*Gives affected firms October 1st
deadline to offer quality service
A civil rights organisation, Centre
for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ) has expressed its readiness to
picket and disrupt business activities in telecoms and pay television service
providing companies in the country.
In a statement issued by the Executive
Chairman of the organisation, Comrade Adeniyi A. Sulaiman on Thursday, a
petition has been sent to the National Assembly to act in the interest of the
Nigerian masses.
The petition dated Monday 18th of
December, 2017 was written to the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki
and Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara was
also copied to President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister of Communications, Mr.
Adebayo Shittu.
Also copied include the Chairmen of
both the Senate and House Committees on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petition,
the Minister for Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, the
Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the Department of State
Security (DSS).
In the statement, the CHRSJ specifically
listed companies to be affected to include MTN, AIRTEL, 9Mobile and GLO while
the affected pay television to include Strong TV, DSTV, Startimes and GOTV.
Sulaiman on behalf of the CHRSJ
specifically accused the companies of extorting Nigerians via provision of poor
services and high fees, saying the trend would come to an end after the
expiration of an ultimatum it gave for the companies to change their
operational mode.
The organization had in December
2017 wrote that the affected companies risks having their operations disrupted
should they continue to milk the Nigerian people via poor and exorbitant fees.
Also, the CHRSJ flays the telecoms
operators for habitually failing to redeem promo offers to their customers who
are usually ripped off as some of the claims are bogus and never enjoyed by the
people.
In the statement, the group stated
that apart from the petition, its members are expected to stage series of
rallies and protest marches across the country with a view to sensitizing the
public on the need to preserve and secure their rights for quality service.
Sulaiman added, “We have written and
fine tuned our petitions to the National Assembly, the Presidency the ministers
responsible for supervising the activities of these companies and organizations.
“After that, we have mobilized our
members to be on standby as we will also stage peaceful rallies in the premises
of the affected ministries, which would last for a year terminating on October
1st, 2019 based on our engagement diary and timetable.
“We are also engaging the National
Assembly with a view to ensure that they do the needful by siding with the
masses of Nigeria in this struggle and that they must respect and act on the
petitions that we have written to them.”
Sulaiman listed some of the grouse
of his group to include unsolicited messaging, over billing for terminated
calls from telecom services as some of the ways they have been fleecing
Nigerians, saying the situation would no longer be condoned.
For Ikeja Electric, Sulaiman accused
the company of unduly fleecing the people through bogus and phony estimated
billing system, which he said has left many people poor, saying the company
should commence aggressive metering drive of its customers otherwise it would
incur its wrath.
He listed participating group that
would participate at the planned protest marches and rallies to include the
following; Apata Ayeraye Socio-political Volunteer Group, De Mainstream
Independent Campaign Group and we, the facilitator, the Centre for Human Rights
and Social Justice.
Others include, Centre for
Constitutional Rights and Counter-Corruption Crusade, the Conscience
Mainstream, African Masses Voices for Survival, The Christian Youth for the
Peoples Rights and Development
Sulaiman also listed the Coalition Against
Illegal Arrest and Unlawful Detention, Islamic Movement for Muslim Rights,
Veteran Group for Operation Clean Crusade, Divine Nigerians Liberators for
Peoples Fundamental Rights.
Others are Passengers Fundamental
Rights Group in Africa, The Christian Volunteer Group for Good Governance in
Nigeria, The Islamic Political Awareness Group, the Christian Awareness Mission
Group and Centre for Socio Justice and Equity.
“We are urging these companies
to desist from their illegal and unlawful activities of milking the people of
this country. We will not relent in our efforts at ensuring that we make them
do the right thing by utilizing all legal and lawful means to send them out of
the country should they continue in their evil ways of subjecting the people to
poverty and misery.” Sulaiman concluded in the statement.
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