We’re mandated to protect your data rights – NDPC

By Akinnodi Francis, Ondo
The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has assured Nigerians of its unwavering commitment to ending data breaches across the country.
The National Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the NDPC, Dr Vincent Olatunji, gave the assurance during a television programme monitored by Weekend Hope on Thursday.
He stated that data protection has the potential to boost global competitiveness and enhance the ease of doing business in Nigeria.
Weekend Hope reports that in June 2023, the Nigeria Data Protection Bill was signed into law by President Bola Tinubu, following its proposal by his immediate predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari. The law provided the much-needed legal framework to safeguard citizens’ personal information and regulate data processing activities in the country. It also led to the establishment of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC).
According to Olatunji, the law is primarily designed to ensure that the rights and interests of Nigerian data subjects, regardless of their location are protected whenever they share their data online or with data controllers.
“With the law, Nigerians now know that they have rights as data subjects. They have the right to know why their data is being collected and for what purposes; they have the right to request the erasure of their data if they are no longer engaged in any business with the data controller.
“They also have the right to data portability, which is increasingly common in Nigeria. For instance, a data subject can transfer his or her data to another organisation if they feel their data is not secure. This is something most data subjects were unaware of before. But now, with the law, awareness, and education, Nigerians are beginning to understand these rights.
“Nigerians have the right to know how their data is processed and for what purposes. That is at the heart of our work at the Data Protection Commission.”
He further explained that data protection is crucial to the nation’s economy, as most foreign investors are reluctant to invest in countries without independent data protection laws.
“Investors want a regulatory authority they can turn to in the event of a personal data breach. Without such a law, there’s no protection for them when issues arise. They want to be able to trust the system—and that’s essential for doing business.
“For the government, it concerns the country’s image and reputation. Any nation without a data privacy law risks losing out on foreign investments and bilateral relationships. Presently, there is what we call the Global Privacy Assembly, comprising about 130 countries with data protection laws. These countries meet regularly as an association.”
He noted that data protection is still in its infancy in Nigeria, having formally commenced operations as a bureau in 2022 and transitioned into a commission in June 2023 when President Tinubu signed the Data Protection Act.
“We are relatively new and still have a low level of public awareness. However, we are actively creating awareness through platforms like this interview. We also conduct sector-specific training and capacity-building programmes for ministries and agencies.
“We are aware of the existing manpower deficit in the data protection sector. To function effectively, Nigeria needs a minimum of 500,000 data protection officers. Currently, the number of certified professionals is fewer than 10,000. This highlights the urgent need to bridge the skills gap.”
Olatunji disclosed that the commission is developing initiatives that will allow private instructors, universities, and polytechnics to train data protection officers.
“We are working towards establishing a national certification programme in Nigeria. Our goal is to produce a pool of globally certified data protection officers who can compete with their peers internationally.
“Our focus is to build a Nigeria where data protection and privacy become a culture, and where the data protection ecosystem promotes job creation in line with the president’s vision of generating two million jobs within the digital economy.”