February 06, (THEWILL) – The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Aminu Maida has reiterated the commission’s commitment to all critical stakeholders in the telecom value chain, stressing his loyalty to the Nigerian consumers.
He disclosed this at a parley with editors in Abuja on Monday.
Responding to issues raised by the editors, Maida said the commission would continue to put the consumers at the centre of its services.
Similarly, he said the agency would also strive to protect the interest of service providers in accordance with the Act establishing the commission and also ensure revenue for the government in like manner, describing this as “delicate balancing” that must be achieved. .
“We need to put a smile back on the faces of the consumers. There is going to be transparency around tariffs, we are still working out modalities. Two of them(service providers) have concluded plans to engage audit firms to audit their billing systems.
“Another area that came up strongly during our engagement with stakeholders is our digital life, this has become more critical to our ways of doing things , we don’t realise that we go for the latest phone which at the slightest touch, responds and this consumes more data. That’s an area that we also want more awareness of.
“I’m dwelling on the consumers because that’s the heart of the matter. If we don’t put a smile on the faces of the consumers, then there will be challenge. We have a responsibility to make the industry more resilient. We need to go into the phase of maturity to strengthen the institutions that will support the commission in achieving its corporate responsibility. Cross industry collaboration is an area we are working on,” the NCC boss said.
He added that “the interest of the licensees, as in accordance with the Act , must also be protected. Remember, we are also out for investments. And on the side of the government, we are also expected to generate revenue. On the whole, we will be plugging into the systems of the operators to know what’s available.”
“This is my approach in terms of how to guide the industry in the next couple of years. We are at the base of all services. We will support the government’s digital public infrastructure drive, bridge the rural digital urban divide, and grow the telecom industry.”.
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