Telecoms: NCC, FCCPC sign regulatory collaboration pact
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), has signed memorandum of understanding with the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), on regulatory collaboration in the telecommunication sector.
The Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of FCCPC, Mr Tunji Bello during the signing of the MOU in Abuja, noted that by the design, regulations are often interwoven and overlapping.
He stated that the principle behind overlapping regulations is simple because it serves as a mechanism to prevent issues from slipping through the cracks.
In his words “This explains the interwoven relationship between the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) which ensures that if one agency, due to certain limitations, fails to identify or address a consumer issue or regulatory violation, the other agency, potentially with a different perspective, will be able to step in effectively”.
According to him, this highlights the importance of Section 105 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018, which explicitly provides for cooperation and collaboration between the FCCPC and sector regulators.
“This synergy is critical to ensuring comprehensive oversight and consumer protection without regulatory conflicts or duplications and by this, we are also making life easier for the generality of consumers in dealing with two government agencies on the same issue at the same time.
“The signing of this MoU today symbolises the convergence of two diligent government agencies in compliance with legal requirements to eliminate regulatory gaps in the telecoms industry and the journey to this milestone has been both challenging and rewarding and I’m pleased that with Dr Aminu Maida, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, we have successfully achieved this milestone,” Mr Bello explained.
The Executive Vice Chairman of FCCPC said the collaboration would benefit both operators and consumers and would foster harmonious collaboration between our organisations, streamline operations for telecoms operators through a one-stop-shop approach in many instances, and ensure robust consumer protection, fair competition, and the eradication of exploitative practices.
“This is entirely consistent with President Bola Tinubu’s vision of fostering economic growth through regulatory collaboration, enhanced market efficiency, and prioritising consumer welfare and given the importance of this legal requirement, today’s event should inspire other sector regulators to establish similar collaborative frameworks with the FCCPC, as mandated by Section 105 of the FCCPA and this will also ensure that consumers across all sectors enjoy the benefits of coordinated and comprehensive regulatory oversight” He added
On his part, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communication Commission, Dr Aminu Maida commended FCCPC for the regulatory collaboration saying it would go a long way to further protect and strengthen competitiveness of Nigerian consumers in the country’s telecommunication sector.
Dr. Maida said the collaboration would equally ensure reliable and affordable communication services in the country.
He reiterated that NCC would continue to collaborate with FCCPC towards protecting the rights of Nigerian consumers in the nation’s telecommunications industry.
