By FUNMILOLA GBOTEKU

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says it is taking steps to widen stakeholder participation in Internet governance after survey revealed significant gaps.

The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr Aminu Maida, disclosed this at the Internet Governance Symposium organised by the community on Thursday in Lagos.

Maida, who was represented by Abraham Oshadami, NCC’s Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, said the Internet Governance Working Group would provide a continuing platform for engagement and strengthen the communications sector’s contribution to internet governance.

He said decisions about the internet affected not only networks but also opportunities, trust, security and users’ rights, requiring the communications sector to contribute its practical experience to governance discussions.

“Decisions about the Internet affect far more than networks; they affect opportunity, trust, security and the rights of the people who use it.

“Nigeria’s communications sector must therefore contribute its practical experience to these conversations and help turn their outcomes into action at home,” Maida said.

Maida said artificial intelligence was changing how people learnt, worked, communicated and accessed services, while creating concerns about harmful content, fraud, privacy, accountability, the protection of children and other vulnerable users.

He said these challenges required informed dialogue and cooperation among stakeholders across the communications sector and beyond.

Maida said the Internet Code of Practice 2026 provided a framework for promoting a safer and more responsible online environment, while the Cyber Resilience Framework for the Nigeria Communications Sector sought to strengthen infrastructure security.

He said the success of the frameworks would depend on clear expectations, meaningful stakeholder engagement and consistent implementation, adding that Nigerians should be able to use the Internet with greater confidence.

Speaking in the capacity of NCC’s Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, Oshadami, said the symposium was designed to promote a better understanding of internet governance and encourage Nigerians to use the internet confidently and responsibly.

Oshadami said internet access had become central to everyday activities, including transportation, shopping, communication and access to essential services, making structured governance necessary.

“A lot of people are afraid to even go online because they are not sure of the implications or if there are dangers that they need to be aware of.

“However, if they are aware that there is a structured governance around the usage of the Internet and they understand how it works, they will have that confidence to use the Internet to their advantage,” Oshadami said.

He identified the Cyber Resilience Framework for the Nigeria Communications Sector as one of the measures introduced to safeguard digital infrastructure against cyber incidents and reduce their potential impact.

“We have a cyber resilience framework such that when you are online, if anything happens, we can safeguard it,” Oshadami said.

Earlier, Dr Ibiso Kingsley-George, Head of Internet Governance at the NCC, presented findings from a survey examining stakeholder participation in internet governance, readiness to implement the 2026 Internet Code of Practice, and approaches to artificial intelligence governance.

Kingsley-George said 47 organisations across industry, academia, research institutions and civil society participated in the survey, including mobile network operators, internet service providers and representatives of the technical community.

She said three in five organisations had not participated in internet governance processes, identifying limited awareness as a major barrier.

Kingsley-George said 53 per cent of respondents reported involvement in the Nigerian Internet Governance Forum, while 40 per cent had not attended any internet governance events.

She identified cybersecurity, online safety, child online protection, data protection and artificial intelligence governance as key priorities emerging from the survey.

Kingsley-George said licensees requested clearer regulatory expectations, practical implementation guidelines, reporting templates and step-by-step instructions to support compliance with the Internet Code of Practice 2026.

On artificial intelligence governance, Kingsley-George said 73 per cent of licensees reported using or piloting artificial intelligence in live operations, while 27 per cent had no governance arrangements for their systems.

She said 94 per cent of respondents supported informing consumers when they were interacting with artificial intelligence, highlighting the importance of transparency in deploying the technology. (NAN)