapped? Yes, that is very possible – all that is needed is just your phone number, and that is what we shall be looking at in this article. But, for reasons best known to me, I will definitely not expressly relate to you how you can be monitored but let you know how you can determine if you are being monitored and the way to go about getting the eavesdropper off your trail.

To know if your calls are being monitored; dial #61# or *#61# and look out for the message that shows up. If you get a message telling you call forwarded to 080XXXXXXXX or call forwarding activated then you should know that someone on the other end is monitoring your calls. On the contrary; if after dialing the code, it shows ‘call not forwarded’ or ‘call forwarding deactivated’ then you are safe.

Now, let’s see how you can stop the ‘eavesdropping’ activity [in case you are falling victim]. There are two (2) ways to go about this, and the option that will work for you may be dependent on the method – code or app – the ‘eavesdropper’ used in activating the call monitoring.
If the person has used a code, you deactivate the call monitoring by simply dialing ##002# or ##21#.
However, if the person used an app then you will have to format your phone. Somewhat costly that may sound but it’s worthy considering the fact that you will not have anyone intruding into your privacy. Nevertheless, make sure you have a backup [of the information on the phone] created before triggering the formatting action.

Technology has no doubt impacted human lives in no mean measure. Many are the things that were very difficult to actualize in the past but are now being done with relative ease and even in quick time. Remember those days when you will have to enter into the bank and have to join a long queue just to make a deposit? Those days were, as best as I could recall, hectic and loaded with ‘time-killing’ trivialities. But thanks to technology, those days are now far behind us – even though some individuals do not seem to be flowing where technology is taking the world to.

Well, the motive behind writing this piece is to share some information on how you can get some activities [connected with banking] done right from anywhere you may be. In other words, you do not have to go into the banking hall to push through the transactions; I choose to term this ‘banking at your fingertips’. And as you would have known; all you need is a mobile phone and probably, the number you used and/or filled in when opening your account.

USSD Codes for transferring money from your bank account to other bank accounts

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Access Bank Mobile Banking Code:

To transfer to another Access Bank account; use

*901*1*Amount*Account number#  

To transfer from Access Bank to another bank (i.e. interbank transaction), use

*901*2*Amount* NUBAN Account Number#

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Diamond Bank Mobile Banking Code: For Y’ello account, please note: You must have obtained your PIN beforehand. Dial and send:-

*710*777*Account number (of the beneficiary)*PIN#. 

To transfer to another Y’ello account, use:

*710*710*Phone Number*Amount*PIN#

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FCMB Mobile Banking Code:

*389*214#

Do note that you must have activated your FCMB mobile service, using your account before you will be able to make the transfer with this code. The same code is what you need to activate the service; just dial and send the code then follow the prompt.

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Fidelity Bank Mobile Banking Code:

*770*Account Number*Amount#

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First Bank Mobile Banking Code:

*894*Amount*Account number#

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Guaranty Trust Bank Mobile Banking Code:

To transfer from GTB to another Bank's account, dial the below:-

*737*2*Amount*Account number#. 

However, if it is from one GTB account to another GTB account: dial

*737*1*Amount*Account number#.

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Heritage Bank Mobile Banking Code:

*322*030*Account number*Amount#

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Keystone Bank Mobile Banking Code:

Dial *322*082#

and follow the prompt that comes up.

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Skye Bank Mobile Banking Code:

*833#

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Sterling Bank Mobile Banking Code:

*822#

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Union Bank Mobile Banking Code:

*389*038#

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Unity Bank Mobile Banking Code:

*389*215#

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UBA Mobile Banking Code:

*919#

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Wema Bank Mobile Banking Code:

*945* Account Number* Amount#

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Zenith Bank Mobile Banking Code:

*966*Amount*Account Number#

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Ecobank Mobile Banking Code:

*326#

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Stanbic IBTC Mobile Banking Code:

*909#

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Alternatively [and provided you have got a Smartphone with good internet connection on hand], you can do the transfer through the mobile banking app. Just download the app of the concerned bank (that is, your bank) on your mobile device and then proceed to register your details on the platform. But be minded that before you can use this app to successfully transfer money, you must have gotten your PIN from your bank.
Let me quickly state here that for the transfer to go through, you must have some call credit on your phone as most banks now charge a token for the service.

Provided you have a functional SIM card inserted into your phone, you are bound to have calls coming through your phone from time to time. And how frequent you get to receive these calls largely depends on your affiliations. But the truth is that no matter how much of a glad-hander you are, there are occasions you just want to be alone and take out some time to meditate on critical issues of life. On such occasions, your phone might be an ultimate distraction that is hard to overcome.

