The Telecom Consumer Assistance, Resolution and Enquires (TELCARE), newly-launched by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), will further promote the interest of telecom consumers.
Chairman, Board of Commissioners of NCC, Professor Adeolu Akande, said this at the unveiling of a TELCARE Desk in Abuja, last week Wednesday.
TELCARE, unveiled by NCC, is one of the series of events to mark the 2023 International Consumers Rights Day celebrated by the Commission in Abuja, last week.
The public concourse at the Terminal C of the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja is the first beneficiary of the TELCARE initiative.
These were contained in a Press Release, today, by the NCC Director, Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka.
NCC, under the leadership of its Executive Vice Chairman, Professor Umar Danbatta, has continued to re-engineer its strategies and structures to make them more effective to engage critical stakeholders to address unfair practices, including but not limited to matters relating to tariffs.
Speaking at the event, Professor Akande said the launch of the initiative was the beginning of the helpdesk project expected to adorn some airports and other similar public locations across the country.
According to him, TELCARE is one of the strategies by NCC to expand the channels of engagement with telecom consumers.
He said the project is a deliberate effort by the Commission to amplify its commitment to promoting the interest of consumers.
The NCC chairman said this would be done, using various engagement strategies and initiatives to protect, inform, and educate telecom consumers.
He restated that the TELCARE platform would serve as an additional channel for consumers to make enquiries on consumer issues.
Doing this, he said, would allow the Commission to provide advocacy on consumer concerns as well as create awareness regarding its activities.
Akande expressed the gratitude of NCC to the Management of the Federal Airport Authority Nigeria (FAAN) for its support in ensuring the successful establishment of a TELCARE Desk at the airport.
In his goodwill message, Regional General Manager, FAAN, Kabir Mohammed, said the Management of FAAN was delighted to partner with NCC on the initiative.
He noted that passengers and airport users alike will have the opportunity to resolve issues bothering them while in transit.
Mohammed noted that the first-hand interface with consumers would expedite the feedback mechanism in addressing telecom consumer issues.
He also said it would also curb unfair practices within the system and further bridge any communication gap between the consumers and the regulators.
NCC’s Head, Consumer Affairs Bureau, Ayanbanji Ojo, speaking through the Head, Consumer Protection and Advocacy, Clem Omife, expressed optimism about the expected success of the initiative.
Ojo noted that many consumers transiting at the airport are already taking advantage of the Desk, even before the launch of the TELCARE Desk, to make enquiries or lodge complaints.
“This is a pilot project, and the Commission will ensure that the TELCARE Desk is established in more strategic locations around the nation.
“We believe that, through adequate education, information sharing, and the provision of layers of channels for complaints and redress, we can safeguard the interest of telecom consumers and innovatively promote the prospect of more excellent consumer experience,” Ojo said.
