The National Commissioner of the Nigeria Data Protection Bureau, NDPB, Dr. Olatunji Vincent has called on Nigerians to harness the potentials in the data protection ecosystem to create opportunities.
This he said will enable the country effectively key into the Fourth Industrial Revolution (FIR) era as they promote Data Protection and Privacy in the country.
He made the call at the one-day capacity building on Data Protection and Privacy for members of the Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA) in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
Dr Olatunji said Data currently is driving the world towards the 4th Industrial Revolution hence the need to exploit emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), and other developments.
Olatunji said that data protection has become not just strategic but the bedrock of driving efficiency and productivity in Nigeria’s Digital Economy.
He however noted that there was a huge gap that existed in the data protection ecosystem that could create wealth and millions of jobs for Nigerians and promote the digital economy.
“Across the globe, people are losing jobs, while others are gaining jobs in the digital economy sector. To be part of people gaining jobs, we need to re-skill, learn digital skills because technology is changing, a new world is emerging with the Internet of Things, Big Data, 3D Printing and more,“ he explained.
He disclosed that “in Nigeria, we have about 500,000 data controllers and processors, and according to law, each of these data controllers are meant to have a Data Protection Officer (DPO) that ensures data protection compliance by the controller,“ Olatunji stated
According to the National Commissioner, “In Nigeria presently, we have barely 10,000 certified DPOs and that number is not commensurate with the number of data controllers in the country,’’ he said
Dr Olatunji said that the gap was huge, noting that Nigerians could develop themselves with skills to qualify as a DPO.
He added that from the time of its establishment, the bureau had interrogated major organisations, fined them and ensured they followed the steps of data protection compliance.
Mr Bamigboye Babatunde, Lead, Legal, Enforcement and Regulations gave the `PARAMETERS for data protection and privacy as:
”Principles, Accountability, Rights, Auditing, Management of Records, Ethics, Technicality and organisation, Education, Remediation and Sovereignty.”
The Lead, Strategy, Partnerships and Communications of NDPB, Mrs Leena Abba explained that Data Privacy meant information autonomy.
Abba said that data protection was key to reducing incidences of crime, ensuring personal security, enhance customer retention in terms of business engagement, among many reasons.
Some participants at the training said the capacity building had helped to equip them with better knowledge and understanding to report effectively on data protection and privacy matters.
The Nigeria Data Protection Bureau was established by the federal government of Nigeria in 2022 to implement Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) and coordinate the passage of the Data Protection Bill 2022 into an enabling act for data protection.
The central objective of the bill is to safeguard the fundamental rights and freedoms and the interests of data subjects, as guaranteed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
