The Federal Government on Monday, said the Nigeria Data Protection Bill would be transmitted to the National Assembly as an Executive Bill through the office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation.
This was confirmed by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), at its meeting of 25 January, 2023, where it approved the Nigeria Data Protection Bill.
Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari, approved the establishment of the Nigeria Data Protection Bureau on the 4th of February 2022.
The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo who presided over the FEC meeting of February 4, mandated the Bureau to inter-alia, implement the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR), and coordinate the passage of an enabling Act for data protection
Head, Legal, Enforcement and Regulations (NDPB) Babatunde Bamigboye, in a statement made available to news men in Abuja on Tuesday, said the pioneer Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami presented the Bill to the Federal Executive Council.
He further explained that the main objective of “the Bill is to safeguard the fundamental rights and freedoms, and the interests of data subjects, as guaranteed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, by- providing for the regulation of processing of personal data; promoting data processing practices that safeguard the security of personal data and privacy of data subjects; ensuring that personal data is processed in a fair, lawful and accountable manner; and protecting data subjects’ rights, and providing means of recourse and remedies, in the event of the breach of the data subject’s rights.”
According to him, the agency was also mandated to ensure that data controllers and data processors fulfil their obligations to data subjects and established an impartial, independent, and effective regulatory Commission to superintend over data protection and privacy issues, and supervise data controllers and data processors.
It also mandated the agency to strengthen the legal foundations of the national digital economy and guarantee the participation of Nigeria in the regional and global economies through the beneficial trusted use of personal data.
The statement added that the National Commissioner and CEO, NDPB, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, who accompanied the Minister to the FEC called on all stakeholders to cooperate with the Federal Government in ensuring the sustainability of the abundant opportunities in Nigeria’s digital economy.
He said that with the full support demonstrated by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, is “a clear signal that has been sent to the global data processing ecosystems that Nigeria is committed to safeguarding fundamental rights and freedoms of Nigerian citizens, which may be impacted one way or the other by the activities of data controllers and data processors”
