Telecom
NDPB Investigates 110 Companies for Data Breaches
Nigeria Data Protection Bureau has said that it is presently investigating over 110 companies in Nigeria over allegations of data breach.
Dr Vincent Olatunji, National Commissioner of the Bureau, disclosed this on Monday while speaking to media men.
According to him, the investigated companies include banks, telecom, gaming, and online lending. He said the vulnerabilities in these sectors are high partly due to the capabilities of intrusive mobile apps they deploy in rendering their services.
Olatunji said those found guilty may be made to pay 2 per cent of their revenue to the government according to the Data Protection law.
He said that the government’s position is that those who are into data would have nothing to fear. Still, the consequences of their acts and omissions might constitute a civil or criminal liability. He added that the Nigeria Police Force is currently working with the bureau.
Among those being investigated are some companies in the financial and telecom sectors. They include four banks, online lending companies. one telecom company and one gaming company.
He said, ” the vulnerabilities in these sectors are high partly due to the capabilities of intrusive mobile apps. When you factor in a lack of due diligence on the part of data controllers in engaging data processors or vendors who have access to the personal data of customers, what you see in some cases is a pattern of abuses in violation of the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) and section 37 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
According to him, the government’s position is that those who deal with data have nothing to fear but the consequences of their acts and omissions, which may constitute civil or criminal liability.
Olatunji disclosed that the Bureau recently licensed 48 Data Protection Compliance Organisations (DPCOs), which increased the number of DPCOs to 138, which has boosted the wealth and job creation in the ecosystem.
He said that Nigeria was prepared for a leading role in advancing data protection and exploring the opportunities of the global digital economy. Olatunji reassured citizens that every data controller and data processor within or outside Nigeria would be held accountable for any unlawful processing of personal data from their jurisdiction.
The NDPB was established in February 2002 by President Muhammadu Buhari as the nation’s data protection authority and to fully implement the provisions of the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) issued in 2019.
He also said Bureau had generated N5.5 billion into the coffers of the Federal Government from its operations in the last year partly through the license of 138 Data Protection Compliance Organisations (DPCOs), which has boosted the wealth and job creation in the ecosystem.
“Similarly, the rate of NDPR Compliance Audit Returns filing increased from 1229 in 2021 to 1,777 in 2022,” he said.
He said that last year, the Bureau took necessary institutional measures to lay the foundation of the bulwark for a sustainable digital economy.
According to him, these are the official launching of the core values, digital platform and symbol for the seamless and effective implementation of the NDPR 5/4/22, adding that the agency has been carrying out strategic awareness campaigns across the country.
“We recalibrated the “Adopt-A-School” Awareness Programme, which is now called “Catch – them-Young”. We were able to reach over 3000 students and pupils in about 70 schools with the message of data privacy,” Cr Olatunji said.
He said the Bureau has also carried out stakeholder engagement for Accelerated Integration of Public Sector Data Controllers into the Data Privacy and Protection Framework. The public institutions engaged, he said, including the National Assembly, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Federal Ministry of Health, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria Police Force, Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC).
“As a result of these engagements, we now have a-100 per cent increase in the rate of integration of the public sector into the Data Privacy and Protection Framework,” he said.
In capacity building and National Certification on Data Privacy and Protection, he said the target is to create a pool of 250,000 globally competent data privacy and protection experts.
To achieve this, 15 capacity-building programmes for members of staff of the Bureau have so far been organized. In contrast, training has been done for the ICT and Cybersecurity Committee of the Senate, ICT and Cybersecurity Committee of the House of Representatives, Federal Ministry of Justice, Nigeria Television Authority, Voice of Nigeria, Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Imo State, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation and Designated Data Protection Officers from over 100 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Bureau of Public Procurement, Ministry of Health and Nigeria Institute of Transport Technology, Zaria, have also been scheduled to benefit from the capacity-building programme.
He said: “On the reinforcement of NDPR Implementation Framework. This was achieved through the Federal Government Circular through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation directing Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to comply with the NDPR Circular no SGF/OP/I/S.3/XII/186 7/11/22
“Service-wide Guidelines on Personal Information Technology Devices by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation makes compliance with NDPR obligatory in public service. circular number OHCSF/ICTD/152/I/ dated 16/11/22.
“Resolution of the 10th Meeting of the National Council on Communications and Digital Economy (NCCDE), which urges data controllers and data processors at Federal, State and Local levels to comply with the NDPR. 9/12/22
“MoU with Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission; developing Code of Conduct for Data Protection Compliance Organizations and drafting the Nigeria Data Protection Bill 2022.
“As you are aware, the Federal Executive Council approved the Nigeria Data Protection Bill on the 25th of January, 2023. It will be transmitted to the National Assembly as an Executive Bill. The Legislature has reiterated its preparedness to pass the bill into law,” he said.
Irvine Partners, the woman-led, African-born creative communications agency operating across Nigeria, has cemented its position as a disruptive force on the global stage following a landmark week of international industry recognition for its CEO and founder, Rachel Irvine.
Rachel-Irvine-CEO-Irvine-Partners
Irvine has been named to Campaign UK’s prestigious 40 over 40 list for 2026, while simultaneously earning a place on PRovoke Media’s Innovator 25 EMEA index – two of the communications industry’s most closely watched honours, secured in the same week. The achievement places her among the most influential and progressive communications leaders across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
For Nigeria – Africa’s largest economy and one of its most competitive and complex communications environments – the recognition speaks directly to something the local industry has long understood: that the strategic thinking, cultural intelligence and executional precision forged in African markets is not a regional advantage. It is a global one.
