Reps Bill to Prohibit Unsolicited Text and Calls Passes Second Reading

The lower arm of the Nigerian lawmaking body has made significant progress in its bid to prohibit the abused acts of telemarketing in Nigeria through unsolicited calls and text messages. 

A bill for an Act to reduce incident of unsolicited telephone calls and text messages received by consumers, on Thursday in Abuja, passed the second reading in the House of Representatives.

 

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Aliyu Madaki (Kano-APC), was intended to provide a legal framework to stop the sending of unsolicited ringtones and text messages to mobile phone subscribers.

The lawmaker explained that the bill was also intended to prohibit online telemarketing without prior consent of a subscriber. Madaki disclosed that the bill, when passed into law, would empower aggrieved subscriber to seek redress before a High Court.

 

He explained that currently, there was no legislation to address the prevalence of these unsolicited messages in the country, thereby leaving the consumers at the mercies of telephone service providers.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, therefore, referred to the bill.