Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said its Do Not Disturb (DND) policy has crashed the incidences of unsolicited SMS by 96.6% in the country within three years.
Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta stated this at the first World press conference in commemoration of the 2021 World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) on Monday.
He added that in keeping with global best practice of digital public communication for information and complaints management, the Commission continued to leverage social media platforms of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube, to inform and educate consumers and to use them as complaints channels for the Commission.
“In addition, the NCC Consumer Web Portal serves as an alternative online channel for lodging complaints and making enquiries.
The specially created toll free number 622 and DND short code 2442, are as active as ever. They are emplaced respectively to enable consumers to escalate unresolved complaints earlier reported to service providers, and to manage unsolicited messages. Just last month, we provided evidence that NCC’s DND crashes unsolicited SMS by 96.6% in three years.
Also, the results we are getting through the NCC Toll-free Number 622 has been phenomenal. Thousands of complaints have been received from consumers and escalated by the Commission to service providers for quick resolution to the satisfaction of affected consumers. In our latest report, of the 11,327 genuine consumer complaints received through the 622 between 2019 and 2020, 11,288 which translate to 99.1%, have been successfully resolved,’ he said.
According to the EVC, the Commission has reviewed the Consumer Complaint categories and Service Level Agreement (CC/SLA).
“The CC/SLA provides complaints categories, the timelines for resolving complaints and prescribes penalties for defaulting operators. This has ensured quantifiable improvements in consumer compliant management process by the operators.
The Commission declared 2017 as Year of the Telecom Consumer, in recognition of the central place the consumer occupies in the telecom ecosystem and in the emergent digital economy. In the same year, the World Consumer Rights Day focused on “Better Digital World”. The declaration by the Commission and the focus by WCRD 2017 emphasised the need to build a digital world consumers can trust.”
Speaking on NCC’s role in the face of the growing security challenges in the country, he said the Commission has completed and launched Emergency Communications Centres (ECCs) in 18 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
“The process for the completion of the centres in the remaining states of the federation is ongoing,” adding that the toll-free three-digit 112 Emergency Number is created to bring succour and necessary assistance from appropriate Response Agencies (RAs) to address emergency needs of citizens.
“Therefore, we seize this opportunity to assure millions of telecom consumers across the country that the Commission will not rest on its oars until the challenges of telecoms consumers have been reduced to the barest minimum.
