The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has reaffirmed its commitment to protecting and empowering telecoms customers against unfair business practices.
Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman, announced this at the 16th Abuja International Trade Fair, organized by the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry, over the weekend in Abuja on “NCC Special Day” (ACCI).
According to Danbatta, the NCC recently unveiled a new Strategic Vision Plan (SVP), which articulates the Commission’s policies and regulatory implementation roadmaps for the next five years, covering 2020-2025, in keeping with the Commission’s consumer-centric objectives.
He said , the new roadmap, dubbed a 5-Point Agenda, has the main goal of improving consumer connectivity and service experiences, similar to how the first Strategic Vision Plan for 2015-2020 focused on consumer empowerment and protection.
According to him, “The consumer is King and this philosophy has consistently guided the Commission’s regulatory stance.
“The Commission is committed to empowering and protecting consumers from unfair practices.
“This is based on our regulatory mandate of ensuring that consumers of telecommunications services get value for their money, and that they are treated as the most important stakeholders in the scheme of things,” he said.
He listed the five consumer-centric items of the new SVP 2021-2025, to include
“Organizational Renewal for Operational Efficiency and Regulatory Excellence;
Facilitating the Provision of Infrastructure for a Digital Economy which fosters National Development; and Promoting Fair Competition, Inclusive Growth, Increased investment and Innovative Services.
Others include to “Improve Quality of Service (QoS) for Enhanced Consumer Quality of Experience (QoE); and
Facilitating Strategic Collaboration and Partnership.
“The SVP will generally focus on the excellence and efficiency of our regulatory activities and ensure increased connectivity to telecoms consumers through deployment of robust infrastructure and the Fifth Generation (5G) network, recently approved for rollout by the Federal Government.”
Also speaking, Mr. Efosa Idehen
Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau,NCC,
restated the NCC’s commitment to ensuring fair competition and level-playing field for all stakeholders in the communications industry, particularly in safeguarding the interest of consumers from abuse of their rights and privilege; and against unfair practices in the telecom service value chain.
Idehen said this commitment has been demonstrated in the Commission’s continuous effort to establish seamless programmes that would Protect, Inform and Educate (PIE Mandate) telecom consumers through various consumer-centric initiatives.
Commenting on the theme of this year’s Trade Fair, which is, “Exploring the Opportunities of Africa Continental Free Trade Area(AfCFTA), he said, AfCFTA holds huge potentials for transforming the Continent as the telecom sector would certainly play a major role in driving this initiative.
