The
National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers (NATCOMS) has welcomed
and congratulated the new board of the Nigerian Communications Commission under
the chairmanship of Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye on their confirmation by the
President, Muhammadu Buhari, reports ITRealms.
Other
members of the board include Mr. Sunday Dare, Mr. Aliyu Saidu Abubakar, Mr.
Clement Obeiza Baiye, Chief Okoi Ofem Obono-Obia, Pastor Ezekiel Yissa and
Senator Ifeanyi Ararume.
NATCOMS
President, Chief Adeolu Ogunbanjo told ITRealms that they are also reiterating
call for improved consumer-centrism, stressing the new NCC board members to
look into an eight-item including:
1. The Nigerian Communications Commission
(NCC) has been operating the N50 (Fifty Naira) Price Cap Regulation since 2001
to date. The Board should as a matter of urgency reduce the current unrealistic
and exploitative price cap of N50 per minute.
2. The issue of Poor Quality of Telecoms
Services, with particular reference to the vexed issue of dropped / breaking
calls; undelivered but paid for text messages; indiscriminate voice / data
services deductions / internet poor quality; unauthorized call credit
deductions, all without adequate reward and compensation.
3. Restoration of Land lines by the
National Carriers must be addressed by the new Board, backed by a low
inter-connect rates in line with international best practices. The current land
line inter-connect rates, does not encourage the use of Land lines.
4. The Board takes decisive action against
Telecoms Operators that still enjoy sending unsolicited text messages that most
of the time, lead to forced activations and regular unauthorized credit
deductions even after NCC’s July 1, 2016 warning of sanctioning erring
Operators.
5. The Board must start enforcing the use
of the CODE 2442 in order to stop unsolicited text messages to Subscribers.
6. In order to reduce mobile phone /
cyber-crime, the new Board should interface with the Police and other Law
Enforcement Agencies in order to make mobile phone / cyber-crime reporting
process, easy and less cumbersome. This will encourage the reporting of mobile
phone / cyber-crime as well as make tracking of fraudsters easier. The current
mobile phone / cyber-crime reporting process is very stressful, cumbersome and
excessively engaging.
7. The new Board should put in place a
Subscriber’s Compensation Plan which will compensate subscribers with Free
Airtime, anytime the Telecoms Operators perform below the Key Performance
Indicators parameters (KPI) as set by the Nigerian Communications Commission.
The current practice where Telecoms Operators fall short of KPI parameters and
are imposing huge fines, which goes to government coffers, is to say the least,
highly exploitative and unsavory of the Subscribers who suffers the injury and
the brunt of poor quality service and other unauthorized deductions.
8. The new Board must ensure that the
Honourable Minister of Communications order of DATA ROLL-OVER must be complied
with. Operators have not been complying with this directive.
“Once
again, we welcome the new Board of the Nigerian Communications Commission,” Ogunbanjo said.
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