The Nigerian government Tuesday called on social media users to use the platforms responsibly and ethically.

Umar Danbatta, Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), who made the call in Lagos, the country's economic hub, said citizens should take advantage of the platforms to exchange information and participate in the political, social and economic processes of the country.

However, Danbatta said the participation should be in ways that promote peace and enable the building of a more united and prosperous nation.

He added that the commission was technologically neutral in its regulatory role and would not regulate social media usage.

According to him, the Cyber-crimes Act 2015 has defined offences associated with social media use and stipulates punishments for breaches.

According to him, all citizens should be mindful of the law in their use of social media networks.

Danbatta said the regulatory body had auctioned several data frequencies and re-farmed others to ensure that Nigerians continue to have access to data.

He said this would enable them participate actively in the digital economy and sustain the exponential social, economic and political gains that the social media and the internet had facilitated for the society.

Danbatta said the commission would continue to engage all stakeholders in the telecommunications industry, central among which were the consumers, in order to improve the quality of regulation.  

(Xinhua News Agency June 13, 2017)