NCC restates commitment to stakeholders’ collaborations, telecoms sector development

*The Nigerian Communications Commission reassures industry stakeholders of continued engagements on issues affecting telecoms service deployments and developments, urging organisations to join in enlightenment campaigns for responsible and safe use of the Internet in the country’s cyberspace

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

In consonance with its culture of inclusiveness, collaboration and partnership as predicated on its strategic focus, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said it will continue to consult industry stakeholders on issues affecting telecommunications services deployments and developments in the country.

Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, Executive Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of the Commission, represented by Mr. Reuben Muoka, Director of Public Affairs at NCC, gave the assurance while receiving a delegation of Food Basket Foundation International (FBFI), led by Funmi Akinyele, Chief Executive Officer of FBFI, during a recent courtesy visit to the NCC Headquarters in Abuja, FCT.

Mobile Internet users

Danbatta affirmed that the Commission is committed to strengthening its regulation of the telecommunications sector of the economy, particularly in providing the solid infrastructure and general industry regulation.

Akinyele, while  commending the Commission’s regulatory excellence, highlighted its effort at ensuring there are regulation, frameworks and guidelines to guide the telecoms sector and online civic space in the ecosystem.

The FBFI Chief Executive also expressed concerns about the state of the social media with uncontrolled content.

She said the visit to the regulator was to explore areas of collaboration in its programme to protect the digital civic space by combating misinformation and disinformation while mitigating risks to the digital civic space.

According to her, this effort is to ensure electoral integrity before, during and after the 2023 General Elections.

Akinyele also explained the initiative comes under one of FBFI’s projects, christened, ‘Safeguarding Digital Civic Space for Electoral Integrity’ (SDSEI).

Muoka further informed the visiting team that the Commission is not responsible for the content of the social media as there are other government agencies that are responsible for this.

Some aspects of NCC’s consumer protection initiatives

However, the Commission noted how the telecoms sector regulator had engaged in several aspects of protection of users of the Internet via initiatives, such as Child Online Protection (COP), deployment of the Computer Security Incident Response Team (NCC-CSIRT), set up to monitor cyberattacks in the Nigerian cyberspace besides the activities of the Department of New Media and Information Security of NCC, established to address issued of cybersecurity.

The Director of Public Affairs also said: “We have tried not to be a closed organisation.

“We give lots of premiums to consultations and collaborations, especially in the areas that will ensure that the consumers and stakeholders understand what is going on, and to make input that enriches the quality of regulation, as well as being able to access information they may require to safeguard themselves and the society.”

Muoka as well invited the group to join the NCC in carrying out enlightenment campaigns to educate telecoms consumers on their roles and responsibilities in order to use the Internet and telecommunications platform safely to counter misuse and abuse.