NCC Harps On Digital World For Consumers
BY GLORIA USMAN, ABUJA – The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, has emphasised the need for a robust digital world consumers can trust’.
Danbatta, who stated this at a Conference organised by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to commemorate the WORLD CONSUMER RIGHTS DAY (WCRD) for the year 2021, said the Commission is worried by the recurrent cycle of fraudulent deployment of fake and substandard mobile devices usually made of iron and plastic components.
The Consumer Rights Day is observed every 15th day of March in recognition of the central place the consumer occupies in the telecom ecosystem and in the emergent digital economy.
Danbatta said; “These goals speak to the imperative of adhering to practices that enhance Sustainable Cities and Communities, Responsible Consumption and Production; as well as Climate Action respectively”.
“This initiative is designed as a Public-Private Partnership aimed at combating the proliferation of fake, counterfeit, substandard and cloned communication devices in the telecom – communications industry”.
The NCC EVC said, in reconnecting with the theme for this Year’s celebration, the Commission is concluding processes to issue the regulation on Electronic Waste, and it is mindful of the fact that many ICT and telecom devices have plastic components, whose waste materials could worsen plastic pollution.
“We reckon that improper disposal of such disused ICT-plastic embedded products have grave implication on public health, especially in achieving Goals 11, 12 and 13 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030,” he said.
Danbatta said that the flagship outreach programme, Telecom Consumer Parliament, is still up and running. Similarly, other Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials like digital banners and factsheets in bookmarks format, have been remodeled in a way that deliver lasting value to the consumers.
He said that the conference was conceived to highlight NCC’s commitment to protecting the telecom consumers and to highlight the regulatory role of NCC with respect to protecting the Rights of the Telecom Consumers and to connect it with the global significance of today’s celebration.
He said the Commission has also implemented a strict type-approval process that ensures all equipment used in the telecommunications industry are of a suitable standard, both for the good of the consumers and for the preservation of our environment.
This coincidental connection between the 2021 theme for World Consumer Rights Day, “Tackling Plastic Pollution”, and the proactive initiatives of the Commission towards protecting the environment as well as efforts on tackling electronic waste in Nigeria tells the story of a shared vision for a satisfied consumer.
On consumer-centric regulations, he said the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 – enjoins the Commission to protect the interest of the consumers, which the Commission has done religiously, through subsidiary legislations, guidelines and directions that proactively address consumer concerns and stipulate responsibilities of all stakeholders.
“We had made declarations to curtail excesses of some operators and to expand the frontiers of freedom for the consumers. Warnings had been handed out and fines have been imposed on erring operators. Determinations have also been made by the Commission to ensure consumers are neither shortchanged nor denied their privileges and rights”.
He said that the NCC demonstrated the foregoing to reveal the extent it could go to defend and protect the interests of telecom consumers; and to successively restate its commitment to its ethos of fairness, firmness and forthrightness – the doctrinal tripod of its regulatory mandate.
Danbatta further said; “The Commission has ensured full compliance with Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards registration guidelines by the service providers and telecom consumers. This is to ensure proper registration to stop the use of improperly-registered SIMs, which usage is difficult to track.
“Having a credible subscriber database helps in tracing a SIM card to the real owner in case of any criminal investigation. This will help in curbing the painful rise in tempo of kidnapping, robberies, banditry and similar crimes committed with the aid of the use of SIM cards.
“We have made arrests and prosecutions in the past in this regard and through this effort, we have been able to sanitise the telecoms ecosystem of improperly-registered SIM cards that pose threat to national security.
“It is therefore, pertinent to say that the linking of SIM and National Identity Number (NIN) database will further help us in this direction toward protecting the consumers and all citizens at large,” he said.
The Commission has issued a number of directives to service providers in order to ensure that consumers are not shortchanged by telecom service providers.