On the other hand, you may just want to avoid receiving calls from a particular person probably for reasons best known to you. In any of these circumstances, having a means of stopping the calls from coming through becomes very valuable. So, right about now [in this article], I will be discussing about how you can be in control of the calls you get without any hassle.
First, let us look at the more popular means. You can download the application called ‘Blacklist’ either from Google Playstore or any other mobile store. Though you may find any other similar app but Blacklist is quite reliable and the best there is. With the app, you can select the number you wish to block and even stop those unknown – or private – numbers from filtering through. Blacklist is however surely not a one-way app in that you can always deactivate the ‘block’ setting whenever you wish. From the foregoings, it is safe to say that Blacklist serves as a means of keeping your phone gated.
Again, if you are not using a Smartphone – though this next measure can work with any kind of phones – you can still stop calls from coming through even without switching off the phone or putting it in airplane/offline mode. This is particularly good for anyone who does not want to be distracted while working either online [as a freelancer] or going through some (work) files on the phone. The second option is to dial *002*0000# or *21*0000# on your phone. This will ultimately bar calls from your mobile phone [while it remains on]. To deactivate this, just dial ##002# or ##21# from the SIM card that had been used to effect the call barring.

Putting flashers at bay
Inasmuch as one may appreciate the telecommunication, there are few trends of abuse that are rather irritating and leave one looking out for a way of escape. One of such trend is what we have come to term ‘flashing’. At one point or the other, each and every one of us have had to deal with this issue with some even resolving to sending out a stern note of warning to those who were so bent on dialing their number…. There is however a better [and stress –free] way of doing this, and that is by making the (regular) flasher pay for the call.
So, know a regular flasher who does not look like seeking repentance even after serious warning? Just dial *21*171REGULARFLASHER’S NUMBER# and then send. The flasher should have a rethink after money has been deducted from his/her call credit. If you however wish to release the individual (that is the ‘unrepentant’ flasher) just dial ##21#.

One phone call can prove to be a life-changer – a mouthpiece through which one’s uplift is proclaimed – in the days to come but having a phone, with a dead battery could ruin it all. The truth however is that you can avert a potential danger and take charge of the situation [right before the phone shuts down totally] by receiving your calls from another person’s phone.

Here’s how you can go about it: dial

*21*new phone number#

and then send. Thereafter, you will be able to receive calls on the phone of the person whose number you have used.

You can cancel this setting [whenever you power your phone on again] by dialing

##21#

via the same SIM card – your own SIM card – you used in triggering the activation.

Note: It is advisable to use the line of a person you trust to do this call diverting.

It is really frustrating to hear that prompt voice telling you “sorry, your account is too low for the destination you’re trying to call”… after you have recharged your line a couple of minutes back. Then upon checking your account balance again, you found out that lo and behold, your call credit has disappeared. Virtually every network – MTN, Airtel, 9Mobile and Glo – is found wanting in this regard.
As we have come to know it; the deductions are made as payment for some active services one’s mobile line was subscribed to without one’s consent – ‘digital theft’ is what I will like to call this act. Well, inasmuch as we are not out to push for a lawsuit, we can choose to opt out of the service – though some may decide to take a more extreme measure by quitting the network service provider.
To stop the active service, you can simply reply ‘UNSUBSCRIBE’ or ‘END’ to any of the message indicating that you have subscribed to an active service. You should receive a message confirming that you have successfully opted out of the service.
On the other hand, you can cancel the services through the following means:
MTN users: dial 1235*6#
Airtel users: dial *902#
Glo users: send ‘CANCEL’ to 2442

The mobile phone does seem to be one of the most underutilized items in our world today – this I say without losing any consciousness of the mobile social media craze we see in the ever dynamic digital space. Most persons appear to be satisfied with a device that can be used for communication either through calling or sending SMSes – or maybe chatting – with every other feature being ‘inconsequential’.
The lure to have a functional piece for calling and sending text has sometimes caused some persons to purchase phones that are of substandard quality, or to put it rather plainly, fake.
And how can you know if a phone is fake or original before making a purchase? To decipher the authenticity of the phone, press *#06# and a number which is known as the IMEI number will appear. This number is usually composed of 15 digits and starts with ‘35’… in most cases – though it may differ in some instances but the number of digits remains the same. Anything in the contrary means the phone is not original. Again, you can check to see if the number showing on the screen tallies with the (IMEI) number at the back of the phone’s battery.

So much excitement and expectation trailed Nigeria’s participation at the 2018 FIFA World Cup but all that belongs to the past now with the Super Eagles group stage elimination from the tournament. That ouster has brought a lot of reactions; the one that has however been more profound is the clamoring for an overhaul with many persons calling for Coach Gernot Rohr to be sacked.
The calls for a change of guard might be justified when one considers the not-so-convincing performance of the team in the competition. We have been at this stage before and what we have often seen is paying the drawing board a revisit. This has seen us going forward one step and moving two steps backward – this has not helped our football in the least with the fans having to nurse faint hope of getting along [or even ahead (of)] top footballing nations in the world.

