The House of Representatives will soon come out with an ammended act of the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC), that will stop unsolicited messages and deductions from subscribers of the telecommunication companies operating in the country.
Chairman, House Committee on Telecommunications, Hon. Saheed Akinade- Fijabi made this known while featuring at the South-West Group of Online Publishers (SWEGOP), media chart on Wednesday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Akinade-Fijabi who said the NCC amendment Act has passed through the second reading, informed that “there are a lot of amendments in the NCC Act but the major one is on the unsolicited messages”.
The All Progressives Congress (APC), lawmaker said the amendment of the Act “will serve as a legal back up in order to sanction any erring companies”.
He said “I am facing the kind of what you face, I buy recharge cards just like you, it is affecting us also, but I want to assure you that we are working to stop unsolicited messages, there are a lot of amendments on the NCC Act especially on the unsolicited messages, the amendment has passed through the second reading.
“The major amendment on the NCC Act is that of the unsolicited messages, after it has been passed and the President gives his assent, it will serve as sanction to defaulter.
“You see recently NCC fined MTN, that is part of what we have been doing. When passed, and the President assents, then we can sanction the defaulter.
Speaking on the role he played during the emergence of Hon. Yakubu Dogara as the Speaker of the house in 2015, Akinade-Fijabi said there is nothing with what he did in order to protect the mace being break or taken away by angry members on that day.
He said he stills believes that Leader of the House, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila is still his leader contrary to insinuations that he betrayed the party by supporting Dogara instead of Femi Gbajabiamila.
Akinade-Fijabi said the house has empowered the Ethics Committee to forestall such ugly incidents that happened during the period of Hon. Patricia Etteh, Dimeji Bankole and recently in 2015 which lead to the emergence of Dogara where members embarked on free-for all battle.
“See, what happened is politics, Hon. Gbajabiamila is still my leader, I am not loyal to anybody but I am loyal to the house.
“For such ugly incidents not to happen again, we have put it in the code of conduct that if any member is involve in such will be suspended for six months. There is a committee, Ethics Committee to take care of that.
Speaking on his role in lawmaking Akinade-Fijabi, said he has sponsored several motions and bills “which has had positive impact on the people.
“As a lawmaker, I have moved several motions and supported many bills, these includes the one on Cervical Cancer, but the work of legislature is a process. Some people might not be performing in the plenary, you may not see them on the TV or hear them on the Radio, but they may be performing at the committee level.
“If you see a member that does not appear on the TV that does not mean he does not work, because we have 360 members and about 200 at a time and we have limited time, so it is not possible for everybody to talk.
” I have facilitated projects worth 300 million naira to School, Ring Road Hospital is being rehabilitated, I have facilitated many projects to UCH even it is outside my constituency and i am also bringing another project worth N500 Million naira to The Polytechnic ibadan
