Automation underlines next phase of service delivery by Nigerian public institutions: Danbatta

*The telecoms sector regulator says the Federal Government’s digital economy drive should mean more efficient services be delivered online to Nigerian consumers in line with the philosophy of SERVICOM, which commends the Commission on implementing the Service Charter in the country

Gbenga Kayode | ConsumerConnect

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said leveraging the potential of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to automate service delivery should be the next frontier of excellent service delivery to Nigerian consumers by public institutions.

ConsumerConnect reports Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, Executive Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of NCC, stated this development in a goodwill message presented at the opening ceremony of a three-day SERVICOM retreat recently.

The Commission said Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, Director of Public Affairs of NCC, presented the message on behalf of Prof. Danbatta at the retreat, which started December 1, 2021, at the Communications and Digital Economy Complex, Mbora, in Abuja, FCT.

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The retreat, which focused on ‘Charter Performance Monitoring and Reporting’ was aimed at monitoring the implementation of the NCC’s Client Service Charter, identifying gaps, measuring, and evaluating the progress of service delivery in the Commission.

The telecoms regulatory Commission noted that SERVICOM, an acronym derived from ‘Service Compact With All Nigerians’, addresses a special social contract between the Federal Government through its institutions (Ministries, Department and Agencies) and the Nigerian people towards ensuring that services are delivered in a courteous, prompt and efficient manner.

Dr. Adinde, at the forum attended by the NCC staff, also said the Commission had been living up to its expectation as one of the public institutions that have continued to implement the Service Charter with all its various stakeholders in Nigeria.

According to the Director of Public Affairs, the digital economy drive of the Federal Government should mean that more services be delivered online to the people of Nigeria and in a more efficient manner in line with the philosophy of SERVICOM.

“The NCC is an important partner of SERVICOM in its journey towards service delivery and excellence, and invited the participants to recall that fact in the passion and commitment of Prof. Danbatta in ensuring that telecom service providers deliver optimal service to varied categories of stakeholders,” Adinde stated.

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“Therefore, from our perspective as regulator of the digital ecosystem in Nigeria, we feel that automation of service should be the next stage of service delivery. While we have started this journey with the example of REMITA, which has brought about a lot of efficiency and transparency into the payment remittances by public and Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) of government,” Adinde stated.

In respect of the implementation of the NCC Charter for SERVICOM, Adinde further disclosed the NCC boasts of one of the best and brightest brains that could be found in the public sector as Civil Servants, who are ingrained with good work ethics and culture.

“Our staff are renowned for their warmth and geniality when dealing with internal and external stakeholders. They work as a team on the principle of achieving Specific Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound (SMART) objectives of the Commission,” said the NCC Director of Public Affairs.

He also listed the roles of the Commission in collaborating with other MDAs in various ways, in order to achieve policy objectives of government in many fronts.

READ ALSO: NCC’s Policy Engagement With Stakeholders For Quality Consumer Experience, Says Danbatta

The NCC highlighted a number of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects of the Commission being implemented singly or jointly with other MDAs towards achieving the objective of government to serve the citizenry better.

According to Adinde, as a further demonstration of the duty NCC owes telecoms consumers, whose interest must be protected in line with Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003, the NCC created the Consumer Affairs Bureau September 2001.

He noted that the basic objective of that move is to ensure consumer protection through policy development and monitoring, advocacy, as well as information and education of all shades of stakeholders.

“Consequently, NCC is one of the few MDAs that has a dedicated toll-free number, designed specifically for the escalation of issues between telecommunications service providers and consumers. We also constantly monitor the Quality of Service (QoS), ensuring that service delivery issues are within the acceptable key performance indicators (KPIs),” Adinde said.

Meanwhile, Nnena Akajemili, National Coordinator/Chief Executive Officer of SERVICOM, in her remarks at the event, applauded NCC for contributing to the cultivation of effective communication between the Commission and its various stakeholders for improved service delivery in the country.

RELATED: NCC Committed To Growth Of E-Governance, Other Internet-Driven Services In Nigeria ─Danbatta

The telecoms regulator stated that Akajemili acknowledged the commitment of NCC to facilitating major activities, even as she affirmed that the Commission has improved significantly in delivering its key regulatory functions.

Akajemili also observed that NCC went the extra mile in engaging its stakeholders as well as creating affinity between itself and its stakeholders.

SERVICOM National Coordinator/CEO also stated that she was particularly gratified by NCC’s contribution of 11.94 percent to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report for Q3 2021.

Akajemili beseeched the Commission to expand and sustain its collaboration with other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), specifically in the area of data management, CSR, Value Added Services (VAS) and short codes, to enhance greater synergy among MDAs.

Bashir Bello, Head of Legislative and Government Relations and SERVICOM Nodal Officer at NCC, said SERVICOM as a service delivery initiative, requires everyone to put in his or her best in achieving desired objectives.

Bello also stressed the role of Management’s support, education, and commitment to improving and consolidating the various SERVICOM interventions that had been initiated.

SERVICOM Team leads, departmental liaisons officers in the NCC, SERVICOM rapporteurs, and other staff of the Commission all attended the retreat in Abuja, said the telecoms regulator.

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