NCC to roll out regulations on e-waste soon

BY EMEKA EJERE

The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communication Commission 9NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta has said the commission is concluding processes to issue regulations on electronic waste.

Danbatta, who stated this during a press conference to commemorate the World Consumer Rights Day 2021 themed ‘Tackling plastic pollution’ in Abuja on Monday, said this was due to plastic components many ICT and telecom devices possessed which could worsen plastic pollution.

He said the commission was worried by the recurrent cycle of fraudulent deployment of fake and substandard mobile devices, usually made of iron and plastic components.

The EVC noted that the commission had for this reason collaborated with the Office of the National Security Adviser and other relevant government agencies to inaugurate a committee to implement Mobile Devices Management Systems.

He said, “This initiative is designed as a Public-Private Partnership aimed at combating the proliferation of fake, counterfeit, substandard and cloned communication devices in the telecommunications industry.

“The expected result of this initiative is that only genuine materials malleable to enduring usage are available for consumer use.”

He added that the commission also implemented a strict type-approval process that ensured all equipment used in the telecom industry were of a suitable standard, for the good of the consumers and the preservation of our environment.

Commenting on the suspension of Unstructured Supplementary Service Data services, Danbatta noted that one of the important objectives of the USSD services was to drive digital financial inclusion, noting that the service would also contribute to money mobile voice penetration.

He said he was hopeful that an agreement between the banks and telecom operators that did not result in the suspension of the service would be reached after the meeting called by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy with critical stakeholders.

The EVC also unveiled a new consumer handbook which he said was to enhance education and protection of the consumer.

The Chairman, Industry Advisory Advocacy Forum, Igho Majemite, commended NCC’s efforts towards consumer satisfaction, especially with the launch of the consumer handbook.