The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami says it is vital to implement legislations that will ensure protection and confidentiality of citizens’ data in the country.
Pantami said this at the National Validation Workshop on Data Protection Bill organised by Nigeria Digital Identification For Development Project (ID4D) and Nigeria Data Protection Bureau (NDPB) in Abuja.
He said that it was part of the Federal Government’s responsibility to protect the lives and property of Nigeria and Nigerians.
On the importance of data in any economy globally, he said, ”big data analytics, datafication and internet of things, which comes with the emergence of the fourth Industrial revolution are all dependent on data.
“We know the data generated today is mind-boggling and we must therefore have regulations in place to ensure confidentiality and privacy of data being generated.”
He, however, said it was a criminal offence to access data in Nigeria without permission, hence the need to have a principal legislation in place.
According to him, the ministry is working hard with critical stakeholders to bequeath the country a principal legislation on data protection before the end of this year.
“There is a need to have a principal legislation in place, in order to ensure safety, privacy, security and confidentiality of data.
“The bill will be transmitted to the Federal Executive Council for deliberation and if approved, it will be transmitted to the National Assembly to kickstart the process of legislation before the end of December.
Pantami said that the workshop was necessary to collate stakeholders’ inputs for an inclusive and rancour-free legislation.
The minister further said that a lot had been achieved under NDPB in the area of job creation and creating awareness,
“The Bill is very important and without legislation it will not make much impact. It is a sector that has unlimited space to be utilised to grow the economy.
“We realised the need to have a full fledged law which is a principal legislation that will go as an executive bill in order to accommodate all the areas that are not backed by full legislation,” he said.
Earlier, the National Commissioner, NDPB, Dr Vincent Olatunji, said data protection was one of the mandates given by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“One of the mandates of the bureau given by the president is to enact principal legislation on data protection.
“We are here to give a synopsis from the bill and by midnight, the bureau will upload the draft bill on its website and that of the ministry.
In his opening address, the Coordinator of ND4D Project, Mr Solomon Odole, said that the process of protecting data in Nigeria started in 2019 with the National Data Protection Regulation.
Odole said it was a subsidiary legislation enacted based on the provision of the NITDA Act 2007.
“All these data are important for the development of the nation,” he said.
In his goodwill message, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Communication, Sen. Yakubu Oseni, said that the Bill is very important.
”Without legislation on it, the sector would have little impact on the economy.
” It is a sector that has unlimited space to be utilised to grow the economy,” he said.
NAN