Irvine Partners brings this philosophy to some of the world’s most prominent digital and consumer brands in the Nigerian market, including TikTok, Spotify, Uber and Google – organisations that demand communications work of the highest international calibre, delivered with genuine local understanding.
An African agency rewriting the global narrative
Campaign UK’s 40 over 40 celebrates individual excellence, leadership and lasting impact within the British media and marketing landscape. PRovoke Media’s Innovator 25 spotlights those who are dismantling traditional PR structures, advancing data-led practice, and reshaping how the industry operates. To earn both in a single week is rare by any measure.
What underpins both honours is a story that begins not in London but in Africa – in the dynamic, high-stakes communications environments of markets like Nigeria, where agencies must be sharper, faster and more culturally precise than anywhere else in the world.
“These accolades are less about my own journey and far more about where Irvine Partners is going as a collective,” says Rachel Irvine. “For a long time, the global communications industry treated African agencies as local executors of global strategies. What we’ve proven over the past few years is that the technical craft, cultural capital, and data frameworks built within our agency are not just scalable for the continent; they are world-class.”
Built on the same ethos that works in Lagos
The recognition follows the agency’s strong performance at the IN2 SABRE Awards EMEA, where Irvine Partners took major wins for Unicorn School – its proprietary internal talent development programme – and for its advanced data analytics capability, alongside notable shortlists for global clients including Spotify and Uber.
Nigeria’s communications market is one of the most demanding in the world. Consumer audiences are sophisticated and discerning. The media environment is layered, fast-moving and deeply attuned to authenticity. Brands that succeed here do not do so through generic messaging – they do so through precision, cultural credibility and strategic consistency. These are precisely the competencies that Irvine Partners has built its international reputation on.
“The PR landscape has fundamentally shifted,” Irvine adds. “Clients no longer want siloed regional strategies; they want intelligent, culturally intuitive storytelling backed by bulletproof analytics that move the business needle. We built our foundations on that exact ethos in highly dynamic markets, and bringing that specific DNA to the UK and EMEA regions is why we are winning.”
The agency’s agile, borderless model – deliberately structured to move at the speed of modern brands rather than the pace of legacy networks- is one that Nigerian communications professionals will recognise as a natural evolution of how the best African agencies have always operated: lean, sharp and built for impact.
Underlying both honours is Irvine’s sustained commitment to talent development and cultural diversity across all of the agency’s wholly owned offices – a principle as central to its Lagos work as to any other market in its growing global footprint.
Mark Zuckerberg, Meta Chief Executive Officer, has announced a major leadership change at WhatsApp, confirming that Will Cathcart will step down as head of the messaging service after seven years in office.
Zuckerberg made the announcement in a post shared on Facebook on Monday, June 22, 2026, praising Cathcart’s contributions to the growth of the platform.
According to him, Cathcart played a key role in expanding WhatsApp’s global user base to over three billion people while promoting privacy-focused communication across its services.
“Will’s been one of Meta’s most important and effective leaders, helping to bring WhatsApp to over 3 billion people and championing privacy for our community,” Zuckerberg stated.
The Meta CEO also announced that Kunal Shal will take over leadership of WhatsApp.
He described Shal as a “builder” with strong international experience, adding that his leadership style aligns with Meta’s long-term vision for the messaging platform.
Meta said the transition is aimed at strengthening WhatsApp’s role in both personal and business communication globally, as the platform continues to expand its services across markets.
Industry observers say the leadership change marks a significant transition for WhatsApp, which has grown rapidly under Cathcart’s stewardship, particularly in areas of privacy, encryption, and enterprise messaging solutions.
However, Meta has not disclosed the exact timeline for the leadership handover or further structural changes within the messaging division.
The company reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining WhatsApp’s security standards and continued innovation under the new leadership.
MTN Nigeria has raised the bar for corporate disclosure in Africa after publishing its 2025 sustainability report in full compliance with International Financial Reporting Standards S1 and S2.
Dr. Karl Toriola, CEO of MTN Nigeria,
The report, independently assured by Ernst & Young, marks the telecom operator’s seventh consecutive annual sustainability publication and third year as an early adopter of the global framework ahead of its mandatory implementation.
Dr. Karl Toriola, CEO of MTN Nigeria, said, “strong governance and ethical conduct are foundational to our sustainability strategy. We reinforced compliance through our Conduct Passport Framework and robust internal controls.”
He added that “in May 2025, we became the first telecommunications company in Nigeria to publicly present a sustainability report on the Nigerian Exchange Group platform, an important milestone in our commitment to IFRS S1 and S2- aligned disclosure and accountability.”
The company also secured Carbon Disclosure Project ratings of ‘B-’ for climate change and ‘C’ for water security.
Under the IFRS S2 framework, the telecoms operator disclosed climate-related risks linked to flooding, heat stress, regulatory changes and possible future taxes or charges on carbon emissions, following a climate scenario analysis completed in 2024.
The report also showed that MTN Nigeria now uses a digital reporting format – XBRL. This makes its sustainability and governance data easier for investors and ESG rating agencies to access and analyse through automated systems.
The Company also carried out assessments to understand how sustainability issues affect both its business operations and society at large, while measuring its overall economic, environmental and social impact from 2021 to 2024.
In addition, over one-third of MTN Nigeria’s biggest suppliers (based on spending) have committed to supporting the company’s net-zero emissions goals, although these commitments have not yet gone through an independent audit or verification process.
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