Automation is next stage of service delivery in public sector

Umar Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has said leveraging the potential of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to automate service delivery should be the next step for excellent service delivery by public institutions to Nigerians.

Danbatta stated this in a goodwill message presented on his behalf by Ikechukwu Adinde, Public Affairs Director NCC, at the opening ceremony of a three-day SERVICOM retreat, which started on December 1, 2021 at the Communications and Digital Economy Complex, Mbora, Abuja.

The retreat themed ‘Charter Performance Monitoring and Reporting’, was aimed at enhancing the monitoring of the implementation of the NCC’s Client Service Charter, identifying gaps, as well as measuring and evaluating the progress of service delivery in the Commission.

SERVICOM derived from Service Compact with all Nigerians, speaks to a special social contract between the Federal Government through its institutions (Ministries, Department and Agencies) and the Nigerian people to ensure that services are delivered in a courteous, prompt, and efficient manner.

Adinde while speaking at the event attended by staff of the NCC noted that the commission has been living up to expectations as one of the public institutions that has continued to implement the service charter with all its various stakeholders.

According to the Director, the digital economy drive of the Federal Government should mean that more services be delivered online in a more efficient manner to the people of Nigeria in line with the philosophy of servicom.

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He noted that the NCC is an important partner of SERVICOM in its move towards service delivery and excellence, and called on the participants to remember the commitment of Danbatta to ensure that telecom service providers deliver effective services to different categories of stakeholder

“Therefore, from our perspective as regulators of the digital ecosystem in Nigeria, we feel that automation of service should be the next stage of service delivery. While Nigeria has started this journey with the example of REMITA, which has brought about a lot of efficiency and transparency into the payment remittances by the public, and Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) of government,” Adinde said.

Speaking on the implementation of the NCC Charter for SERVICOM, he stated that NCC boasts of one of the best brains that could be found in the public sector as civil servants, and they are established with good work ethics and culture.

“Our staff are renowned for their warmth and geniality when dealing with internal and external stakeholders. They work as a team on the principle of achieving Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound (SMART) objectives of the Commission,” he added

However, he moved on to list the roles of the Commission in working with other MDAs in various ways to achieve policy objectives of the government on different sides as he also highlight a number of corporate social responsivity (CSR) projects of the Commission being implemented singly or jointly with other MDAs towards achieving the objective of the government to serve the citizens better.

Adinde, while emphasizing the duty of NCC on telecom users, whose interest must be protected in line with the Nigerian Communications Act 2003, said that NCC created the Consumer Affairs Bureau in September 2001, to ensure consumer protection through policy development and monitoring, advocacy, as well as information and education of all shades of stakeholders.

In conclusion, he added that NCC is one of the few MDAs that has a dedicated toll-free number, designed specifically for increasing issues between telecommunications service providers and consumers and also stated that NCC monitor the Quality of Service (QoS), ensuring that service delivery issues are within the acceptable key performance indicators (KPIs).

Meanwhile, Nnenna Akajemili, National Coordinator/Chief Executive Officer of SERVICOM, in her address at the event, commended NCC for contributing to the development of effective communication between the Commission and its various stakeholders for improved service delivery.

Akajemili recognized the effort of NCC towards facilitating major activities, as she confirmed that the Commission had improved significantly in delivering its key regulatory functions. Akajemili also noticed that NCC went the extra mile in engaging its stakeholders as well as creating close relationships between itself and its stakeholders.

She noted that she was particularly gratified by NCC’s contribution of 12.45 percent to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), based on the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report for the third quarter of 2021.

The SERVICOM Chief Executive urged the Commission to sustain and expand on its collaboration with other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), specifically in the area of data management, CSR, Value Added Services (VAS) and shortcodes, in order to enhance greater synergy among MDAs.

Bashir Bello, Head, Legislative and Government Relations, NCC and SERVICOM Nodal Officer at the Commission, said SERVICOM, as a service delivery initiative, requires everyone to put in his or her best in achieving desired objectives.

He speaks on the role of Management’s support, education, and commitment towards improving and consolidating the various SERVICOM interventions that had been initiated.