The NCC Says Nigeria Is One Of The Countries With “Cheap” Communication Costs

During the 30^th Lagos International Trade Fair, the Executive Vice Chairman, Nigeria Communications Commission, Prof. Umar Dambatta said that Nigeria is one of the countries that offer the cheapest cost of communication.

Communication is a very core aspect of our daily lives. Technology has paved the way for fast responses. Making a phone call to a business partner, friend, family or acquaintance to discuss confidential or sensitive issues carries more weight than a text message or an email. In fact, it is the greatest invention to bridge the communication gap. So, there is no reason why consumers should be highly charged to have a phone conversation.

Dambatta said further that the NCC acknowledges that people need to get value for what they buy, as you can hardly go a day without making a call. It has become a common commodity, just like salt is, to a household. Hence, the duty of the organisation is to ensure an excellent service delivery. He said:

‘Let me recall that in the eight-point agenda of my administration, the issue of empowerment and protection of consumers occupies the sixth position. The vision is to protect consumers from unfair practices through the availability of information to make informed decisions in the use of the ICT services.’   

To achieve these objectives, the NCC is committed to educating the consumers on the benefits of mobile communication, and creating an awareness that there are codes to dial, should an emergency arise. Apparently, he was trying to say that there are laws to protect telecom services consumers’ rights.

However, many people do not believe that Nigeria is one such countries that offer affordable call rates. Responding to this disbelief, the Head, Media and Public Relations, NCC, Mr. Reuben Muoka challenged the doubting Thomases to travel to other countries to get a first-hand experience. Nevertheless, he maintained that the welfare of the consumers is a major priority of the NCC and that consumers should not hesitate to report an unfair practice by any telecom operator.

In line with the consumer protection rights initiative, the NCC has launched two codes for consumer-complaints- 622 and 2442. While the first code is the toll-free complaint platform, where people can make complaints, the second is a ‘do not disturb’ code to stop the repetitive or spam messages. The codes are handled directly by the NCC staff members to protect consumers from the operators’ negligence.

If you have complaints of whatever sort, for swift responses, do not hesitate to dial either of the codes. It feels cool to have a big brother to protect your rights.