The Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) has said it decided to build emergency communication centres in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to bridge the gap between distressed and emergency response agencies in the country.
Executive Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, stated, during the Commission’s special day at the just concluded Enugu International Trade Fair, that all telecom operators were mandated to route emergency calls through the dedicated three digit toll free number, 112, from each state to the emergency centres within the state.
Represented by the Director, Public Affairs of the NCC, Reuben Muoka, the NCC boss further explained that operators, who should be residents in states where the communication centres are installed, would process distress calls and contact the response agency at the NCC headquarters, whose duty is to handle the cases.
He also described cybercrime and e-fraud as another issue confronting the industry and advised consumers not to open emails that are not familiar to them.
He added that people should not post personal identification information online.
Danbatta stressed that the commission had created a toll free number, 622, as second level complaint, which allows consumers to escalate unresolved issues by their service providers to the commission for effective resolution.
He described unsolicited text messages as a major issue affecting telecom consumers, adding that to protect subscribers from the unwholesome practice, the commission evolved a solution called ‘Do not disturb.’
He said: “Globally, telecom services are critical to overall socio-economic well-being of any nation, as it provides a technological foundation for societal communication, which plays central role in the fundamental operations of the society.
“NCC, as a regulator, is mindful that telecom is an enabler and catalyst for economic advancement of the country, and has consistently made available affordable and accessible telecom service to eliminate certain telecom barriers.”
President of Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA), Jasper Nduagwuike, commended the commitment of NCC in providing better service delivery in the country.
Nduagwuike, who was represented by the First Deputy Chairman of ECCIMA, Odega Jideonwu, said that he was sure that the trade fair platform provides a good interface with stakeholders in the telecom industry.
He pointed out the role of the commission, as a regulatory agency, in development of the telecommunication sector to ensure best practices, efficient and effective service delivery by operators in the sector.
