President Bola Tinubu has assented to the Nigeria Data Protection Act.
By the assent and provisions of the act, the Nigeria Data Protection Bureau is expressly transmuted into a full fledged Commission with a clear mandate.
While applauding 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, the Nigeria Data Protection Commission National Commissioner, Dr Vincent Olatunji in a statement expressed high optimism on the prospects of Nigeria’s Digital Economy.
The Agency is now mandated to regulate the deployment of technological and organisational measures to enhance personal data protection while fostering the development of personal data protection technologies, in accordance with recognised international best practices and applicable international law amongst other duties.
The Agency is also mandated to impose penalties in respect of any violation of the provisions of the Act or subsidiary legislation made thereof.
The statement said at least 500, 000 jobs are expected to be created through the training of Data Protection Officers and licensing of Data Protection Compliance Organizations to offer services to data controllers and processors.
RN
