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Calabar Hosts NCC Consumer Outreach Programme (COP)

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BY: Ikenna Oluka

The city of Calabar – known for its cleanliness and respect for the environment, and the location of three of the 5 local government councils in Nigeria certified free of open defecation – this morning hosted the 103rd edition of Consumer Outreach Programme.

The COP is one the three consumer engagement programmes instituted by the NCC and superintended by the Commission’s Consumer Affairs Bureau. The other two programmes are Telecoms Consumer Parliament (TCP) which takes place in Lagos or Abuja quarterly and on a rotational basis, and the Consumer Town Hall Meeting (CTM) held monthly at semi-urban or rural centres.

A cross section of participants.

In keeping with the mandate of CAB to protect, inform and educate the telecom consumer, the COP holds monthly at a state capital for those purposes and by that fact stands as a platform for consumers to engage with telecom service providers and seek redress for unsatisfactory services.

Ismail Adedigba, Head Information and Reference at CAB, who represented Felicia Onwuegbuchulam, Director of CAB, at the Calabar event stated that the Bureau’s conversation this season is focused on discussing the roles of telecom consumers in mitigating the effects of cybercrimes. Adedigba, his colleague, Banji Ojo, Head Consumer Protection and Advocacy at CAB, as well as other stakeholders, including representatives of telecom companies and consumer advocacy groups discoursed what consumers need to do to prevent being victims of cybercrimes. Speakers advised telecom consumers to protect their personal information, particularly their passwords, and to restrained from sharing Too Much Information (TMI) on social media platforms which can be ‘leveraged’ by criminals to attack people and their families.

Adedigba informed the participants that NCC already instituted a process to establish industry Internet Code of Practice for Internet service providers in the country, while Ojo recalled series of consumer-centred programmes being implemented by NCC to ease the quality of telecom customers’ experience.

Controller NCC Zonal Office Port, Venny Eze; Head Online Media and Special Publications, Omoniyi Ibietan; Principal Manager Procurement, Dr. Ebinimi Tebepah and Senior Manager Public Relations, Amaka Agwaniru, all from the NCC.

These initiatives and programmes include information and education on Phone Etiquette, Child Online Protection, Electromagnetic Field (EMF) discourse, Mobile Number Portability (MNP), Obligations of Service Providers to telecom consumers, the Role of NCC in Consumer Protection, Procedure for Lodging Complaints, Consumer Bill of Rights, Do Not Disturb (2442) Code, and the 622 Toll Free Line provided by NCC which consumers can call to escalate unresolved complaints earlier reported to the service providers.

Concerns about health hazards of telecoms masts were equally discussed by participants at the event. Venny Ezeh, Zonal Controller Port Harcourt zonal office who also supervises Cross River State allayed the fears of participants in that respect. She noted that some of the information bandied about health hazards of telecom masts are yet to be substantiated in scientific research and advised the participants to refrain from panicking.

Participants also got sufficient information, including literatures, on Consumer Complaints Management Procedure, Monitoring of Customer Care Centre Operations of Service Providers, Incidents of SIM Swap and the attendant fraud, Dangers of Sales and buying of Pre-Registered SIM Cards, Call masking and refiling, Protection of telecom infrastructure, as well as base stations and other health concerns of the telecom consumers.

Youth Corps members, a section of participants

The programme was attended by many stakeholders including Rosemary Archibong, Cross River State Commissioner for Information; State Director of National Orientation Agency, Florence Osang; hundreds of telecom consumers, representatives of telecom service providers, the mass media, advocacy groups and security agencies.

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The Peruvian Government Has Officially Classified Transgender, Nonbinary And Intersex People As “Mentally ill”

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According to the country’s ministry of health, the controversial decision was made to ensure the country’s public health services could “guarantee full coverage of medical attention for mental health” for the trans community.

It also categorises “dual-role transvestitism,” “fetishistic transvestism,” and “other gender identity disorders” under the same bracket of mental illness.

The new law will change language in the Essential Health Insurance Plan (PEAS) to reflect the view of trans and intersex people as a mental health disorder.

Trans groups across Peru have loudly condemned the decision as a step backwards for the country’s already complex relationship with LGBTQ+ rights.

