Raphael Ede, Enugu
The Executive Vice Chairman of Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, has disclosed that Nigeria’s telecommunication industry is growing in teledensity and internet penetration, with internet subscribers standing at more than 100 million people, while phone subscription stood at about 147 million as of January 2018.
Danbatta, who disclosed this at the weekend during the NCC’s Day at the ongoing 29th Enugu Internal Trade Fair, said that with broadband penetration of 21 percent, the Nigerian social media space has continued to thrive and citizens are enjoying broader access to cyberspace.
Represented at the occasion by the Director of Public Affairs, Mr. Tony Ojobo, Prof. Danbatta said that as a regulator, NCC recognizes that telecommunications services are very important to the nation and, above all, that Nigerian consumers deserve to get value for their money and treated as very important stakeholders.
“In the course of regulating the industry, we have dedicated substantial time and resources to ensure that the consumers of telecommunications services are availed of developments, solutions, and even their responsibilities to ensure that this important utility service does not become a burden,” he said.
According to him, NCC under his watch last year launched an 8-point Agenda which included the empowerment and protection of the Nigerian consumer.
The NCC chief executive said the Commission identified key consumer-centric issues including unsolicited text messages, challenges arising from quality of service, misinformation attached to installation of masts and towers, and consumers’ inability to utilize the Commission’s second level, and a toll free-complaint platform.
“On the Quality of Service issue, including poor reception, wrong billings and deductions, automatic data roll over among other issues, we have put the service providers on special notice about our current monitoring of user experience and will call them to account in due course,” he said.
The President of Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industries Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA), Mr. Emeka Udeze, who was represented by his Vice, Engr Nonye Osakwe, had earlier in a remark said that the high level of positive change akin to a revolution had taken place in the Nigerian telecom industry, which has equally accentuated the pace of socio-economic development in the country.
He commended the Commission for its service delivery as a regulatory body, stressing that the NCC Day had remained one of the most crowd pulling, exciting and colourful Special Days at the ECCIMA Trade Fair.