The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has given the assurance that the implementation of the Nigerian Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) will ensure adequate security for internet users in Nigeria.
Dr. Vincent Olatunji, NITDA Director, e-Government Development and Regulation said, “We have put in place the necessary framework for implementation, we need awareness for people to comply, and that will increase our rating globally.
He added that the regulation, when fully implemented would result in better data protection in the country, improve cybersecurity, and create more employment for Nigerians, thereby boosting the nation’s economy.
According to him, NDPR was drawn up as subsidiary legislation formulated to meet all the foundational principles of data protection.
Formulated on Jan. 25, 2019, the NDPR was designed to ensure the protection, prevent manipulation of personal data, and to see to it that Nigerian businesses compete favorably in the international space by safeguarding data through a legal regulatory framework, among others.
“The way forward for the NDPR is compliance, it is for everybody to comply, both private and public sector organizations because it is the only thing that makes a deserved impact.
“From reports received, NDPR compliance is more in the private sector than the public sector, which is why we need consistent awareness,” he said.
He also revealed that the agency had trained Data Protection Officers (DPOs) in public institutions to secure data protection in their organizations, as well as create awareness for compliance.
The director said that data protection was an important sector of the economy that could not be ignored, hence the need for a supporting law.
He maintained that to ensure global support for what we are doing, there is a need for an act of parliament, since this is a subsidiary regulation, and is not as strong as an act of parliament.
He added that NITDA and some government agencies had been pushing for the enactment of the Data Protection Bill to address data privacy challenges across the country.
Olatunji revealed that the original bill was passed by the 8th National Assembly but due to some reasons, was not signed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said that a new bill was undergoing corrections and inputs from stakeholders to make it more inclusive.
On cybersecurity awareness month, Olatunji said that having data privacy protection regulation was needed for the country to have secured cyberspace.
“Whatever you do online, NDPR is at the core of whatever you do in cyberspace and we need adequate compliance,” he said.
The regulation’s 21-month performance indicator, submitted recently, showed that 2, 686 jobs have been created for data protection officers, as well as revenue generation of N2 billion in the private sector and N12 million in the public sector.
Featured Image: guardian.ng
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