Lawan advisers Nigerians to abandon service providers with bad networks

Senate President, Ahmad Lawan has advised Nigerians to abandon telcos known to provide poor network services in the country.

Lawan said this at a one-day joint public hearing on the incidence of drop calls in the country.

The Senate President said the National Assembly is ready to deal severely with the National Communications Commission should they fail to carry out their functions properly.

He blamed service providers as the cause of rates of drop calls in the country and threatened to chase them out of the country.

“Whoever will provide better services, I think Nigerians will be better advised to use that service whatever it is.

“And whoever is not, Nigerians should abandon such a service provider. But at the moment all the service providers are involved in this drop calls.

“We pay for drop calls and drop calls are not services provided. For service providers, I am sorry I have to be brash and I have to be blunt, this is the cumulative frustration of services not provided by telcos for years.

“The most painful part it is you don’t do it anywhere else. You do it in this country. We suffer. MTN in South Africa don’t do what they do here. Or even in Ghana.

“But in Nigeria, maybe because we are too fatalistic by saying maybe that is what God wishes, meanwhile somebody pockets billions.

“Please, let this be a journey for us in Government representing the people and you, service providers, business institutions or organizations come together and resolve this issue. It is high time.

“I know some of you will say well, we have heard this before, honestly we are going to be tough with the NCC.

“NCC should sit up and do what it is expected to do – to regulate properly because we have oversight function on NCC.

“But you (telcos) you are in business. If you are tired of what is going on I think we will insist on what may appear an uphill task,” Lawan said.