Stakeholders have advocated for adequate awareness on digital rights data protection and digital parenting to curb the challenges of data breaches, insecurity in cyberspace across Nigeria.
This formed the discussion at an awareness programme organized by a non-governmental organization, the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC) in conjunction with Africa Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC) in Abuja, tagged; “Assessing Digital Rights, Data Protection and Privacy in Nigeria,” held in Abuja.
The National Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria Data Protection Bureau (NDPB), Dr Vincent Olatunji explained that the agency was established by the Nigerian government to address the challenges of data breaches, insecurity in cyberspace through adequate awareness on digital rights, data protection across the country.
“Now when we go online there is a need to ensure that whatever information you put online is been protected. Your privacy, rights and freedom should be protected online. When you tell people to embrace digital technologies you must put in place regulations to protect them. This is why in 2019 the National Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) was established.”
Dr Olatunji stressed that the NDPB would be at the forefront to create awareness on data privacy, freedom and implementation of sanctions on defaulters.
“The trend globally, it is important that any country operating in the digital space to have a full-fledged agency to regulate the space and implement data privacy, protection. Since we have started with the regulation, we hope to have the law that will make it an act of parliament to adequately protect Nigerians.”
The National Commissioner noted that establishing regulation of NDPB will regulate the digital space, ensure Nigerians data privacy and ensure companies file data privacy compliance reports.
“That is why President, Muhammadu Buhari, based on the advice of Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Pantami, created the Nigeria Data Protection Bureau (NDPB) to ensure that the draft law is pushed for passage in the National Assembly before the end of 2022; to ensure that we regulate what people do online in terms of how do we protect their data privacy, how do we guarantee users freedom online and companies are expected to file data privacy compliance reports.”
On the issue of loan sharks and individual data breaches, he reiterated that the government is collaborating with relevant stakeholders to end the menace through laws and regulations.
“We have actually started meeting, but we must understand that these loan sharks target the vulnerable groups in the society
“So these are the things we are looking at and with the fact that we need a very firm regulatory instrument to be able to deal with it and that is why we have federal consumer protection commission, we have Central Bank of Nigeria CBN(CBN), that is in the area of financial regulation in the area of technology we have National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and in the area of the privacy itself we have the NDPB, we have the Nigeria Police Force. So what we are looking at is what type of regulation can we really put in place to address this adequately. On our part we want to thoroughly investigate it and know the best way to address it,” he explained.
The Chief Executive Officer, PPDC, Mrs Nkemdilim Ilo stressed the need for collaboration between the Nigerian Government and stakeholders to create awareness on digital rights, data privacy and digital parenting.
She admonished technologies users to be conscious of personal data disclosure while online in order to avoid data breaches.
“Now is the time to focus on educating citizens. We have the National Orientation Agency whose purpose is to educate, orient. We need those kinds of agencies to tell us about what we should be aware of when signing documents. What will even constitute a violation of my right to protection, of my right to privacy? What will constitute that and when that has been violated where do I go to?”
Mrs. llo reiterated the need for government to be more proactive in educating children about data privacy, digital rights by incorporating it schools curriculum.
“We need more of the government taking onboard that school curriculum to begin to teach our children just the way our children know offhand that they are going to study maths, that they know they have to pass their English, they also need to be aware of what their online safety is and that is one thing we have also taken on board,” she advised.
Stakeholders at the event were; Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), National Information Technology Development Agency(NITDA), Nigeria Immigration Service, Civil society Organisations and other sectors.
PIAK
