Telecom
NCC Assures Consumers of Protection @ WCRD, to Tackle Fake Phones
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that it is working with other consumer products regulatory agencies to tackle the importation of fake and bio hazardous phones and accessories into the country.
Prof Umar Danbatta, EVC, NCC
The NCC also said that it has made positive efforts to curtail the excesses of some network operators and to expand the frontiers of freedom for the consumers.
Professor Umar Danbatta, executive vice chairman, EVC, of NCC, who spoke at the World Press Conference in commemoration of the 2021 World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) held in Abuja yesterday, said the collaboration with other agencies was also to ensure the protection of the environment in consonance with the theme of the consumer rights day which was: “Tackling Plastic Pollution”.
He lamented the recurrent cycle of fraudulent deployment of fake and substandard mobile devices usually made of iron and plastic components.
Danbatta urged the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and other relevant Federal Government agencies to collaborate and inaugurate a committee to implement Mobile Devices Management Systems (DMS).
“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 said.
He said the commission also implemented a strict type-approval process that ensured all equipment used in the telecommunications industry were of a suitable standard, both for the good of the consumers and for the preservation of the environment.
Speaking on the theme, Danbatta said the connection between the 2021 theme for world consumer rights day and the proactive initiatives of the commission toward protecting the environment as well as efforts on tackling electronic waste in Nigeria.
He said activities and actions slated to commemorate the world consumer rights day for 2021 were to raise awareness and engage state and non-state actors on the global plastic pollution crisis.
“This conference is conceived to highlight NCC’s commitment to protecting the telecom consumers and watch to highlight the regulatory role of NCC with respect to protecting the Rights of the Telecom Consumers and to connect it with the global significance of today’s celebration.
“The objective of the regulation is to manage E-Waste; promote reuse, recycling and other forms of recovery; “To improve environmental management system of operators in the telecom industry and reduce greenhouse emissions as well as enhance sustainable development efforts,” he said.
He recalled that in tackling the issues of plastic pollution, NCC drafted the Nigerian Commutations Industry E-Waste Regulation in 2018.
He further said the commission had made an established correlation between the vision and activities of NCC and the global consumer rights movement and the steps taken by the commission had direct bearing to the theme of this year’s world consumer rights day.
The NCC boss noted that the commission was concluding processes to issue the regulation on e-waste.
“It is mindful of the fact that many ICT and telecom devices have plastic components, whose waste materials can worsen plastic pollution.
“We reckon that improper disposal of such disused ICT-plastic embedded products has grave implication on public health and especially in achieving Goals 11, 12 and 13 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030.
“These goals speak to the imperative of adhering to practices that enhance Sustainable Cities and Communities, Responsible Consumption and Production; as well as Climate Action respectively.
Danbatta pointed out that the commission had designed an array of consumer protection measures such as the “Do not Disturb” “Data Rollover” “112 safety number” and value-added services, which had reduced unsolicited calls and messages by 96 per cent in three years.
On the issues of SIM and National Identity Number (NIN) normalisation, the EVC said the commission had ensured full compliance with Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards registration guidelines by the service providers and telecom consumers.
“This is to ensure proper registration to stop the use of improperly-registered SIMs, which usage is difficult to track. Having a credible subscriber database helps in tracing a SIM card to the real owner in case of any criminal investigation.
“This will help in curbing the painful rise in tempo of kidnapping, robberies, banditry and similar crimes committed with the aid of the use of SIM cards.
“We have made arrests and prosecutions in the past in this regard and through this effort, we have been able to sanitise the telecoms ecosystem of improperly-registered SIM cards that pose threats to national security.
“It is, therefore, pertinent to say that the linking of SIM and NIN database will further help us in this direction, toward protecting the consumers and all citizens at large,” he said.
He thanked all telecom subscribers for their understanding and cooperation in the ongoing SIM-NIN harmonisation exercise.
Mr Ighoovie Majemite, chairman of the Industry Consumer Advisory Forum (ICAF) said the rights of the consumer was key to the development of the industry.
Majemite, however, said the forum was poised to further sensitise the consumer on their rights while adhering to safety and security protocols.
One of the highlights of the event was the unveiling of a new Consumer Handbook, a compendium of consumer information materials compiled to enhance education and protection of the consumer.
It also contained codes on consumer rights, obligations, practices, cyber security and safety tips.
MTN Foundation has been spotlighted as a model for private sector-driven healthcare development in Nigeria, following commendations at the 6th Arthur Mbanefo Lecture held at the University of Lagos, Akoka.
Themed “A Healthy Nation is a Wealthy Nation: The Role of Impact Investments and Sustainable Financing in Nigeria,” the lecture featured Dr. Tolulope Adewole, Managing Director of NSIA Advanced Medical Services Limited (MedServe), as keynote speaker.
Dr. Adewole praised the Foundation’s strategic investments, noting that MTN commits 1% of its profit after tax annually to development sectors. “They’ve invested ₦31.75 billion, reaching over 32 million Nigerians. Though only 25% went to health, it accounted for 51% of all lives impacted. That’s catalytic,” he said.
