The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has disclosed that it is not the regulator of the contents of the social media networks that many stakeholders have complained about.
It made the disclosure when the National Civil Society Council of Nigeria (NCSCN) visited to seek the intervention of the Commission on the worrisome and misleading content of several social media platforms.
The Executive Secretary of the NCSCN, Blessing Akinsolotu, led the visiting team to the telecommunication regulatory agency.
Akinsolotu, as contained in a release by the NCC Director of Public Affairs, Rueben Muoka, said the situation demands immediate intervention of key stakeholders.
This, he said, became necessary to ensure that the content of the social media and the internet are credible and enhance national social cohesion.
“We know that NCC, as the regulator of the telecoms industry, has greater role to play in helping to curb the spread of fake news and incendiary contents that Internet users put on social media platforms.
“Therefore, we want NCC to partner with us in this regard,” the NCSCN Executive Secretary stated.
Akinsolotu also invited the Commission to partner with the NCSCN in hosting a conference aimed at tackling the seemingly intractable diffusion of fake news, particularly on social media networks.
However, Muoka, speaking on behalf of the NCC Executive Vice Chairman, Professor Umar Danbatta, informed the group that Commission’s mandate does not extend to controlling the content of social media platforms.
He said the major role of the telecom regulator is to facilitate the deployment of telecom infrastructure that provides different types of telecommunications services.
These services, he said, include improving broadband that enhances robust Internet experience, ensuring fair competition and as well as the protecting of telecom consumers.
Muoka said the mandate includes making services available, accessible and affordable for Nigerians who may leverage such access to engage in digital social mediation for the benefit of the individual, businesses and the nation’s socio-economic growth.
In the performance of its functions, Muoka said NCC promotes collaboration and partnerships with different stakeholders such as NCSCN, in creating awareness and promoting access to different categories of consumers in the country.
He said the Commission looks forward to furthering collaboration with NCSCN in its efforts to align with the aspirations of users of telecommunications services across the country.
The NCSCN, a member of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, commended the Commission for its people-oriented and consumer-centric regulatory activities.
The Council also seeks collaboration with NCC to spread messages of the Commission’s consumer enlightenment programmes to Nigerians in the grassroots through its over 100-member Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).
