Emma Okonji
As the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Year of the Consumer campaign enters its nineth month, the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) and Chief Executive Officer of the commission, Prof Umar Garba Danbatta, has said that the regulatory body recorded 10 million entries from subscribers who subscribed to the short code within a space of nine months.
The figure, according to Danbatta, is amazing, and underscores the efforts that NCC put in the campaign to ensure that subscribers have relative peace, while on a particular network.
It is for this reason, Danbatta said, that the NCC would take a review of implementation of the consumer initiative project next year with a view to taking the next line of action.
Danbatta said the 10 million activation was a sign of success recorded by NCC for the campaign.
Speaking on the sideline of 5th Meeting of the National Council of Communications and Information Technology in Katsina, the EVC said only 500,000 telecom subscribers had activated the NCC’s 2442 short code to stop telemarketing and other unsolicited text messages on their phones before the commencement of the campaign.
“We embarked on the campaign specifically with the regards to two important issues. One is, Do-Not-Disturb facility as we had received a lot of complaints that many consumers received unsolicited text messages and for which they are unfairly being charged. We dedicated a facility that will stop those messages from coming to the handsets of the consumers,†he told dignitaries including the Minister Communications, Adebayo Shittu and the Katsina State Deputy Governor Mannir Yakubu.
According to Danbatta, “We have been sensitizing consumers on how to take the advantage of this facility by sending STOP to 2442. Prior to the commencement of the campaign less than 500,000 Nigerians activated the code. As I am talking to you now, close to 10 million Nigerians have activated it.â€
He said the other component of the campaign was to sensitise Nigerians about the existing of the NCC’s toll-free line (622), which consumers can use to lodge complaints with regards to service quality and other related services.
“There is also another important aspect of the campaign, educating the consumers on the existence of emergency call centers. One is being constructed in each state of the federation in order to provide reprieves to people in distress, who require ambulance service, fire-fighting services and those in need of attention from the police, using another toll-free line, 112,†he stressed.
