World Consumer Day: NCC assures consumers of improved telecoms service

…unveils new consumer handbook

By Ibiyemi Mathew

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has assured telecom consumers across the country that the commission will not rest on its oars until the challenges of telecoms consumers have been reduced to the barest minimum.

Delivering a speech in Commemoration of the 2021 World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) held on Monday, Prof.Umar Danbatta, Executive vice-chairman(EVC) of NCC reiterated that all activities of the Commission are designed to give assurance to the consumers that their interests are of paramount importance to the Commission.

He noted that without the telecom consumers, there will be no telecom operators and there would be no regulator, the EVC seized the opportunity to restate the commitment if the commission to Protecting, Informing and Educating telecoms consumer.

“We call this our PIE Mandate to the consumers which embodies our philosophical commitment to strengthening all our consumer-centric initiatives and policies,”Danbatta said.

“The Nigerian Communications Act 2003 – enjoins the Commission to protect the interest of the consumers, which the Commission has done religiously, through subsidiary legislations, guidelines and directions that proactively address consumer concerns and stipulate the responsibilities of all stakeholders.

“We had made declarations to curtail excesses of some operators and to expand the frontiers of freedom for the consumers. Warnings had been handed out and fines have been imposed on erring operators. Determinations have also been made by the Commission to ensure consumers are neither shortchanged nor denied their privileges and rights.

“The Commission has ensured full compliance with Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards registration guidelines by the service providers and telecom consumers. This is to ensure proper registration to stop the use of improperly-registered SIMs, which usage is difficult to track. Having a credible subscriber database helps in tracing a SIM card to the real owner in case of any criminal investigation.  This will help in curbing the painful rise in tempo of kidnapping, robberies, banditry and similar crimes committed with the aid of the use of SIM cards.”

The NCC demonstrated the foregoing to reveal the extent it could go to defend and protect the interests of telecom consumers; and to successively restate its commitment to its ethos of fairness, firmness and forthrightness – the doctrinal tripod of its regulatory mandate, Danbatta noted.

The Commission also seized the occasion to unveil a new Consumer Handbook.

According to the EVC, the new handbook is “a compendium of consumer information materials compiled to enhance education and protection of the consumer.

“In keeping with global best practice of digital public communication for information and complaints management, the Commission continued to leverage social media platforms of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube, to inform and educate consumers and to use them as complaints channels for the Commission.

“In addition, the NCC Consumer Web Portal serves as an alternative online channel for lodging complaints and making enquiries.

The specially created toll free number 622 and DND short code 2442, are as active as ever. They are emplaced respectively to enable consumers to escalate unresolved complaints earlier reported to service providers, and to manage unsolicited messages. Just last month, we provided evidence that “NCC’s DND crashes unsolicited SMS by 96.6% in three years.”

Chairman, industry Advisory Advocacy Forum (ICAF), Engr, Igho Majemite,delivering a goodwill message at the launch of the handbook added that,”the book is very informative and educative.

“It captured the necessary things  consumers need to know in the telecommunication industry without ambiguity,”Engr Igho said.

Engr. Igho further commended the minister of communication and digital economy Dr Isa Ali Pantami, the executive vice chairman of NCC professor Umar Danbatta and his management team for the success he has achieved due to their stellar leadership qualities.