The National Commissioner/CEO of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Dr Vincent Olatunji, held a Mid-Year Ministerial Briefing with the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr ’Bosun Tijani, and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr Rafiu Adeladan, on the Commission’s activities and accomplishments.
Dr Olatunji began by commending Dr Tijani for his support to the NDPC, which has significantly boosted the Commission’s visibility both locally and internationally. He also appreciated Mr Adeladan for his contributions so far. He noted that the Commission’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan is aligned with the Honourable Minister’s blueprint for the Ministry, as well as the eight-point agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. He emphasised that implementation is ongoing across the pillars of the roadmap.
During his presentation, he highlighted key achievements of the Commission so far, which include: capacity building, mass sensitisation and awareness campaigns, partnership and collaboration with stakeholders, hosting the 8th edition of the NADPA Conference and AGM, the launch of the Virtual Privacy Academy, the Youth Data Protection Awareness and Training Programme, and the domestication of the data protection certification process, which has led to the certification of about 500 Nigerians as Data Protection Officers. He also used the opportunity to present some of the challenges currently faced by the Commission.
In response, Dr Tijani commended Dr Olatunji for the progress made and the positive direction in which he has led the Commission. He offered recommendations to further strengthen the data protection and privacy ecosystem, including initiatives to increase public awareness. The Hon. Minister also directed that a data protection workshop be hosted to guide compliance within the Ministry and all its parastatals. This would further promote the Commission’s mandate—not only to enhance the data protection ecosystem but also to support the growth of Nigeria’s digital economy.
