Chinenye Anuforo
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has warned telecommunications consumers on the dangers of using unregistered SIM cards.
The warning came yesterday at the 37th edition of Consumer Town Hall meeting in Epe, Lagos.
According to the Deputy Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau, NCC, Ismail Adedigba, consumers should do away with unregistered SIM cards because it is what fraudsters, scammers and thieves use to perpetrate their evil acts.
He explained that the SIM Cards Registration policy was instituted by the Federal Government as a strategic response to the challenges of identity tracking especially in the context of kidnappings, terrorism and other forms of criminality in our society and globally.
Adedigba argued that the reason consumers should stop buying and using unregistered SIMs is because they do not know which evil that might have been committed with the cards.
He also hinted on NCC’s initiatives and programmes targeted at improving the quality of consumer experience, such as the institution of the ‘Do Not Disturb’ Short Code 2442 that enables consumers to manage instances of unsolicited messages; and the NCC Toll Free Line 622 dedicated to telecom consumers to enable them escalate unresolved matters earlier reported to their service providers.
Adedigba told consumers at the event that NCC believes consumer is the king in the palace of market. “Therefore, consumers must be accorded basic rights to be heard, right to redress as well as right to safety.”