By Chimezie Godfrey
Following the creation of the Nigeria Data Protection Bureau (NDPB) recently by Mr President, the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy (C&DE), Prof. Isa Pantami has launched the logo, website and core values to create a proper brand and identity for the Bureau.
Speaking during the launch on Tuesday in Abuja, the Minister noted that there is need for the country to have an institution responsible for data security and data privacy or confidentiality in the country.
He revealed that the creation of the Bureau has been of tremendous benefit to Nigeria, adding that it has created 8,000 jobs, registered 103 data protection compliance officers, and generated value worth over 3billion naira in two years of its existence.
He said,”Firstly am grateful to the almighty for making it possible for us to converge here, in order to launch such initiative, of the Nigeria Data Protection Bureau. This is indeed a great achievement for us to have a full fledge institution of government as a parastatal that has been mandated to ensure the protection, privacy and confidentiality of our data in this country.
“As the brand new national Commissioner has earlier informed us that this journey started by a subsidiary legislation of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) on which I had pleaded on launching on the 25th of January, 2019. At that time there wasn’t any law in place to ensure that privacy, confidentiality and protection of our data in Nigeria, except may be mentioning an aspect of the protection in different laws in the country.
“Our plan of coming with the Nigeria Data protection regulation was more of creating awareness to our citizens to know that any data under our control is a trust, and we must treat it as a trust. Failure to that, that can not be tolerated by our government, there must be a form of sanction whenever we fail to comply with that trust.
“It is because of this, we came up with it, and through the Nigerian Data Protection Bureau, if you go through the 2021 performance report the clearly shows that within thesame time as at the end of 2021 we are having to create about 8,000 new jobs in this country. In addition to registering 103 data protection compliance officers in this country.
“In addition to filing an audit by institutions over 1,300, and as at that time the market value within the subsector was over 3billion naira in this country, and this is what we are happy to achieve within two years.
“If you look at creation of 8,000 jobs in this country is something that is very massive, and these are direct jobs not indirect, and that is why we are so much excited with the journey.
“Secondly, establishing a full fledged parastatal becomes necessary because there are many global giants that will not do business in a country where there is no data protection law or where there is no data protection institution, particularly from the time the European Union Data Protection Representatives (EUGDPR) was approved and adopted by the European countries, it becomes necessary for all other countries to follow.
“The Nigerian Data Protection Bureau has been mandated by government to ensure the coordination of all the existing laws in which data protection, data privacy or data confidentiality in which data protection has been mentioned.
“Based on the mandate of the Bureau, it has been mandated to ensure the coordination of the entire data protection, data privacy or data confidentiality in Nigeria. And not only within the public sector but including the private sector.
Pantami added that the creation of the NDPB also became necessary considering the huge and increasing population of youths in the country, who naturally addicted to use the of digital technology.
“Naturally the youth are naturally addicted to digital technology so because of this the probability of Nigeria generating huge amount of data not daily but per minute is very high. And data generation is increasing by the day that is what brought about datafication of society.
“It is because of this that we feel that it is necessary for a country like Nigeria that is blessed with huge population, and the population is increasing by the day, there is need for us to have an institution of governance that will be mandated with data privacy, data security and data confidentiality, and this will go a long way in building trust between government on one end and the citizens on the other end,” he stressed.
Speaking earlier in his remark, the National Commissioner, NDPB, Dr. Vincent Olatunji said he was excited over the fact that there is now full fledged authority in charge of data protection in Nigeria.
Olatunji who noted that the launch of the logo, website, and core values for NDPB was to give a brand to the bureau, stressed that the event would mark a turnaround on the issue of data protection and privacy in the country.
“Am excited that once again the sector under the leadership of Prof. Isa Pantami has achieved another milestone for bringing to life a full fledge authority in charge of data protection in Nigeria.
“What we are doing here today has its foundation in so many places both International and local level. Looking at the history of data protection right 1980 where we had the privacy policy to that of the European data privacy directory, up until even 2010 when we had the ECOWAS protocol on cyber security and data protection, and the European data protection regulation which the whole world now know of in terms of policy and principles on data privacy and protection.
At home here we had the 1999 constitution which adequately made provision for the issue of privacy of Nigerians.
“But the major turn around was the issuance of the Nigerian data protection in 2019 by no other person than Isa Pantami when he was still the Director General of NITDA. The work he did at NITDA, he made special request to Mr President to establish the Nigerian Data Protection Bureau.
“What we are doing today is to really give a brand to the bureau in terms of identity, core values and to showcase to the whole world what the Minister and the government of Nigeria is doing in terms of data protection.
“Immediately after the unveiling, what we shall be doing is massive public awareness. I believe that this event today will mark a turnaround on this issue of data protection and data privacy in Nigeria,” he said.
The highlight of the event was the unveiling of the NDPB website and the official logo which includes its mission , vision and core values.
Represented at event include the DG NITDA, Executive Vice Chairman, NCC, Postmaster General, NIPOST, NIGCOMSAT, Galaxy Backbone,USPF, DPCOs, NIMC, among other stakeholders.
