Business
NCC Resolves To Protect Telecom Subscribers
Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) has noted malpractices in the telecommunication sector and expressed commitment to protect subscribers from cheating firms and operators.
NCC made the pledge at its 98th Consumer Outreach Programme held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state.
Deputy Director of the Consumer Affairs Bureau of NCC, Alhaji. Ismail Adedigba, noted that the event was to provide telecom consumers with necessary tools to protect them from market exploitation and fraud.
Adedigba, said the NCC through its regulatory mandate ensures that the consumer is the “king” as such must be accorded their rights which included the right to be heard, right to be educated, right to choose, right to safety.
Adedigba said the decision of the NCC to initiate regular consumer-operator-regulator meetings was based on the complaints.
He said the complaints were about unsolicited text messages and calls, failure/refusal to roll over unused data at the expiration of data bundles by service providers.
Others are, automatic renewal of data services upon expiration and activation/subscription to data and value added services (VAS) without prior consent of the subscribers and call masking.
He said the NCC in response to the complaints developed a 2442 DND Short Code to solve unsolicited text messages.
“At NCC, our objectives is to ensure that consumers get value for their money, and we acted by issuance of direction to service provider on Data Roll over.
“The directive now enables consumers to roll over unused data for period of time, ranging from one day to seven days, depending on the subscriber’s data plan. It took effect from 21st of May,’’ he said.
The Tide source reports that more than 2,000 telecom consumers turned up for the event.
They were taken through necessary tools that would allow them make rational and informed decisions when making choice of services, including the new toll free number 622 for complaints to the NCC.
The Director of Consumer Affairs Bureau of the NCC, Mrs Felicia Onquegbuchulam, spoke on the theme “Using information and education as tools for consumer empowerment and Protection’’.
She said the consumer Outreach programme was one of the initiatives of the NCC to bring together telecom subscriber in the rural areas with the Network operators and the regulators.
She said the aim was to discuss and proffer solutions to consumers’ related issues and ensure consumers had the value for money through effective service delivery.
“The forum seeks to educate telecom consumers and other stakeholders of contemporary issues generating interest in the industry.
“It also serves as a feedback mechanism for the commission in making regulatory interventions for the benefit of the consumers and the service providers as well as the industry as a whole’’, Onwueguchulam said.
The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has criticised Nigeria’s import ban on 25 categories of goods, claiming that the restrictions limit market access for American exporters.
This is the effect of President Donald Trump’s tariffs introduction on goods entering the United States, with Nigeria facing a 14 per cent duty.
The USTR highlighted the impact of Nigeria’s import ban on various sectors, particularly agriculture, pharmaceuticals, beverages, and consumer goods.
The restrictions affect items such as beef, pork, poultry, fruit juices, medicaments, and alcoholic beverages, which the United States sees as significant barriers to trade.
The agency argues that these limitations reduce export opportunities for United States businesses and lead to lost revenue.
“Nigeria’s import ban on 25 different product categories impacts United States exporters, particularly in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, beverages, and consumer goods.
“Restrictions on items like beef, pork, poultry, fruit juices, medicaments, and spirits limit United States market access and reduce export opportunities.
“These policies create significant trade barriers that lead to lost revenue for United States businesses looking to expand in the Nigerian market”, the agency said .
In 2016, Nigeria implemented the ban on these 25 items as part of efforts to control imports and stimulate local production.
Some of the banned items include poultry, pork, refined vegetable oil, sugar, cocoa products, spaghetti, beer, and certain medicines.
On March 26, 2025, the Federal Government also announced plans to halt solar panel imports to encourage local manufacturing as part of its push for clean energy.
A leading agribusiness strategist and digital agriculture expert, Ayo Oluwa Okediji, has sought cooperative-driven investments in sustaining growth of poultry industry in Nigeria.
He said the poultry industry was at a defining moment and requires urgent structural reforms to secure its future and ensure long-term sustainability.
Speaking on the theme, “Strengthening Poultry Farming Through Cooperative Synergy and Strategic Investments”, at the recently concluded Oyo Mega Poultry Workshop 2025 in Ibadan, Okediji called on poultry farmers, cooperative leaders, financial institutions and policy makers to rethink the existing structure of the poultry sector.
He stressed the need to transition from fragmented, individually-driven operations to well-structured, cooperative-led enterprises capable of attracting sustainable financing and securing long-term viability.
He said, “Our poultry sector cannot thrive on individual effort alone. We need to organise ourselves into cooperative clusters, build strong governance systems and position ourselves to attract the level of investment needed to sustain this industry beyond this generation.”
Drawing on lessons from successful global cooperative models such as Rabobank in the Netherlands and Landus Cooperative in the United States, Okediji introduced the FarmClusters Poultry Model, a locally adapted solution developed by Agribusiness Dynamics Technology Limited (AgDyna), a subsidiary of AgroInfoTech Africa.
According to him, the model is currently being piloted in Oyo State in partnership with PANOY Agribusiness Limited and local poultry cooperatives.
The Rivers State Representative of the Nigeria Chambers of Commerce, Mines, Industries and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Mr. Erasmus Chukwundah, has urged palm oil farmers to consider hybrid seedlings for planting, if they must break even in palm oil business.
Chukwundah said this recently at the Free Oil Palm Business Climate Smart Best Management Practice/Assistance Training organized by Partnership Initiative In Niger Delta (PIND) for Palm Oil Farmers in Elele, Ikwerre Local Government Area.
The Rivers representative said until palm oil farmers begin to consider such hybrid oil palm seedlings, they may not meet up with the daily increasing demand of palm oil in the market.
According to him, the seedlings produce up to 30 bunches at once that ripen same time.
He said PIND decided to partner with Oil Palm Growers Association of Nigeria (OPGAN) to ensure that the message was received by the targeted audience.
According to him, palm oil remained a popular choice of industry operators as it could be converted to many other products such as vegetable cooking oil.
He also noted that products such as motor tyers, marine ropes and others are now gotten from the palm tree.
Chukwundah, who is the immediate past Director-General of Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Mines, Industries, and Agriculture (PHCCIMA), further warned against use of unrecommended fertilisers in growing oil palms.
He noted that such practices could limit its export value or chances as the foreign marketers have a way of detecting such .
He reiterated the need for organic fertilizers, including poultry droppings, to enable them have a natural palm oil.
“People must reduce physical contact with palm oil production. That is why we are campaigning for hydrolic oil mills. The foreign markets are no longer interested in crude method of palm oil production”, he said.
Meanwhile, one of the farmers, Sonny Didia, who appreciated Chukwundah’s commitment towards the concern of farmers, appealed for an urgent need for loan opportunity with low interest rate in order to enable them beat the target.
King Onunwor