Social media contents regulation not part of NCC’s mandate – Prof. Danbatta

The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta said on Tuesday that regulation of social media contents is not part of the agency’s mandate.

Danbatta stated this at the public presentation of a new book titled: “Cyber Politics: Social Media Demography and Voting Behavior in Nigeria,” authored by Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan in Abuja.

The NCC boss gave the clarification which he said was necessary given the traffics in the uncontrolled use of the social media for surreptitious reasons before, during and after the 2023 general election.

Having admitted that the use of social media has come to stay, he however, decried the extent with which inflammatory contents and politics of enmity are being uploaded by politicians to downgrade their opponents, which according to him, had not added any positive values to the political process.

He said: “NCC doesn’t regulate the content of social media but we regulate the infrastructure in which social media are hosted, ensuring that quality of service and experience are of high standard comparable to any part of the world.”

He lauded Ibietan for authoring a book at the time the title is most needed by the society and also for documenting his ideas, adding that he has joined the league of writers.

By this, Prof. Danbatta said, he has something in common with Ibietan, saying: “Am fascinated by the efforts he has put into the production of this book. People who sit down and put their thoughts in writing are some of the most intelligent people in our society and am opportune to put down an excellent foreword for the book.

“And, today we have a dedicated staff of the Commission who have devoted time to write this beautiful book. Perhaps when you write your new book, you will dedicate a chapter for a responsible way using social media to do politic,” he said.

He recommended the book to the audience and assured that no one would regret reading it.
Meanwhile, the 2023 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in Enugu State and Chairman of the occasion, Chief Frank Nweke jr, in his remarks, said the book would serve as a guide on practical communication and societal transformation of the country.

According to Nweke, the book succinctly captures the impact of social media on electoral choices in Nigeria, while he express concern on the negative impact of fake news which did not only tend to undermine, libel and slander people, but to stoke crisis in the nation.

He advised government and professional bodies to work on means of ensuring the protection of the society from hazards of fake news.
“Considering the recent part social media has played in Nigeria’s political history, I strongly recommend this book for practitioners and academicians in the fields of strategic communications, new technologies, politics, and social change”, he said.
On why he embarked on the book project, Dr. Omoniyi, who is the head of Media Relations of the Nigerian Communications Commission explained that the book was written out of his passion for research and hopes that history will be kind to him.

“Cyber Politics in Nigeria is fundamentally a subject of research. As we all know, research is intrinsic to the solving of societal problems,”

According to him, social media from my survey constituted less than 10 per cent in helping voters to decide who to vote for, adding that social media remains critical but operates in the context of certain mediating factors and influences.