Umenyi reassures telecom consumers

The chairperson of the Industry Consumer Advisory Forum (ICAF) and the Director-General, Consumer Protection Council (CPC), Mrs. Ify Umenyi, has reassured telecommunications consumers in the country.

Umenyi in her address to the fourth quarter meeting of ICAF and open forum for 2011 in Lagos recently, saying that ICAF’s role is an advisory capacity to make recommendations to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) with regards to the interest and concerns of the consumers of telecommunications products and services.

Additionally, she said that ICAF has the interest and concerns of physically challenged persons and at the same time ensure that consumers are protected from unfair market practices.

She also noted that apart from making recommendations on issues pertaining to the foregoing, she expressed excitement that ICAF has in the recent past facilitated the review of the Commission’s Consumer Code of Practice Regulations.

She said that it’s to the Commission’s credit that Nigeria has grown its telecommunications subscriber-base to over 80 million.

“As you may be aware, the telecommunications industry in Nigeria has grown in leaps and bounds in so short a time,” she said, stressing that this much was achieved in 10 years of the inception of the Global System for Mobile (GSM).

She further commended the leadership of NCC in ensuring that it takes cognizance of the telephony needs of the country’s huge population, even as it works hard at developing the sector in complete adherence to international best practices.

ICAF, she said, would appreciate suggestions on relevant areas including , but not limited to quality and cost of service; access of physically challenged persons to telephone services; unsolicited Short Messaging Service (SMS) and caller tunes, conduct of sales promotions, inadequate customer care centres.

Additionally, she said that ICAF expect suggestions from telecom consumers on prolonged delays on customer care lines, erratic data or internet service, matters arising from billing problems, namely the incorrect billings and wrongful deduction of airtime, privacy and security of subscriber information as well as number portability to name a few.

ITRealms Online recalls that NCC, had in 2009 in Abuja, stepped up its telecom consumer protection initiatives with the inauguration of an twelve-man Industry consumer Advisory Forum, ICAF, to review the general consumer code of practice regulations by the Commission as well as facilitate consumer protection, information and educational programmes.

Remmy Nweke
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