The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has reiterated its commitment to tackling consumer-centric issues in the telecom eco-system, even in the face of the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Commission made this known as it hosted the second quarter meeting of the Industry Consumer Advisory Forum (ICAF) and the Forum’s first virtual meeting, according to a statement signed by Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, NCC’s Director of Public Affairs.
The NCC reiterated its commitment at increasing 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.
Prof. Umar Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive (EVC/CE) of the Commission, who spoke through the Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau (CAB), Efosa Idehen, stated the efforts being made by the Commission in this regard.
He disclosed that 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 telecommunications as a critical enabler of the digital economy,” Danbatta declared at a brief in-house evaluative session on the ICAF meeting.
DigitalTimesNG understands that as a testimony to NCC’s readiness to work harmoniously with other stakeholders in the industry, 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.
The statement revealed that the Management of NCC was particularly pleased 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.
A representative of the group had informed the meeting that the United Nations had passed a resolution that the persons hitherto referred to as ‘the physically-challenged’ be addressed as “Differently-Abled People.”
At the meeting, anchored from the NCC’s Head Office in Abuja recently, the ICAF also 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 sensitisation on infrastructure protection.
The meeting while expressing delight with the attention the issue of telecom infrastructure protection has received from the Federal Government called on the NCC 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.
The NCC expressed appreciation to members of ICAF for the impressive attendance of the first virtual meeting and for the consistency in being very constructive partners to the Commission since the creation of the Forum in 2009.
