An Open Forum to Solve Nagging Problems
With IFY UMENYI

I am delighted to welcome you to this fourth quarter meeting of the Industry Consumer Advisory Forum (ICAF) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and ICAF’s first of its kind open forum for the year 2011.

ICAF acts in an advisory capacity to make recommendations to NCC regarding the interests and concern of the consumers of telecommunication products and services, the interests and concerns of physically challenged persons and at the same time ensure that consumers are protected from unfair market practices.

Apart from making recommendation on issues pertaining to the foregoing, I am happy to inform you that ICAF has in the recent past facilitated the review of the commission’s consumer code of practice regulations.

As you may be aware, the telecommunications industry in Nigeria has grown in leaps and bounds in so short a time. This is so much that in just 10 years of the inception of GSM/CDMA services in Nigeria, the number of telephone lines has risen from about 400,000 to over 90 million. Thanks to the commitment of the NCC in ensuring that it takes cognisance of the telephony needs of the country’s population, even as it works hard at developing the sector in complete adherence to international best practices.

It is also to the commission’s credit that it recognises consumers as a major stakeholder in the telecommunication industry. This is reflected in the composition of ICAF which includes consumers, operators, the academia, non-governmental organisations and all other members of the society.

However, in as much as ICAF is representative of the Nigerian society, we thought it wise to make this fourth quarter meeting an open forum with a view of harnessing firsthand the views of all those affected in one way or the other by problems in the sector. This will avail us with the shades of opinions in carrying out the Herculean tasks of advising the commission and proffering appropriate suggestion to some nagging problems in the sector.

Only last week and as part of our investigative sessions the house of representative committee on Commerce, invited my council, the Nigerian Communication  Commission, and other regulatory bodies to among others explain the dearth of  quality customer service  delivery and consumer protection in Nigeria.

This is an indication that the people, particularly our policy makers, are becoming more concern about the condition of our consumers and the way and manner we work towards protecting consumer’s interests in Nigeria. This behoves all of us, particularly operator, to do all that we can to minimise the hardships faced by consumers in the market place.

At the level of the ICAF, we have carefully chosen lead speakers to lead discussions at this forum in different areas of interests to our customers. I therefore welcome you warmly and urge you to participate actively in the day’s proceedings; rest assured that your views will be subsequently presented to the commission.

Among others, we will appreciate your suggestion in relevant areas, which includes, but not limited to:

Quality and cost of service
Access of physically challenged persons to telephone services
Unsolicited SMS and caller tunes
Conduct of sales promotions
Inadequate customer care centres
Prolonged delays on customer care lines
Erratic data or internet service
Billing problems – incorrect billings and wrongful deduction of airtime
Matters pertaining to SIM card registration
Privacy and security of subscriber information – particularly in the wake of SIM card registration
Number portability, and so on.

Our hope is that by your contributions, the industry will continue to get better and better for the common good of all.

Thank you for you kind attention.

Mrs. Umenyi, Director-General of the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) made these remarks at the ICAF open forum in Lagos