The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Sunday frowned at the continued importation and marketing of substandard Information and Communication Technology (ICT) devices in the country.
The Commission said in a statement in Abuja that with approved phone list available on its website there was no reason Nigerians will continue to use substandard mobile devices.
NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Nnamadi Nwokike, said the Commission would commence the enforcement of its regulations against the continuous proliferation of substandard mobile phones and devices in the country.
The NCC announced this at a “Sensitisation Programme on the Hazardous Effects of Non-type Approved Handsets and Impact on Quality of Service and E-waste” at Paiko, Niger state.
The commission, in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and other government agencies, recently inaugurated two committees to design modalities towards curbing the proliferation of substandard handsets in the country.
Also, the commission has developed regulations on electronic waste (e-waste) as another regulatory instrument aimed at providing a regulatory framework for the management and control of e-waste in the telecommunications industry, in line with Section 132 of the NCA, 2003’.
Mr Nwokije said the NCC was empowered by the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003, Section 132, to establish and enforce standards for all telecommunications equipment in operation in the country to ensure they operated seamlessly and safely within the Nigerian telecommunications environment.
He said all equipment manufacturers, vendors and operators, including customer devices, such as mobile phones and wireless adapters, must ensure their equipment conformed to the applicable standards as mandated by the Commission before bringing them into Nigeria.
The director advised telecom consumers against patronage and usage of counterfeit handsets and other substandard mobile devices to avoid dangerous consequences.
The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Umar Danbatta, told participants that the semsitization programme was part of the commission’s deliberate move to educate and create awareness on the hazardous health effects and negative economic implications of the patronage of fake handsets.
Mr Danbatta said the programme was also to educate participants on the negative effect of also using other Information and Communication Technology (ICT) devices in the country.
He was represented by the Director, Zonal Operations Department at NCC, Amina Shehu, who stressed the need to use type-approved handsets only.
Source: NAN
