The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has called on Nigerians to protect telecommunications infrastructure to ensure the quality of service delivery by the providers.
The commission made the call recently at a sensitisation programme in Wannune, Tarka Local Government Area of Benue State.
According to the commission, aside from the role of the law enforcement agencies in protecting telecom infrastructure, the consumers, who are the subscribers and ultimate users of telecom services, have an obligation to do everything to protect telecoms infrastructure in their environment. These include the base transceiver stations (BTS), the underground fibre optic cable, as well as associated infrastructure.
Addressing the audience at the programme, the director, zonal operations, NCC, Amina Shehu, decried the problem of vandalism caused to telecom infrastructure which often results in poor quality of service delivery to the end-users.
“One of the major challenges to quality of service that operator provide to you, is vandalism of telecom infrastructure, such as Base Transceiver Stations (BTS). Others are theft, hostility from some host communities, which have continued to pose a major setback to the industry. Therefore, it is imperative for the public to regard telecom facilities as collectively-owned infrastructure that are crucial and essential for the provision of efficient and acceptable telecom services. The more reason these facilities need to be adequately protected,” she urged.
While imploring the indigenes of Tarka Local Government Area of Benue State to ensure that they protect telecom facilities in their community, Shehu, who was represented at the event by an assistant director, zonal operations, NCC, Abubakar Usman, further enjoined the consumers to always alert law enforcement agencies close to them once they suspect any act of vandalism, theft or other suspicious activities directed at telecom infrastructure because such nefarious activities have implications for quality of service delivery in the communities.
During the event, participants were also enlightened on the illegality of pre-registered subscriber identity module (SIM) cards, the imperatives of proper SIM registration, and the importance of the NIN-SIM linkage exercise.
Meanwhile, the paramount ruler of Wannune, Gandeorun Orokaa, who attended the event, thanked the commission on behalf of the participants for bringing the sensitisation programme to the community to educate the consumers on sensitive consumer-related issues as well as correcting wrong notions and clarifying misconceptions. He also called on the indigenes to support NCC in protecting telecoms infrastructure so as to ensure that quality of service improves in the areas.
Also in attendance at the event were local government workers, village heads, community leaders, students, women leaders, staff of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
