Business
Subscribers To Sue Providers Over Compensation
The National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers (NATCOMS) Chairman, Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo last Wednesday threatened telecom providers with litigation over non-payment of compensation for poor services.
Ogunbanjo, the NATCOMS President, told newsmen in Lagos that the only alternative against the operators was litigation for refusing to compensate consumers for poor services rendered.
The association had written to the operators, under the aegies of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), demanding for N5,000 compensation for each subscriber.
Ogunbanjo said the letter was sent to ALTON in July and copies made to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), but that the operators had refused to respond.
He said that the association gave the operators Sept. 12 deadline to compensate their customers, a date which he said, had lapsed.
“We want to go to court right now and we are already filing our papers, not only for compensation.
“We are also filing a court action for the fact that there is no consumer management-compliant procedure and resolution,’’ the NATCOMS chief said.
Mr Gbenga Adebayo, the Chairman of ALTON, however, said that the compensation being demanded by the subscribers was misplaced.
Adebayo said the letter sent to the association was badly intended and that it was just to arouse public sentiments.
“It appears to us that the association that sent the letter is not aware of the fundamentals of the industry they came to represent.
“If they are aware, I would not expect them to keep issues in the background and then come on behalf of their members to claim compensation,” he said.
According to him, the fundamentals which NATCOMS has been advocating for and against are still there, hence there is no basis for demanding compensation.
Responding, Ogunbanjo described the underlying factors complained by ALTON as no justifiable excuse for not compensating subscribers.
He said that each sector of the economy had its own unique challenges, but still compensated the consumers when it fell short of expectation.
“Why did not they (operators) tell NCC that there are underlying factors and not paying the fines?
“Why are they giving excuses to subscribers and not the regulators,’’ Ogunbanjo asked.
Business
NAFDAC Decries Circulation Of Prohibited Food Items In markets …….Orders Vendors’ Immediate Cessation Of Dealings With Products
Importers, market traders, and supermarket operators have therefore, been directed to immediately cease all dealings in these items and to notify their supply chain partners to halt transactions involving prohibited products.
The agency emphasized that failure to comply will attract strict enforcement measures, including seizure and destruction of goods, suspension or revocation of operational licences, and prosecution under relevant laws.
The statement said “The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised an alarm over the growing incidence of smuggling, sale, and distribution of regulated food products such as pasta, noodles, sugar, and tomato paste currently found in markets across the country.
“These products are expressly listed on the Federal Government’s Customs Prohibition List and are not permitted for importation”.
NAFDAC also called on other government bodies, including the Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service(NIS) Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigeria Shippers Council, and the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), to collaborate in enforcing the ban on these unsafe products.
