The Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Dr. Aminu Maida has reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to Protect, Inform and Educate the telecom consumers.
Dr. Maida stated this while making his remarks at the 2024 World Consumer Right Day held at the Commission’s Headquarters in Abuja on Friday.
Represented by the Executive Commissioner-Designate, Technical Services, Abraham Ogbadami, the EVC
noted that the Consumers are the most important part of any business, and their protection is of utmost importance.
The EVC said, every year, on March 15th, World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated to raise awareness about the rights of consumers worldwide and protect them from unfair trade practices.
He said, the Commission has over the years kept faith with this date to highlight the important position the telecom consumers occupy in the telecommunications ecosystem in Nigeria.
This, according to him, was done to uphold the rights of consumer which have evolved over the years with additional new consumer rights like the right to privacy, the right to quality of service, the right to timely redress, right to action on disputed charges, right to fair complaint process and right to accurate billing.
The NCC boss said, the Commission in alignment with the global trend adopted the theme for this years’ edition of World Consumer Rights Day as “Fair and Responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the Consumer”.
He said, AI represents the culmination of human innovation and the quest to create machines that can mimic human intelligence and problem-solving capabilities.
He said, AI has already made significant inroads in People’s lives, driving innovation in healthcare, finance, transportation, and countless other fields.
While advocating for transparent and responsible use of AI, Dr. Maida noted that issues like bias, privacy, transparency, and accountability should be considered by developers.
“This ensures that decisions made by AI can be explained and mistakes can be fixed to ensure everyone is treated fairly, regardless of their background. This helps prevent biased decisions or discrimination thereby promoting inclusivity and equality”, he said.
The EVC further added that the protection of citizens’ privacy was extremely important when using AI, therefore, organisations should handle personal data responsibly, following strict privacy regulations. “Respecting privacy builds trust in AI systems”, he said.
Speaking on regulatory challenges, he said, “developing regulations and policies to govern AI deployment can be complex and as well as playing catch up due to technological advancements.
“Although most Legislative and governing Bodies are looking to regulate this technology, there has been continuous struggle to strike the right balance between risk mitigation and stifling innovation, while promoting innovation and ensuring security and trust.
“AI developers and Regulators have to ensure AI system algorithms consider, ethics and inclusivity.
“Navigating this uncharted territory requires a careful examination of existing laws, the development of new regulations, and ethical considerations to ensure that AI benefits society without compromising fundamental rights and values”, he noted.
