The Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative, Gbenga Sesan, has said that government agencies are some of the biggest violators of data protection policies in Nigeria.
Development Diaries reports that Sesan, whose organisation works to connect underserved young Africans with digital opportunities, and ensures the protection of their rights, made the comment in his reaction to the newly signed Nigeria Data Protection Bill by President Bola Tinubu.
The Act empowers the Nigeria Data Protection Bureau (NDPB) to function as a full-fledged commission mandated to regulate the deployment of technological and organisational measures to enhance personal data protection.
It also mandates the NDPB to foster the development of personal data protection technologies, in accordance with recognised international best practices and applicable international law; conduct investigations into any violation of a requirement under the Act; and impose penalties in respect of any violation of the provisions of the Act or subsidiary legislation made thereof.
Sesan, in a tweet on his official Twitter handle, said, ‘Nigeria, finally, gets a #DataProtection law.
‘This is important because government agencies are some of the biggest violators: “establishing an impartial, [independent] and effective regulatory Commission to superintend over data protection and privacy issues, and supervise data controllers and data processors”’.
This is important because government agencies are some of the biggest violators: “establishing an impartial, INDEPENDENT and effective regulatory Commission to superintend over data protection and privacy issues, and supervise data controllers and data processors” [emphasis mine] pic.twitter.com/aTPAlKbMWb
— ‘Gbénga Ṣẹ̀san (@gbengasesan) June 14, 2023
In a statement, the NDPB National Commissioner, Vincent Olatunji, expressed optimism about the prospects of Nigeria’s digital economy following the emerging regulatory dispensation.
He applauded the president for renewing the hope of over 200 million Nigerians in the advancement of privacy rights and other fundamental freedoms both in cyberspace and in analogue transactions.
Paradigm Initiative had raised concerns over the violation of data protection by various digital loan apps in Nigeria, and citizens’ data protection in the proposed census exercise by the National Population Commission (NPC).
Also, in 2019, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) posted the passport data page of a Nigerian resident, Jeffrey Ewohime, in the United Kingdom on their social media page without his consent.
The action of the NIS at the time put Ewohime’s personal data in the full glare of the public.
Another concern is the increasingly reported cases of abuse of financial information by financial institutions, mobile service providers, and telecom companies. This does not exclude government agencies and parastatals.
The need for data protection has become important as the world is gradually turning into a global village, and this, in turn, has led to a rise in the spread of misinformation and data across the internet.
Without clear regulations to govern the use of data, individuals and entities are left vulnerable to privacy violations such as data breaches, identity theft, and other forms of abuse.
Development Diaries calls on President Tinubu to follow up on the signing of the bill by ensuring indices for proper enforcement to effectively achieve its aim.
Photo source: Bola Ahmed Tinubu