Dr Vincent Olatunji, National Commissioner, Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), says building trust and making data privacy compliance a culture in Nigeria are at the core of the commission’s vision.
Olatunji stated this on Friday during an interactive session with the media in Abuja as the commission marked three years of operation.
He said the ultimate goal was to ensure that Nigerians could share their data with confidence, while investors would see the country as a trusted destination for digital business.
“An average Nigerian should know his rights as a data subject, while data controllers and processors should understand the value that privacy adds to their operations through trust and confidence.
“We want a situation where compliance becomes a normal thing to do, not merely to satisfy the provisions of the law.
“That culture of trust and confidence in our system is the legacy I want to leave behind,” he said.
According to him, trust remains fundamental to the growth of the digital economy and is one of the key considerations for local and foreign investors.
He said the commission was working to ensure that privacy principles were embedded into emerging technologies through regulations and awareness programmes.
The commissioner identified the rapid pace of technological evolution and low privacy awareness among controllers and organisations as major challenges confronting data privacy regulators.
“Technology keeps changing and many data controllers and processors still do not understand privacy principles.
“That is why we need to intensify awareness among data subjects, controllers and processors across the country,” he said.
Olatunji said the commission was promoting privacy-by-design and Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) to ensure that privacy considerations were integrated from the early stages of technology development.
He said partnerships with stakeholders were critical to reaching more than 200 million Nigerians spread across the country’s 774 Local Government Areas.
Olatunji said the commission had established a working relationship with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of 2027 general elections.
He said the aim was to promote data privacy awareness among political parties.
According to him, many political parties collect personal data without adequate safeguards, making awareness and capacity building imperative.
He said the NDPC was ready to train political parties and other stakeholders on responsible data processing and compliance with privacy requirements.
To deepen awareness at the grassroots, the commissioner said the commission had translated the Nigeria Data Protection Act into the three major Nigerian languages.
He said it was collaborating with traditional institutions to educate citizens on their data-related rights.
He said that traditional rulers from the 36 states of the federation were engaged to promote data protection awareness in their communities.
Speaking on the Central Bank of Nigeria’s directive requiring fintech firms to store payment transaction data locally from Jan. 1, 2027, Olatunji described the policy as a milestone for the country.
He said the move would stimulate investments in Nigeria’s data hosting ecosystem, create jobs, reduce capital flight and lower foreign exchange pressures.
He said national security-related data should remain local, while other categories of data could be transferred abroad, subject to regulatory approvals and adequate safeguards.
On the role of data protection in national security, Olatunji said trust was indispensable to cyber security, public confidence and digital transactions.
“There is no digital economy without trust and there is no national security without trust.
“Trust is demonstrated through compliance and by putting in place technical and organisational measures that protect personal information,” he said.
He further said that cyber threats had expanded the concept of warfare beyond land, air and sea, making cyber security and data protection components of national security. (NAN)
