EXPLORING THE DEVELOPMENT OFTELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES AND THE SPATEOF CONSUMER EXPLOITATION IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The consuming public have been exposed to spates of sub-standard goods and services churned out by services providers into the market space. Very many sectors including the telecommunications have been affected by this development. The consequence of exposing consumers to the consumption of substandard goods and services impacts not just on the peoples’ socio-economic lives but also their health. The Nigeria telecommunications sector is webbed with poor quality of services despite the unbundling of the sector. This work, “Exploring the Development of Telecommunication Services and the Spate of Consumer Exploitation in Nigeria” examined the development of telecommunication service from the colonial to the post-colonial era; from the period of government monopoly to the liberalized period, and a critical analysis of the state of its operation on the quality of services offered and the extent to which consumers’ interests have been protected or otherwise exploited in the subsector. Adopting the doctrinal methodology, the work found that; (i) The protection and promotion of consumers’ rights/interests is abysmally unsatisfactory, hence consumers are exploited through poor quality services, high and unwarranted charges. (ii) Most consumers of telecommunications services do not know the existence of their rights and the modalities towards seeking redress over the violation of these rights. (iii) Government and regulatory policies are primarily aimed at generating revenue and income to the government as against the promotion and protection of consumers’ interests. (iv) Poor judicial attitudes towards the protection of consumers’ rights, especially on violation of consumers’ fundamental human right to private communication by security agencies who obtain footages of private communications of consumers from service providers without consumer’s prior consent or by order of court of competent jurisdiction. The work therefore recommends: (i) Imposition of monetary compensation, primarily to the consumers and same should paid into designated consumers’ bank accounts as against call credit or data over the loss of their funds; (ii) Routine organisation of town hall meetings to create awareness on consumers’ rights and the creation of “solution hub” at each coverage area to allow for ease of accessibility and speedy consideration of consumers’ complaints (iii) There should repositioning of the regulatory agencies through; (a) re-orientation and change of work habit, (b)prompt attention to consumers’ complaints, (c) structural decentralization of work and personnel by the creation/establishment of institutional offices throughout all the local governments across the country for ease of accessibility, and (d) the right to sue regulatory agencies for damages in circumstance of negligent of duty/responsibility. (iv) Specific provision or judicial pronouncement creating strict liability offences and consumer’s right to private communications which can only to be derogated upon by an order of court of competent jurisdiction or consent of the consumer involved