Bukola Afeni
The Federal Government has given assurance to strengthen the Nigeria data protection framework.
While stating that it is also working with all stakeholders and the National Assembly towards the enactment and implementation of robust data protection laws that are in tandem with international standards.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun disclosed this at the sensitization workshop on Data Privacy and Protection in Nigeria, organized by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission(NDPC), in Abuja.
The Minister said the government is committed to ensuring that every Nigerian can trust the digital platforms they use, having the assurance that their data will be kept confidential.
“Data privacy is not a matter of convenience, it is fundamental human rights. We are working with all stakeholders including the national assembly towards enactment and implementation of robust data protection laws,” he said.
The Minister harped on the need to prioritize the implementation of stronger data security and protection.
“The data privacy and protection conversation should go beyond the technicalities, they should become values that we protect’, he said.
The Commissioner of NDPC, Dr Vincent Olatunji, said there is a need to develop homegrown solutions in the area of ecosystem and technology that can assist in driving compliance with the data privacy and protection law.
He said the government will ensure that people comply with the provisions of the law in terms of data.
” We need to do a lot of awareness and that is part of the reason why we are here today. Now that we have a law, let people know what we have in the law and what they need to do to ensure that they comply with the provisions of the law.”
The Commissioner said the government is trying to develop the capacity of unemployed graduates in terms of data protection.
“We already mentioned that we need over 500,000 certified Data Protection Officers(DPOs in the country.
There is a need to re-skill and retool and use unemployed graduates and even retired people who can serve as DPOs in different organisations,” he added.
Dr. Olatunji however called for partnerships and support from Nigerians in the Commission’s efforts to deepen the importance of data privacy and protection in the country.
The Director-General/CEO of the National Information Technology Development Agency(NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, who commended the NDPC for the milestone, highlighted the importance of data protection to the digital economy.
He noted that data privacy and protection could boost Artificial Intelligence, Abdullahi urged all to throw their weight behind the policy.
