By Onuwa Joseph
Ever cognizant of its customer sensitization duties, the NCC pulled up at the NYSC Camps in Paiko, Niger State and in Keffi Nasarawa State same day (7th August, 2025), to essentially acquaint the corps members with the nature of the symbiotic relationship between both agencies and also to add value to corps members lives by ensuring that they start extracting maximum value from their data purchases.
The NCC Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau, Mrs. Freda Bruce-Bennett’s heartfelt speech was delivered by top NCC officials at both orientation grounds to signpost the importance with which the Commission views the welfare and value delivery that NYSC members ought to get especially as they depend on data for their engagement with the wider world.
Mrs. Bruce-Bennett gave the background of the leapfrog in internet subscriptions from “105m in August 2018 to 142m in January 2025”. This growth, she said, “was fueled by the increasing popularity and usage of social media, other online content, and the wider availability of data networks”. And she reasoned: “In a digital age where data fuels everything from communication to education, business to social interaction, protecting consumers from exploitative practices and ensuring digital literacy is not important; it is essential”.
She also mentioned the rapid advancements “which have led have led to new features on smartphones that many consumers may not fully understand. This knowledge gap”, she said, “often results in unintentionally high data consumption, which can frustrate users and erode trust”.
She as well mentioned that “consumer perception of rapid data depletion remains a major pain point and continues to affect Quality of Experience (QoE) as well as overall consumer satisfaction in the telecoms industry.”
In educating the young men and women of the NYSC on how they can extract maximum value from their data purchases, she informed them that the NCC had championed studies and collaborations on the matter to ensure that consumers are not left holding the short end of the stick. Her admonition to the corps members to ensure optimization of their data subscriptions was essentially along the lines of their keeping a hawk eye on some activities that are known for quickly depleting data reserves.
These include Streaming Activities, Social Media, App Updates & Automatic Updates, Location Services, Hotspot Usage, Roaming, and Browsing Habits.
She then volunteered the following smart data management tips:
1. Monitor Data Usage: Regularly check data usage using built-in trackers or third-party apps.
2. Use Wi-Fi: Connect to Wi-Fi whenever possible to conserve cellular data.
3. Turn off Automatic Updates: Disable automatic updates for apps and software; update manually when on Wi-Fi.
4. Restrict Background Data: Limit background data usage for specific apps.
5. Download Content for Offline Use: Download media and content while on Wi-Fi for offline use.
6. Data Caching: Store frequently accessed data locally (offline) to reduce the need for repeated downloads.
7. Disable Location Services: Turn off GPS and location services for specific apps or altogether.
8. Data-saving Modes: Go to settings and turn on the data-saving mode on your phone to reduce consumption.
9. Data Rollover: Transfer unused data to the next billing cycle or month
By following these tips, she said, data consumption can be reduced significantly. (You can find out more about smart data management at consumer.ncc.gov.ng).
She concluded by urging the youth corps members to spread the awareness of consumer rights and protections to friends, family, and local communities, to educate others about the NCC’s initiatives and how to enjoy better quality of experience and to actively engage with the NCC by reporting challenges and sharing feedback that would help the commission serve its customers better.
The NCC officials at both orientation camps also made life more interesting for the corps members by organizing quiz competitions with winners awarded gift items such as power banks, airtime and data subscriptions. Donations of three bags of rice (50kg) and three 25liters of vegetable Cooking oil, were also made in both camps.
