The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has intensified efforts to address growing consumer concerns over data depletion in the country’s telecom sector, taking its sensitisation campaign to National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, orientation camps in Keffi, Nasarawa State, and Paiko, Niger State.
The programme targeted corps members as “key agents of change” in promoting smart data management and consumer rights.
The event was themed “Consumer Sensitization on Data Depletion: The Role of National Youth Service Corps Members” and formed part of the Commission’s broader drive to empower telecom subscribers with the skills to monitor and control their data usage.
Speaking through representatives at both camps, the Director of the Consumer Affairs Bureau, Mrs. Freda Ruth Bruce-Bennett, described the sensitisation as a strategic outreach to protect consumers in a rapidly evolving digital environment.
She linked the growing rate of data depletion complaints to the surge in internet subscriptions, which have risen from 105 million in August 2018 to 142 million in January 2025.
This rise, she said, is being fueled by increasing social media engagement, online content consumption, and wider network availability.
However, rapid technological advancements and the introduction of new smartphone features have also created a knowledge gap that leaves many consumers unaware of factors that drain data quickly.
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Bruce-Bennett listed streaming activities, high-resolution social media uploads, automatic app updates, continuous GPS use, hotspot sharing, roaming charges, and browsing habits involving heavy media content as major drivers of high data consumption.
She advised practical measures to reduce usage, including monitoring consumption with phone settings or third-party apps, connecting to Wi-Fi when available, disabling automatic updates, restricting background data for certain apps, downloading content for offline use, storing frequently accessed data locally, turning off location services, activating data-saving modes, and using data rollover options.
The NCC’s engagement in Nasarawa and Niger camps also featured quiz competitions where winners received power banks, airtime, and data subscriptions.
To further support the corps members, the Commission donated three 50kg bags of rice and three 25-litre kegs of vegetable oil to each camp. The items were received by the NYSC State Coordinator in Nasarawa, Hajiya Salamatu Mohammed, and her Niger State counterpart, Mrs. Martina Shuaibu-Ibrahim.
Bruce-Bennett urged corps members to share the knowledge gained with friends, family, and local communities, and to become active in promoting consumer protection measures.
She encouraged them to fill out sensitisation questionnaires, report challenges, and connect with the Commission through its complaint platforms and social media handles.
She reaffirmed the NCC’s commitment to ensuring a telecom environment that is fair, competitive, inclusive, and consumer-friendly, adding that consumer feedback remains vital in shaping policies and improving quality of service.
The sensitisation exercise, the Commission said, is part of ongoing consumer education, enforcement of fair usage policies, and engagement with service providers aimed at enhancing the overall quality of experience in Nigeria’s telecommunications industry.
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