The Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) is going to develop emergency communication centres in all 36 states of the federation and in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in order to close the gap that exists between those in need and the organisations that are able to assist them in the country.
Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, Executive Chairman of the Commission, made this announcement in Enugu on Saturday during their special day at the Enugu International Trade Fair, which is currently taking place.
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The Address by an NCC Representative
Danbatta, who was represented by the Director of Public Affairs of the NCC, Mr Reuben Muoka, stated that all telecom operators were mandated to route emergency calls from each state to the emergency centres inside the state using the special three-digit toll-free number 112.
Danbatta explained that the operators, who should be residents in the states where the communication centres are installed, would perform the distress calls and contact the representations at the NCC headquarters whose responsibility it is to handle the cases. Danbatta also mentioned that the operators would be required to undergo training.
Cybercrime and e-fraud are two more problems that the sector has to deal with, according to Danbatta, who comments on its difficulties.
On the other hand, he cautioned all customers to avoid opening emails from senders they are unfamiliar with and emphasised that individuals should avoid posting personal identity information online.
The head of the NCC stated that the commission had established the toll-free number 622 as a second-level complaint system. This system enables customers to report problems that have not been satisfactorily resolved by their service providers to the NCC for further investigation and possible resolution.
He stated that unsolicited text messages were a serious problem that was impacting telecom customers, and he went on to say that the commission had developed a solution that was named “Do not disturb” in order to safeguard subscribers from the unwholesome practice.
“Globally, telecom services are critical to the overall socio-economic well-being of any nation as it provides a technological foundation for societal communication, which plays a central role in the fundamental operations of the society,” he said
“NCC as a regulator is mindful that telecom is an enabler and catalyst for the economic advancement of the country and has consistently made available, affordable and accessible telecom service to eliminate certain telecom barriers,” he added.
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Improvements NCC is working on
In his address of welcome, the president of the Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (ECCIMA), Mr. Jasper Nduagwuike, stated that the National Communications Commission (NCC) is committed to improving the quality of service delivery by telecommunication operators in the country.
Nduagwuike, who was not present but was represented by Mr. Odega Jideonwu, the first deputy chairman of ACCIMA, stated that he is confident that the Trade Fair platform is an effective interface with stakeholders in the telecom industry.
Nduagwuike emphasised that the involvement of the commission as a regulatory agency in the advancement of the telecommunications sector is to ensure that operators in the sector deliver services in a manner that is efficient and effective.
He said that NCC was one of the sectors that had played a role to the increased growth of the Nigerian economy, and he described it as such.
Nduagwuike stated that a great deal more work needed to be done in order to fully tap the potential in this industry and for customers of the various GSM network operators to fully maximise the inherent benefits of optimal service delivery by operators. Nduagwuike also stated that this work needed to be done in order for customers.
He dropped hints that the commission needs to do more, particularly in terms of having the guts to legislate operators in the sector to ensure that they are doing what is ethical and protecting vulnerable customers throughout the nation.