Sokoto, Umudike, Ilaro host NCC Consumer Conversation

Mon, Sep 4, 2017 | By publisher


Business

 

CONSUMER Conversation, a special stakeholder engagement dialogue with telecom consumers and other stakeholders, initiated by NCC is a central elemental activity of the Commission’s declaration of 2017 as Year of the Nigerian Telecom Consumer.

Facilitated by the Zonal Offices of the Commission all over the country, the Conversation held recently at Umaru Aliyu Shinkafi Polytechnic, Sokoto; Michael Okpara Federal University of Agriculture Umudike, Abia State; and Sayedero Market Square, Ilaro, Ogun State.

Speaking at the events organised by the Kano, Enugu and Lagos Zonal Offices, Adamu Amshi, Emilia Nwokoro and Kenneth Uzoekwe, Zonal Controllers of Kano, Enugu and Lagos Offices respectively, focused on key issues that are at the heart of consumer concerns such as unsolicited messages, challenging quality of service, and fears about Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) radiation.

They all appealed to consumers to activate the 2442 Short Code provided by NCC to stop or manage instances of unsolicited messages. The NCC representatives also told their respective audiences to utilise the Toll Free Line (622) to escalate complaints earlier reported to their service providers which may not have been resolved to their satisfaction.

The zonal controllers also seized the platforms to clarify misinformation associated with EMF radiation from telecom infrastructure such as masts and devices. They informed consumers that over 25000 publications and about 6000 summaries of individual scientific studies are available on www.emf-portal.org and none has established correlation between telecom infrastructure and cancer. They asked consumers to discountenance the rumour because radiations from such sources are non-ionizing (unable to generate energy that can penetrate cells to cause harm to humans.

At Sokoto, Aliyu Balarabe, Acting Rector of the Polytechnic said telecom is so central to everyday life and expressed gratitude to NCC for the information and education provided the participants.

Kenneth Uzoekwe, Zonal Controller Lagos Office told the large gathering of staff from Yewa South Local Council secretariat, market women and men, road transport workers and other consumers from many parts of the Ilaro community that NCC’s commitment to amplify its regulatory activities through the declaration of Year of the Consumer, derived from Commission’s belief in the supremacy of the consumer among telecom stakeholders and the need to ensure consumers satisfaction through provision of timely and accurate information and other educational resources to enable consumers to make informed decisions.

Relatedly, the Ibadan Zonal Office of the NCC today held a sensitization forum at Fayose Market, GSM Village, Ado Ekiti to educate consumers and other telecom stakeholders on the need to Type-Approve their devices (such as mobile phones) with the Commission because substandard phones have implications for quality of service a consumer can access. Olubunmi Bamijoko, Zonal Controller, who led NCC team to the forum also told participants at the Forum to disregard information bandied around that radiation from telecom masts and mobile phones can cause cancer.

As his colleagues had also explained at Sokoto, Umudike and Ilaro, Bamijoko and his team which included Kunle Olorundare of Technical Standards and Network Integrity Department, said there is no scientifically established fact to support such claims. All the events were marked by large participation and lively discourse especially during question and answer sessions.

– Sept 4, 2017 @ 12:52 GMT |

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