Jos wristwatch repairers decry low patronage

Wristwatch repairers in Jos, like their counterparts in other states, are struggling to remain in business as cell phones and other devices are pushing wristwatches off many people’s must-have gadgets. 

Stakeholders in the business said prior to the emergence of cell phones, car watches, digital and alarm clock repairs were booming as almost everyone was using them to know the time. 

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But now cell phones and other gadgets are serving the purpose that the wristwatch once served. 

Yusuf Abubakar, a watchmaker in Jos, lamented over how their business is slipping away, saying, “I have been in the repair of wristwatch business for the past 40 years. 

“Definitely, there is a great difference between now and before in terms of the repair of wristwatches or wall clocks.

“The coming of handsets has brought a great change in the rate at which people turn up to repair their watches or clocks because they now rely more on handsets.”

Muktar Idris, a horologist in Jos, also complained about the development.

“Watch repair is a good business and has been helping me a lot. I have been in the business for about 25 years.

However, since phones came, there has been a change in our business because people now check the time on their phones. 

“But that doesn’t mean people have stopped coming. Glaringly, there is a change. Before now, people would own four to five wristwatches for fashion, and regularly came to repair or service them,” he said.