Ripples Nigeria findings have uncovered that GSM service providers in the country defraud Nigerians to a whooping tune of about N547bn every year.
Nigeria has 149,787,120 active Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) lines as at November 2015 according to figures from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).


At N50 deductible on SMS every five days of subscription, invariably, Nigerians lose over N7.5 billion every five days, and N547b yearly through such unsolicited SMS.
This is not counting other unsolicited SMS that attracts N100 per week, and unsolicited calls that also attract separate charges.
In a move to address the situation, the House of Representatives during the weekend suggested a fine of N5million for GSM providers involved in unsolicited calls and text messages.
According to the lawmakers, unsolicited text messages are a breach to the privacy of phone users and a contravention of their fundamental rights as provided for in the Constitution.
Sponsor of the bill, Hon. Ali Madaki, said the Bill became imperative, as there was no law in the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Act specifically on text messages, which makes it possible for telecommunications service providers to fleece their subscribers through such unsolicited SMS.

According to him, the consumers are at the mercy of the service providers, who have taken full advantage of the absence of such laws to continue defrauding Nigerians.
Equally in the bill, online telemarketing is prohibited without prior consent or application by a subscriber.
However, Nicholas Ossai (PDP, Delta) among others, said unsolicited text messages does not need to stand alone as laws, as the NCC Act has enough laws to address the issue.
Expectedly, Speaker Yakubu Dogara and the House Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila noted that privacy of subscribers should be an issue which the NCC Act was silent on.

The bill was unanimously passed after it was put to a voice vote by the Speaker, who said opinion of experts and stakeholders would be required at the public hearing stage to seek the opinion of Nigerians about unsolicited text messages.
While the debates continue, service providers continue to have a field day, smiling to the bank with the billions fleeced from Nigerian GSM providers.

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Awon Ole!!!

Fine them already

what is the use of NCC if they sit back and watch these thieves exploit us daily. It is high time NCC is removed as far as am concerned they are useless.

Another method is through flash message. Most people will click OK without knowing, and before u know it, you have subscribed to one yeye package...



And that's #50 off your account every week.

God bless our lawmakers

IAMLOOSEWEIGHT

We shouldn't blame the network providers,
NCC should be blamed for this amount of exploitation.....



Abeg hope them go disburse the fine to all the exploited customers?...

Does this affect those os us that load once a month?

.

Chai! Me since I have been using phone, I don't subscribe to all those extras (ring back tune, news feeds, etc) and I hardly get any deduction, only sometimes unusual call rate. But I so hate those unsolicited calls and messages.

mtn

good

WHAT ABOUT THE FAKE WIN BIG GSM LOTTERIES
Glo and MTN made several billions years back with sms to win millions promo and the lotteries were not 'won' as promised by subscribers.

Nice one

Imagine the amount they smile to the bank with, while we suffer losses of time inconvenience, low battery, amongst other things. Let the consequence be a huge fine on defaulters.

Good one

A lot has really happened in this country.

PDP members ah- e nor go better for una

especially that useless etisalat

Consumer protection in Nigeria is non-existence

thieves

I hate does messages and they come especially when am expecting a credit alert. Airtel's messages are better bt Mtn no dey add value to person mobile activities at all.

Chisos!!!

okay

Fine mtn more! awom oloriburuku oshi

Irrelevant msgs, there was a time i think twas mtn abi glo, sent me a msg abt "tips on falling in love" i laff .

Funny enough, after a month, #100 comot frm my bal o,
Something i didn't request for.

Oh my! And we have NCC. It is well.