THE declaration of the year 2017 as the ‘Year of Telecom Consumer’ by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has continued to record more success stories. Umar Danbatta, executive vice chairman, NCC, dedicated this year to the telecoms consumer, and the commission have been busy from the beginning trying to educate the telecom consumers on how to protect themselves.

Danbatta made the disclosure while receiving a delegation from Kano University of Science and Technology, KUST, led by Abdulhadi Aminu, deputy vice chancellor Administration, during a courtesy visit to NCC.

The NCC, on March 15, this year, launched the year of telecom consumer campaign programme designed to give concrete expression to the centrality of the consumer in the telecom ecosystem. Since then the commission had embarked on aggressive enlightenment drive to educate and empower the consumers in the industry.

The key components of the campaign include: Creation of greater awareness on service quality; Facts on electromagnetic fields radiation; Do not disturb (DND) Code 2442, which consumers can use to stop unsolicited text messages; and the NCC’s toll free line – 622 – through which consumers can reach the commission in cases where service providers fail to resolve their complaints.

“This year has been dedicated to the telecoms consumer, and the commission have been busy from the beginning of the year, trying to educate the telecom consumers on how to protect themselves from unwholesome practices by the operators, especially the unsolicited text messages, as well as raising awareness on our toll free complaint line. We have noticed a remarkable improvement in the level of activation of the facility as well as the level of awareness about 622 toll free complaint line. We have the statistics. The successes are there for all to see,” he told the visitors,” he said.

Also, Danbatta, who congratulated the university on attaining full accreditation status in all academic programmes, however, assured Nigerians that the commission would continue to be equitable and consider national spread in its ICT interventions in the country.

Leader of the delegation commended the NCC boss for his outstanding role in the development of both the telecoms and educational sectors of the country.

Danbatta was the acting vice chancellor of the university before he was appointed the executive vice chairman and chief executive of NCC in August 2015.

Sept. 8, 2017 @ 12:05  GMT |