The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has empowered subscribers to choose the text messages they receive from telcos through its directive on Do Not Disturb (DND) code.
Its Deputy Director, Consumers Affair, Femi Atoyebi, who responded to customers’complaints at the 20th Consumer Town Hall Meeting organised by the regulator in Sangotedo, Ajah, Lagos at the weekend, said the meeting was to educate subscribers about their right and privileges.
Atoyebi said the DND code is all about stopping unwanted text messages, saying consumers are at liberty to subscriber to service or products, adding that there is also the liberty to unsubscribe.
He said: “Now if you don’t want to be disturbed, you send STOP to 2442. But, we need to stress the fact that it is not all messages that are bad, some are quite educative, some give information about the weather, traffic, health, sport, among others. There is what we call full DND, that is don’t even bother me and there is partial DND that is on issue of education send message to me, but on music, I don’t want. That is why the option of 2442 has been provided and the particular message you don’t want will stop coming. So, if you ban all text messages from coming in, you will not know when the message that will be beneficial to you will come. But as I have said, consumers are at liberty to choose what they want.”
