Government urged to check excesses of telecom companies

Government urged to check excesses of telecom companies

The Lagos State House of Assembly in south west Nigeria, on Friday urged the Federal Government to intensify its statutory monitoring on the activities of telecommunications companies in the country.

The house made this appeal following what it termed as “the poor services being rendered by these telecommunications outfits to Nigerians.”

Poor service delivery

The Speaker of the house, Mr Adeyemi Ikuforiji, noted that many Nigerians whose livelihood depended on effective service delivery by these organisations were frustrated due to their inefficiency.

“We are all affected. I have up to a dozen cell phones linked to all the service providers. The incessant drop calls and unwarranted deductions for calls not made can be annoying. In spite of the multitude of complaints from citizens, the problems still persist,” thespeaker said.

Ikuforiji, therefore, appealed to the federal government to look into these complaints as most Nigerians depended on the industry to conduct their daily affairs.

Problem of long queues

The initiator of the debate on the floor of the house, Mr Moshood Oshun, who is representing Lagos Mainland II said that the problem had become worrisome.

He condemned the long queues at most of the offices and accredited shops of these telecom outfits, describing the development as ‘poor customer care habit’.

“Many people visit these centres for days without getting solutions to their grievances. They always hear the server is down and hardly gets their problems addressed,” he said.

Consumer Protection Bill

It said it would commence debate on a Consumer Protection Bill that would empower consumers to sue these companies for any default.

NAN/Shakira