Bayero engaged the Commission’s staff at the NCC Pavilion
while asking series of questions about the activities of NCC as it relates to
service delivery and subsequently commended Management of the Commission led by
its Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Umar Danbatta, for being consumer-focused in
its regulatory activities.
He charged other regulatory organisations across the country
to emulate NCC’s template of constantly creating platforms, leveraging
different fora and emplacing frameworks and initiatives to enhance consumer
protection in their respective sectors which they supervise.
Another eminent visitor to the Commission’s pavilion on the
exhibition ground at the trade fair was the Karaje in Kano State, Alh. Ibrahim
Abubakar II. Several other telecom consumers also thronged the NCC’s Stand
where representatives of various mobile networks, namely MTN, Glo, Airtel and
9mobile were on hand to resolve all complaints referred to them by the
Commission’s official at the pavilion.
Aside having their complaints resolved, the NCC officials
also shared Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials on various
topical telecom issues to consumers both at the NCC Pavilion and, more
importantly, at the ‘NCC Day’ event which held later in the afternoon of
December 6, 2021.
Addressing a large gathering of telecoms consumers at the
NCC Day event, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta,
thanked the Kano Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture
(KACCIMA), organisers of the fair, for the constant invitation to NCC to
leverage the trade fair platform as an avenue for engaging telecom
stakeholders, especially the consumers.
Danbatta, who was represented by the NCC’s Director, Public
Affairs, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, spoke on the theme of the trade fair:
‘Consolidating the Challenges of Covid-19 Pandemic to Opportunities for Growth
and Development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria,” and
promised that the Commission will continue to stimulate the increased access to
digital infrastructure to support businesses and individuals, as well as
constantly protect consumer rights and privileges.
According to Danbatta, telecommunications sector has been a
major driver of the digital economy agenda of the Federal Government, as it
continues to provide the needed digital sinews that support the economy,
especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and its attendant restriction period.
“Since the outbreak of the pandemic, government
institutions, businesses and individuals have relied heavily on telecoms
services to carry out their daily operations and official routines. In response
to the increased demand for telecoms services, the Commission put a number of
regulatory measures in place to ensure seamless access by Nigerians to
telecommunications services and protect them against any adverse impact on the
quality of service enjoyed by consumers,” he said.
He said as the Commission continue to drive the remarkable
digital transformation being witnessed in the Nigerian economy, one area that
the Commission pays greater priority to is how consumers are treated by the
service providers. “This is why at NCC, we continue to treat consumers as Kings
and Queens. Of course, that is who they are because without the consumer, both
the regulator and the service providers have no business being in business,” he
said.
Danbatta reiterated NCC’s commitment to protecting and
empowering consumers – whether individuals and corporate consumers – from
unfair practices willingly or unwillingly orchestrated by the service
providers. “This is based on our
regulatory mandate of ensuring that consumers of telecommunications services
deserve to get value for their money, and to be treated right as very important
stakeholders in the scheme of things,” he added.
In the same vein, the NCC’s Director, Consumer Affairs
Bureau, Efosa Idehen, in his address, took a great deal of time enlightening
the consumers on various consumer-centric initiatives put in place by the
Commission to protect consumer rights. The initiatives, explained in great
details, include the NCC’s various channels of lodging complaints, the NCC
toll-free Number 622, the Do-Not-Disturb (DND) short code 2442, the NCC’s
Emergency Number 112, among several other consumer-focused programmes.
In his remarks, KACCIMA President, Dalhatu Abubakar,
applauded NCC for prioritising consumer protection in all that it does. “I
commend you for your efforts in ensuring that telecoms continue to play a
critical role in not only transforming the way people live, work and play but
also contribute significantly to the growth of Nigerian economy, as evidenced
in the sector’s impressive contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP),”
he said.
Telecom consumers, who won various prizes in a raffle
conducted to excite them at the event, also expressed appreciation to the
Commission for being one of the leading public institutions championing the
interest of the consumers.
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