He cited MTN’s dialysis centre programme as a transformative intervention for patients with kidney disease, and highlighted community-focused initiatives like the Y’ello Doctor mobile scheme and ‘What Can We Do Together’ (WCWDT) programme, which revitalised 164 Primary Healthcare Centres, including 44 in 2024 alone.
Executive Director of MTN Foundation, Odunayo Sanya, reflected on the COVID-19 pandemic’s exposure of systemic health vulnerabilities. “When COVID hit, we realised a health emergency is also an economic and social emergency,” she said.
Sanya revealed that of the 52 PHCs remodeled in 2024, only one had clean water. “I’m not a doctor, but I know you can’t live a good life without clean water,” she added, reaffirming the Foundation’s commitment to bridging healthcare gaps in underserved communities.
Hundreds of university students across Africa are set to benefit from a new gamified learning experience on digital rights and inclusion launched by the leading pan-African non-profit organisation, Paradigm Initiative (PIN).
The Digital Rights and Inclusion Board Learning Experience (DRIBLE) is a game developed by Paradigm Initiative with support from the Open Society Foundations (OSF). The custom-designed board game provides young individuals with a fun and engaging entry point into digital rights and inclusion conversations, training sessions and storytelling tools.
The board game aims to build digital literacy, deepen understanding of online safety, and introduce young individuals to the organisation’s tools of impact. Currently being piloted in three universities: University of Lagos, Nigeria, the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) in Nairobi, Kenya and the Dakar American University of Science and Technology (DAUST) in Dakar, Senegal, it will enhance interactions and create a holistic experience.
Speaking at the event launch at the University of Lagos, Nigeria, ‘Gbenga Sesan, Paradigm Initiative’s Executive Director, said: “PIN’s vision is to reach 20 million people through our Digital Inclusion and Digital Rights interventions. From Lagos, to Dakar, to Nairobi.. we will use the vehicle of our new Digital Rights and Inclusion Board Learning Experience (DRIBLE) which entails using gamification, training, multimedia materials, tools and other interventions to connect African youth with digital opportunities and protect their digital rights.”
‘Gbenga gave the keynote address on “Digital inclusion at PIN, our Past, Present and Future” and Nnenna Paul-Ugochukwu, the organisation’s Chief Operating Officer, said the goal of the learning experience would be instrumental in raising awareness of digital rights among the youth, building their capacity to address digital rights and inclusion issues in their communities. Prof. Olunifesi Adekunle Suraj shared a goodwill message with the students and other stakeholders.
Paradigm Initiative, which has been operational since 2007, started in a tiny cybercafe in Ajegunle, Lagos, Nigeria. Today, the organisation has expanded its wings to cover six African countries; Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Zambia and Zimbabwe, impacting the livelihoods of over 150,000 young Africans.
The launch of DRIBLE builds on the progress the organisation has made over the years in tackling the challenge of digital exclusion across Africa.
Paradigm Initiative’s tools of impact include Ripoti, a platform that enables individuals to report digital rights violations, Ayeta, a platform that provides digital security resources for stakeholders, more so human rights activists, defenders, journalists and other vulnerable groups, and the organisation’s latest short film, Whispers in the Wires.
Targeted at students, PIN rolled out a Campus Tour in the three universities on the continent starting July 15th, 2025.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has intensified its crackdown on fake accounts and spam, announcing it removed over 10 million fake profiles and roughly 500,000 spam accounts in the first half of 2025.
The sweeping purge is part of Meta’s broader effort to combat impersonation, fake engagement, and content duplication, aiming to elevate authentic creators and improve the quality of content across its platforms.
In a blog post, Meta said: “We’re making progress. In the first half of 2025, we took action on around 500,000 accounts engaged in spammy behaviour or fake engagement. We also removed about 10 million profiles impersonating large content producers.”
Meta stressed that accounts which primarily repost or recycle content without meaningful edits will face penalties such as reduced reach and the loss of monetisation tools.
The company also warned that repeatedly sharing unoriginal content — whether videos, photos, or text — undermines the platform’s integrity by crowding out genuine voices and making it harder for new creators to grow.
To support authentic creators, Meta is rolling out new tools that automatically trace reposted content back to its original source. The company says this will help ensure rightful credit and give higher visibility to original posts.
“Pages and profiles that post mostly original content tend to enjoy wider distribution across Facebook. Simply stitching clips together or adding a watermark will no longer count as meaningful editing. Content that provides real value and tells an authentic story is likely to perform better,” Meta explained.
Creators are also being cautioned against uploading content that includes watermarks from other platforms. Such posts could see their reach restricted or lose monetisation privileges altogether.
As part of its latest update, Meta introduced post-level insights on the Professional Dashboard, allowing creators to monitor how individual posts perform. They can also check their Support Home screen to see if their content or earnings are facing restrictions.
In a parallel development, Google’s YouTube updated its monetisation guidelines, stating that content deemed mass-produced or excessively repetitive will no longer qualify for ad revenue. The announcement initially sparked concern among creators, who feared it was a blanket ban on AI-generated content. YouTube later clarified:
“We welcome creators using AI tools to enhance their storytelling, and channels that use AI in their content remain eligible to monetise.”
Both tech giants say these new policies are aimed at raising content standards and safeguarding genuine creators in a crowded and rapidly evolving digital landscape.
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