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By Ijeoma Olorunfemi

Lawmakers on Friday said that if Nigeria’s data protection sector is rightfully harnessed, it will foster national security and enhance economic growth.

They said this at a one-day capacity building workshop on Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, for members of the ICT and Cyber Security committees of the Nigerian Senate and House of Representatives in Abuja.

Organised by the NDPC, the lawmakers observed that data privacy and security is crucial for stimulating trust in digital services and e-commerce, guarantee economic competitiveness and boost foreign direct investment.

Sen. Shuaibu Salisu, the Chairman, Senate Committee on ICT & Cyber Security, emphasised that data is a critical national resource.

“The more technology we use, the more data you gather and data is also important as a national critical resource.

“You cannot talk about national security without talking about cyber security; cyber security is premised on data privacy and data protection.

“This is a sector that affects the lives of Nigerians and even our national security,” he said.

He pledged the support of the National Assembly in the area of legislation, awareness and partnership.

According to the chairman, it is important to remind members of the provisions of the law and the need to ensure that we provide oversight functions starting with government agencies.

He said that government agencies take the most data from citizens and citizens must trust government of their data security, protection and confidentiality.

He, however, called on the commission to engage in more awareness through media engagement and enlightenment programmes.

He also called for the establishment of Data Privacy Club in schools to create awareness among young Nigerians.

Rep. Stanley Adedeji, the Chairman, House  Committee on ICT & Cyber Security, stressed the importance of treating data as a valuable asset in Nigeria.

Adedeji said “there is a need to normalise the culture of transparency among citizens so that everyone is fully aware of how their data is being processed”.

He cautioned financial institutions and data processing institutions on the need for compliance with the law, while emphasising legislative authorities to hold them accountable.

He advised NDPC to expose non-compliant agencies and urged all Data Controllers and committee members to collaborate with NDPC for the country’s benefit.

Earlier, Dr Vincent Olatunji, the National Commissioner of NDPC, urged the public sector to reinforce data privacy and protection practices in the country.

“We are expecting the level of compliance by MDAs to increase from now.

“We are also creating awareness to ensure that all MDAs comply with the provisions of the law,” he said.

According to Olatunji, by January 2024, we will release the data compliance statistics for the year 2023.

The NDPC boss noted that global bodies and international investors now consider data protection legislation and level of data compliance as standard requirements for investments.

According to him, the commission is committed to promoting a culture of data privacy and data protection as well ensure that private and public organisations align with national laws and acts concerning data protection.

On the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, Olatunji said the new law is a significant shift to regaining global confidence both locally and internationally in Nigeria’s emerging digital economy.

He said it would also boost new efforts of the current administration to drive development and the economy with investments and new jobs.

According to Olatunji, they promote the advancement of technologies that protect personal data, following established international standards and to ensure that data protection obligations are met.

To this effect, he said the commission would be working to boost the implementation of a standardised framework allowing every part and section of the law to be broken down into specific activities for people to fully understand. (NAN) www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

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Tosin Kolade

Agriculture and Environment Desk Editor, Website Content Manager.

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