Why NCC intensifi es consumer education

 Th e Nigerian Communications Commission [NCC] says it is intensifying consumer education to ensure the consumers are not shortchanged by telecommunication providers. Th is was disclosed at the 94th edition of Consumer Outreach Programme (COP) themed, “Information and education as catalyst for consumer protection” convened by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in Akure Ondo State recently.

The executive vice chairman of NCC, Prof Umar Danbata, in his opening speech, said the forum sought to enable tripartite meeting between telecom regulators, operators, and consumers to resolve pressing issues relating to the provision of telecom services to educate telecom consumers, describing the COP as one of the programmes aimed at empowering consumers.

He said the NCC had declared last year, 2017, as the year of the telecom consumer to empower consumers on key areas such as the awareness on the 622 toll free line to escalate unresolved complaint and the 2442 short code to stop unsolicited messages, adding  the commission was committed to quality of service. Danbatta, represented by the commission’s deputy director of consumer aff airs bureau, Alhaji Ismail Adedigba, explained that the NCC as the telecom regulator in the country was mandated to ensure that telecom operators are properly licensed and know the conditions of service. He said: “We give condition of licence and we monitor their performance because telecom consumers are the people that sustain the industry.

So, the consumer has the right to be knowledgeable about the services they are subscribing to so that they will not be cheated in any way. Th e essence of this programme is to enlighten the consumer on their rights and privileges and if it is abused by the service providers they should be aware of the complaint procedures and if no amicable resolution they have the right to come back to NCC so that we take it up from there. “A knowledgeable and educated consumer is an empowered consumer, when you don’t know something you cannot make maximum use of it.’’