By Angela Nkwocha
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has reaffirmed it’s
commitment to tackle consumer centric issues in the telecom eco-system despite the threat posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
This was brought to fore as it hosts the second quarter meeting of Industry Consumer Advisory Forum (ICAF), being the first virtual meeting of the Forum.
The meeting which was anchored from the Commission’s Head Office in Abuja, had NCC reiterates its commitment to increase its partnership with consumer rights advocacy groups in the sector to expand the sphere of consumer education through timely, accurate and adequate information sharing to enhance the level of education of the average telecom consumer.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Umar Danbatta, who spoke through the Director of Consumer Affairs Bureau (CAB), Efosa Idehen, said the Commission is working consciously and appropriately to ensure that continuous and informed conversations take place among all stakeholders in the industry on all matters, particularly as it affects telecom consumers, who are the lifeblood of the sector.
“The just-concluded virtual meeting of ICAF speaks to NCC’s commitment to give full expression to the metaphorical saying: ‘thinking beyond the box’, to get the work done in the face of challenging circumstances, such as the restrictions resulting from the outbreak of COVID-19. We are therefore committed to partner ICAF and other stakeholders in the telecom industry to stimulate value-adding conversations that will generate ideas to sustain and advance the relevance of telecommunication as a critical enabler of digital economy”.
The Commission in collaboration with ICAF is finalising the production of Telecom Consumer Handbook, in order to deepen consumer education about telecom products and services.
NCC expressed delight that issues affecting differently-abled people featured prominently at the meeting and promised that such matters will continue to be on the priority list of the Commission.
The ICAF requested all telecom consumer rights advocacy groups to enhance their activities and programmes on telecom consumer information and education; and to be involved, in synergy with the Commission, to increase sensitization on infrastructure protection. It also averred that people hitherto referred to as ‘the physically-challenged be referred to as “Differently Abled People” in line with United Nations resolution.
Of notable commendation is the attention the issue of telecom infrastructure protection has received from the Federal Government, and also a call on the Commission to sustain the administrative advocacy on obtaining Executive Order, as well as the Legislative process to ensure the passage of the Critical National Infrastructure Protection Bill by the National Assembly.
