NCC Holds 29th Consumer Town Hall Meeting at Afikpo

The third layer of NCC's flagship consumer engagement programmes, Consumer Town Hall Meeting (CTM), which usually takes place in rural and semi-urban centres recently held at Afikpo, Ebonyi State.

The CTM, like the other two NCC mainstream Regulator-Operator-Consumer interactive platforms

(Teleecom Consumer Parliament -TCP; and Consumer Outreach Programme - COP) was instituted to enable key stakeholders meet to reflect on the challenges in the telecom sector and to articulate solutions, particular to the complaints of the consumer.

At each of the fora, stakeholders in the telecoms industry, particularly subscribers (consumers) of services usually engage in constructive lively discourse of experiential knowledge and overview of perceptions about the industry; as well as value expectations on the QoS and quality of consumer experience.

The meeting at Afikpo, as elsewhere also serves as channels of feedback on the activation of the 2442 Do not Disturb Code to stop unsolicited SMS on telemarketing; and the utilization of the NCC-initiated 622 Toll free Line created to enable consumers escalate unresolved complaints already lodged with service providers.

Expectedly, the meeting at Afikpo was signposted by discussions about Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) radiation associated with telecommunication infrastructure which has attracted so much obfuscation and concerns.

The programme was well attended by representatives of NCC, telecom companies, and members of communities of geography and of interests including traditional leaders, the press, the consumers, advocacy groups, law enforcement agencies and persons from State institutions and of the Civil Society - all of who participated and made meaningful contributions to the success of the event.

An exciting feature of the event was the presence of Helen Paul, one of NCC's appointed FACE OF THE NIGERIAN TELECOM CONSUMER, a central feature of the ongoing Year of the Telecom Consumer campaigns who particularly featured in the questions and answer session which participants found quite informative and educating.