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From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), says it has generated N400 million Naira from sanctions against companies and institutions that committed data privacy violations in the past one year.
National Commissioner of NDPC, Dr Vincent Olatunji, disclosed this during a media chat with Journalists, celebrating the one-year anniversary of the enactment of the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023 (NDP Act), in Abuja on Tuesday.
Olatunji said that four major banks and three other institutions faced fines totaling the amount generated, adding that the Commission received about 1,000 reports of data breaches within the same year.
The NC, who decried the low level of reports on data privacy violations in Nigeria, noted that awareness is still a major challenge in the country. He added that more investigations on data privacy infractions were ongoing.
Olatunji further stated that the NDPC initiatives through Nigeria Data Protection Act have significantly raised compliance levels in both public and private sectors, with the nation’s data ecosystem now valued at over 10 billion naira.
According to the NDPC boss, “When we started, the level of compliance within the private sector was about 49 percent while the public sector was 4 percent. But today, private sector compliance is above 55, while the public sector has reached 15 percent.
“The Data Protection Act 2023 is a major milestone for Nigeria. Mr President laid our apprehension to rest when he signed the Act on June 12, 2023.”
“It was a major turnaround for the industry. Now the data ecosystem is beyond everybody because it is a global phenomenon due to the impact of technology.
“In terms of jobs and wealth creation, promotion of tourism, perception and attraction of foreign direct investments into Nigeria, we have taken a leapfrog and even overtaken some countries.
“And that’s why Nigeria was given the hosting right for 2024 All African Data Protection Commission’s and Institutions. About 30 countries will be here next year for the event,” Olatunji said.
He mentioned that the Commission has finalised plans to train 10,000 public servants in responsible data management. Additionally, approximately 1,000 data protection officers and processors, including journalists, are set to undergo training facilitated by the NDPC.
In response to the activities of digital loan platforms, Olatunji mentioned that the Commission havs been working with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and anti graft agencies to combat the menace. He expressed concern over the lack of identifiable addresses for many illicit digital loan platforms.
While acknowledging the challenges posed by Nigeria’s population size and vast geography in combating digital loan exploitation, Olatunji stressed the importance of ongoing awareness efforts to protect vulnerable Nigerians from falling victim to predatory practices.