But reviewing the whole situation, one would see that all is not gloomy; there is a lot of promise in the team, and giving room for a building process to continue will go a long way in giving Nigeria a good standing [among top football playing nations] in the years ahead. I believe continuity is key to our sustainability since we have a young team that can go ahead to do great exploits in the future, and this is why the coach [who has started the work] should be allowed some more time to work with the team. Sacking Coach Gernot Rohr will bring about a disruption of a process and this will definitely not help our development football-wise. This is why I applaud the Nigerian Football Federation’s decision to stick with the coach as its chairman, Amaju Pinnick categorically stated that the body is very much willing to respect the contractual terms – by the way, Gernot Rohr signed a 2-year contract earlier this year – that is in place.

Having said that, it is very apparent that there is a need for improvement in many areas. While Gernot Rohr was able to set up his team to successfully implement an uncharacteristic 3-5-2 formation – a deviation from the more familiar 4-2-3-1 used during the qualifying series – it has to be said that his (Gernot Rohr’s) team management capability [coupled with poor decision-making] did cause Nigeria to lose vital points at the world cup. As he is set to continue, it is important that he gets to know his team perfectly and make sure that the ‘chaff gets separated from the wheat’; players should be drafted in based on merit. Furthermore, I do hope that, with him having a good grasp of the team’s ability, he will be able to make appropriate (game-changing) substitutions in the subsequent matches Nigeria will be playing.

Lastly, I feel there is a need to do profound homework on knowing the opponents before the teams square up on the pitch – this surely means the technical department of the NFF has to be more involved; probably by gaining the first-hand information on the teams Nigeria will be playing beforehand. This information was either not available or put to use in the games against Croatia and Argentina. Those games showed that the Nigerian team lacked the initiative to have a go at the opponent; the Super Eagles played shoddily against Croatia and failed to maximize its pace against a flailing Argentine team – Mbappe did show the world that pace is Argentina’s worst enemy.
But the positives are a source of hope and aspiration for greatness. With better understanding and working together, this team can be groomed into world beaters in the not-so-distant future. The future belongs to those who dream and the team as well as the fans can afford to dream of greater things yet with NFF’s continual support of the current management of the Super Eagles.

Since its creation by ‘faceless’ Satoshi Nakamoto in 2009, Cryptocurrency has been gaining a lot of attention as well as controversies. The issues hovering around this unique technology have thrived due to the decentralized system on which it operates, and the whole situation has not been helped by the insufficient knowledge people have garnered about this new trend.
One would have thought that, in a nation where activities revolving around get-rich-quick schemes have raised so much concern, Cryptocurrency will not even get the least of consideration. The reality however is that more and more persons seem to be getting attracted to the technology as the years pass by.
Once upon a time, cryptocurrencies [in form of Bitcoins] were seen as ‘insignificant’ as people could hardly see the value they hold. Such was the case when a box of pizzazz was exchanged for 10,000 Bitcoins; this same amount (of Bitcoins) is equivalent to over ₦22.1 billion in today’s market – a testament to how far Cryptocurrency has come.

The rise in the value of Bitcoins has been majorly down to increased acceptance world over. For instance, the Swiss government views Bitcoin to be a highly valuable tool for economic growth and top merchants such as Virgin Galactic, Microsoft, Reddit and Shopify to mention just a few are presently accepting Bitcoins as a means of payment for some products and services. With the stock of this digital currency rising, quite a good number of persons who had previously taken it to be a fraud, are now becoming more open to the technology.
Contrasting though, a number of companies [like technology giant, Google and several financial institutions] are making moves to clamp down on campaigns promoting cryptocurrencies. The reason for this is often said to be connected with the perceived insecurity that has been attributed to Bitcoins – since the technology, being a peer-to-peer network, permits transaction to go untraced. Some proponents have however accused these institutions of trying to protect their own business since the technology permits transactions to go ahead with the influence of any intermediary. Let me quickly chip in here that Cryptocurrency is not all about Bitcoin; this, I hope to shed some light on this later.
Although it is irrepressible to wave aside the security concerns linked to Bitcoins [especially when one recalls the hacking incident that resulted in the theft of over US$70 million worth of Bitcoins in 2017] but with the incorporation of the Blockchain technology, such events might be put in check to a very large extent. It is to this end that other cryptocurrencies like Ethereum, Litecoin, Ripple and some digital currencies have been invented – Bitcoin however has the edge as it is more popular.
There is no denying the fact Cryptocurrency will keep evolving; it is definitely bound to bring about some structural changes in the financial market, and will revolutionize the way business transactions are completed in the nearest future. Notwithstanding, there is a need to exercise caution before venturing into trading cryptocurrencies as there are a whole lot of factors to weigh in on.