No Plan to Regulate Social Media, Says NCC

• No Plan to Regulate Social Media, Says NCC

The Nigerian Communications Commission says it does not have a plan to regulate the use of social media across the country.

In a statement made available to our correspondent in Abuja on Monday by the Director of Public Affairs, Mr Tony Ojobo, the regulatory agency said it was also not working with the National Assembly to enact a law on the use of social media.

Ojobo said what the agency advocated was self-regulation that enabled social media users to consider the impact of what they do on the media.

The NCC spokesman stated, “The commission wishes to state it has no plan to regulate the social media but advocates for responsible and ethical use of the social media in such a way to engender national cohesion and development.

“We recognise that the social media play a key role in the democratic process and have contributed to shaping narratives that engender positive debates and interactions.

“It is our hope that the ongoing discussions in the various forums dissuading the use of hate speeches and other such tendencies will create the desired impact on the minds of people for a responsible use of the social media.”

There have been speculation that the government will clamp down on the use social media as a result of propagation of untoward messages through the social media, which use has become rampant following the ubiquity of smartphones and higher Internet penetration.