The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that out of 11,327 genuine consumer complaints received through the short 622 between 2019 and 2020, 11,288 which translate to 99.1%, have been successfully resolved.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta said this during the commemoration of the 2021 World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) held on Monday, March 15, 2021
He further said that the Commission has reviewed the Consumer Complaint categories and Service Level Agreement. The CC/SLA provides complaints categories, the timelines for resolving complaints and prescribes penalties for defaulting operators. This has ensured quantifiable improvements in consumer compliant management process by the operators.
It will be recalled that the NCC declared 2017 as Year of the Telecom Consumer, in recognition of the central place the consumer occupies in the telecom ecosystem and in the emergent digital economy.
In the same year, the World Consumer Rights Day focused on “Better Digital World”. The declaration by the Commission and the focus by WCRD 2017 emphasized the need to build ‘a digital world consumers can trust’.
This year’s theme for World Consumer Rights Day is, “Tackling Plastic Pollution” while the activities and actions slated for this commemoration are to raise awareness and engage state and non-state actors on the global plastic pollution crisis.
Danbatta said that this is coming three years after the NCC drafted the Nigerian Communications Industry E-Waste Regulations in 2018.
“The objective of the Regulation is to manage E-Waste; promote reuse, recycling and other forms of recovery; improve environmental management system of operators in the telecom industry; and reduce greenhouse emissions as well as enhance sustainable development efforts, Danbatta said.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications in his Commission (NCC), Prof. Danbatta used the occasion to unveil a new Consumer Handbook; a compendium of consumer information materials compiled to enhance education and protection of the consumer.
In his welcome remark, the Executive Commissioner Stakeholder Management, Barrister Adeleke Adewolu said that as a consumer-centric organisation, the NCC aligned with all visions that call attention to concerns about consumer rights and the need to secure them, because the prosperity of any business or service takes life from its consumers and stakeholders.
“In 2017, NCC expressed unequivocal commitment to the centrality of the telecom consumer in the telecom ecosystem by declaring that Year as Year of the Telecom Consumers. Before then and after, we have been unwavering in our commitment to the primacy of the consumer in the architecture of telecommunications industry in Nigeria. For this reason, the NCC has received many awards, and we will not rest on our oars, Barrister Adewolu said.
In his own remark, the Chairman, Industry Advisory Advocacy Forum (ICAF), Engr Igho Majemite, said that over the years NCC has created a veritable enabling environment for a robust telecommunication industry that speaks to good customer experience. NCC steadfastness in protection of the industry and consumers rights and privileges are not compromised.
In achieving her goals, so many players are involved and one of these players is the industry consumer advisory forum (ICAF). it is an advisory body set up by NCC to look at thematic issues in the telecommunication business in Nigeria. ICAF bandies these thematic issues and advises on implementable resolutions that are forwarded to NCC management. ICAF has provided many implemented resolutions like DND, Porting of phone lines, unused Data rollover and others, Engr Majemite said.
The consumer movement marks 15th March with World Consumer Rights Day every year, as a means of raising global awareness about consumer rights and needs. Celebrating the day is a chance to demand that the rights of all consumers are respected and protected, and to protest against market abuses and social injustices which undermine those rights.
World Consumer Rights Day was inspired by President John F Kennedy, who sent a special message to the US Congress on 15th March 1962, in which he formally addressed the issue of consumer rights. He was the first world leader to do so. The consumer movement first marked that date in 1983 and now uses the day every year to mobilise action on important issues and campaigns.