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Math Teacher Accused Of Having Sex With 2 Students And Getting Pregnant For One Tearfully Reveals The Baby Was Taken Away From Her

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The UK teacher who had a baby with an underage student while on trial for having sex with another teenage boy broke down in court after revealing her newborn baby girl had been “taken away” from her.

Manchester math teacher Rebecca Joynes, 30, sobbed to jurors over how her baby was taken “24 hours after being born” this past January — and now she only sees her for nine hours a week, Joynes told jurors on Monday, May 13, according to the Manchester Evening News.

“At the moment I have contact with her three times a week for three hours and that’s it,” she said through tears.

Joynes was arrested and released on bail on orders not to have unsupervised contact with anyone under 18 after allegedly grooming her pupil, known as Boy A in court, by buying him a $430 Gucci belt before bringing him to her apartment for unprotected sex.

She was suspended from school and eventually fired, but soon after, she began having a relationship with a 15-year-old boy, known in court as Boy B, whom she had a baby with in January.

Joynes, who has denied having sex with either boy when they were underage, told the court that when she learned of the allegations against her she had gone to the second boy in a “panic” and he deleted all of her phone’s content.

The former teacher denied having a sexual relationship with the second boy until after he turned 16 and she was already suspended from teaching.

According to her narration,

She said he had added her on Snapchat twice, which she only accepted the second time because she thought he “wanted to tell her something.”

Joynes said a friendship developed and he quickly became her “best friend” even though the boy would make flirtatious and sexualized comments toward her when he was drunk.

She told jurors that it wasn’t until after his 16th birthday that he messaged her saying “I’ve left school now” with a winky face.

After she received notice that she had been dismissed from her job, he went to her apartment, where following an emotional conversation, they had sex.

The two then entered a relationship that Joynes described as “quite toxic” telling the court how the teenager was “very controlling.”

After discovering she was pregnant, Joynes hid love notes for the boy to find around her apartment.

The notes eventually led to a piece of baby clothing that had the words “I love my daddy to the moon and back” written on it.

The court was told that she gave birth to their baby girl in January, but following an emergency court hearing, the newborn was taken away from Joynes.

Joynes has denied two counts of sexual activity with Boy A; two counts of sexual activity with Boy B; and two counts of sexual activity with Boy B while being a person in a position of trust.

Her trial is ongoing.

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First Man To Receive Pig Kidney Transplant Has Died

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The first Man to receive a genetically modified pig kidney transplant has died two months after the operation.

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), which carried out the procedure in March, announced Sunday, May 12, that Richard “Rick” Slayman, 62, has died.

They said there was no indication his death was a result of the transplant.

Transplants of other organs from genetically modified pigs have failed in the past, but the operation on Mr Slayman, who was suffering with end-stage kidney disease, was hailed as a historic milestone.

In addition to kidney disease, Mr Slayman also suffered from Type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

In 2018, he had a human kidney transplant, but it began to fail after five years.

Following his pig kidney transplant on March 16, his doctors confirmed he no longer needed dialysis after the new organ was said to be functioning well.

“Mr Slayman will forever be seen as a beacon of hope to countless transplant patients worldwide and we are deeply grateful for his trust and willingness to advance the field of xenotransplantation,” MGH said in a statement.

Xenotransplantation is the transplanting of living cells, tissues or organs from one species to another.

MGH said it was “deeply saddened” at his sudden death and offered condolences to his family.

Mr Slayman’s relatives said his story was an inspiration.

“Rick said that one of the reasons he underwent this procedure was to provide hope for the thousands of people who need a transplant to survive,” they said.

“Rick accomplished that goal and his hope and optimism will endure forever.

“To us, Rick was a kind-hearted man with a quick-witted sense of humour who was fiercely dedicated to his family, friends, and co-workers,” they added.

While Mr Slayman received the first pig kidney to be transplanted into a human, it is not the first pig organ to be used in a transplant procedure.

Two other patients have received pig heart transplants, but those procedures were unsuccessful as the recipients died a few weeks later.

In one case, there were signs the patient’s immune system had rejected the organ, which is a common risk in transplants.

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