The Federal Government says it is almost ready to digitise all public services so that the country can take advantage of the benefits of the digital economy and make sure that people’s data is safe.
It was said by Dr Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and the Digital Economy, at a news conference on the following day to mark Global Data Privacy Day, whose theme is “Take Con hitrol of Your Data.”
He said President Bola Tinubu had told the Ministry to use technology to improve public services. According to him, this means that more of what the government does for the people will be done online.
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Data protection for citizens
Data Privacy Day (DPD) is marked in the US, Canada, Israel, Nigeria, Qatar, and 47 European nations to raise awareness and encourage privacy and data protection best practices.
In a digitalised economy, the Minister stressed the significance of data security: “A lot of gadgets we use today are interconnected, so the data we produce daily must be protected, and the people producing it must be enlightened. Many citizen services will be digitalised in the coming months and years.
“There may be dangers as we collect and share data, so we as government agencies must invest in innovative data protection methods.
The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) would protect citizens’ data, while Galaxy Backbone would run the data interchange infrastructure and oversee compliance. Digital device manufacturers must protect user data, the minister added.
National Assembly to comply
Stanley Adedeji, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, said the National Assembly would oversee data gathering compliance during the conference.
As legislators, we acquire a lot of data; thus, we must comply with the Data Privacy law. “We must automate our interaction with MDAs and other organisations,” he stated.
Adedeji advised organisations to comply and avoid litigation if found guilty. He believes every institution should participate in the data protection ecosystem’s early growth.
He stated that capacity building is needed to familiarise people with data protection regulations and change data privacy attitudes. He promised National Assembly support for legislation and collaboration to make NDPC more effective and transparent.
NDPC plan
According to Dr. Vincent Olatunji, the National Commissioner of NDPC, the Commission created a five-year Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan with five pillars in 2023. Olatunji said they have achieved two of the three most challenging roadmap targets in one year, save for awareness, which requires rigorous capacity building.
“The commission wants to create a globally competitive pool of Data Protection Officers (DPOs) who can perform their duties under Section 332 of the Nigeria Data Protection Act.
We found at least 500,000 data controllers and processors who need accredited DPOs to comply with the law. We cannot afford to expose this pool to forced foreign certifications, which will pressure our domestic currency and defeat Executive Orders 003 and 005.
“To bridge the gap, we have finalised plans for the licensing of an indigenous certification body with global standards and international reach,” he stated.