E-Business
Olatunji, NDPB Boss Urges NIPOST to Adopt Data Privacy
With data privacy and protection gaining prominence and recognition across the globe through its impact on digital economy, wealth creation and employability, it has become imperative for all Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies in the country to ensure the full protection, privacy and confidentiality of all citizenry data under their purview.
L-R: Dr. Ismail Adebayo Adewusi, Postmaster General of NIPOST and Dr Vincent Olatunji, National Commissioner (NC) of the Nigeria Data Protection Bureau (NDPB), during a courtesy visit to the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) office in Abuja.
Dr Vincent Olatunji, National Commissioner (NC) of the Nigeria Data Protection Bureau (NDPB), made this known during a courtesy visit to the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) office in Abuja.
Speaking on the importance of data privacy and protection in a digital economy, Olatunji stated that the digitization of existing traditional processes which also affects individuals from birth to their deaths should be given utmost attention and priority considering its value.
“Now we are talking about digitizing all processes right from birth of individuals to their death which has laid credence to the fact that we have to adequately protect the kind of information and data we upload on the internet”, he noted.
According to the Bureau’s CEO, data subjects need to know how their data is been handled, processed and protected by data processors in a global digital economy worth over $11.5trillion.
The Data Security Officer of the country expressed the importance of data privacy and protection as a necessary element in the drive for a digital economy while emphatically stating that countries will not do businesses with other countries who don’t have privacy laws.
He then urged NIPOST which is a major data processor and controller considering the volume of data they process daily to develop robust privacy policy, organizational measures, technological measures and staff capacity building in line with the provisions of the Nigerian Data Protection Regulations (NDPR).
“On your website, you need to emphasize more on your privacy policy which must be simple, effective and clearly displayed. We will also be building the capacities of your regional officers on data protection procedures since they are the frontliners who have direct interaction with people and their data”, he added.
While highlighting the need for NIPOST to engage a Data Protection Compliance Organization (DPCO) to put them through NDPR compliance measures, Olatunji averred that DPCOs have been instrumental in the traction gained in the implementation of the NDPR which has also helped in the growth of the Nation’s economy.
“We have licensed 103 DPCOs and an average DPCO employs nothing less than 10 people depending on their capacity and the number of clients they are dealing with. This has helped in job creation in the country with a total of over 8000 jobs created in the ecosystem”, he disclosed
Emphasizing further, the NC mentioned that DPCOs will take NIPOST through the compliance process on an annual basis and file their audit report with the Bureau which will be published subsequently on the Bureau’s website.
The published report according to Olatunji will lay credence to the fact that NIPOST has complied fully, taken the issue of data privacy seriously and demonstrate synergy amongst the agencies under the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.
He then advised the management of NIPOST to ensure that all courier and logistics companies under them comply with data privacy in order to earn the trust of Nigerians.
“We are developing tool kits for different sectors in the country based on their peculiarities and will work with you to ensure that the provisions of the NDPR are not only complied with but seen as a culture”, Dr Olatunji concluded.
Reacting to the National Commissioner’s address, the NIPOST Postmaster General, Dr. Ismail Adebayo Adewusi commended the Honorable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), for recommending the appointment of Dr. Olatunji as the pioneer National Commissioner of the Bureau.
“Truth be told, Dr. Olatunji is a highly professional and cerebral technocrat who has adequately discharged all the assignments he has been entrusted to handle over the years and is a perfection description of a round peg in a round hole”, he asserted.
The PMG then applauded the Bureau for their unflinching and consistent efforts thus far in ensuring the protection of data in the country.
He disclosed that the corporation has been educating and sensitizing people on the role of posts in a digital economy considering the critical role they play in the movement of people’s goods, parcels, mails and financial services across the globe.
Stating that NIPOST is at the center of dealing with people’s information, Adewusi said they have a serious responsibility to protect people’s data within their domain and promised to work closely with the Bureau in achieving this.
Weebly, US-based free, beginner-friendly, drag-and-drop website builder and eCommerce service, will no longer be available for customers in 67 countries, including Nigeria, after September 2026, according to an email seen by Nigeria CommunicationsWeek.
Weebly said it is “winding down” services in different nations “due to changes in regulation and to simplify our global operations”.
The firm released a timeline of gradual changes, to help existing users access their data before the site shuts down.
Starting June 29, customers of 67 countries were no longer able to publish any new pages.
September 27, 2026: Weebly websites will be unpublished.
Before this date, users should download site content and data. Follow these steps:
Go to Account Settings, click on My Data, and select Download My Data.
This will help you migrate your content to another website provider, or retain it.
Concerned about privacy? Ask Weebly to delete your data, through the Erase Data and Forget Me option under the My Data tab on your account page.
December 26, 2026: Last date of accessing Weebly account.
Until this date, you will have access to the account, although sites will be unpublished.
This period helps users move their site, domains, and data to another service.
Domain names can be moved to another registrar only after 60 days from the registration date.
According to the Weebly website, users must make sure that they do not make changes to your registrant contact information (email, phone number, first/last name), as this will lead to a 60-day registrar lock and prevent you from transferring your domain name.
Note that domain name transfers work differently for country-specific domains; users must contact Weebly’s support team for assistance.
How to unlock, transfer domain name
From your Weebly Dashboard, go to websites, and click on Domains, then select Manage Domain.
Disable registrar lock, get EPP authorisation code, and copy the full code.
Disabling registrar lock will also disable privacy protection. It is important to set privacy protection once again with the new registrar.
Follow the instructions for the newly chosen registrar as the rest of the transfer process will be managed by them
Why is Weebly winding down?
While the firm attributed it to “a change in regulation,” online users have argued that Square, which acquired Weebly in 2018, is pushing its platform ‘Square Online’.
Square is originally a US-based payment processor, and the firm says it has since evolved into the “largest business tech platform”.
It calls Square Online a “free online store” but clarifies that those who do not sell online can also use it to build their websites.
In an earlier support update for the Weebly Website Builder, Square Online was consistently referred to as a better alternative, although at the time, it was said that Square “has no plans to discontinue the Weebly website builder”.
Which countries will Weebly no longer be available in? Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Armenia, Aruba, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbadoa, Belarus, Benin and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Others are: Cambodia, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, and Côte d’Ivoire.
Also affected are: Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, French Polynesia, Gabon, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea, Iceland, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Laos, Malaysia, Mauritius, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal and New Caledonia.
The rest are: Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Paraguay, Peru, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Korea, Suriname, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
National Office for Technology Acquisition and Transfer (NOTAP), has commenced the process of patenting and commercialisation of research works by universities and other research institutions in the country.
Dr. Obiageli Amadiobi, director general of NOTAP
Dr. Obiageli Amadiobi, director general of NOTAP, stated this in Abuja, during an interaction with journalists on her achievements since assuming office.
Speaking on the theme, “Strengthening Indigenous Capacity: NOTAP’s Drive for Technology Transfer, Local Content Development, and Innovative activities,” Amadiobi said the agency had involved both the academia and industry so that researchers can work on topics brought forward for commercialisation purpose.
“My minister is very intentional about this– very intentional about commercialisation of research results, which we have already submitted to him. They are meaningful researches, which we need to commercialise.
“We have established 69 intellectual property technology transfer offices in 69 universities that we are still counting. We have informed the vice chancellors of Nigerian universities to set up such offices and we will come and educate them on intellectual property and technology transfers.
“As we are doing this, we are also taking record of all the researchers of these universities and research centres and documenting them in a compendium.
“So, we have compendiums from the universities to us and we put them in a database. If you will recall, recently, the ministry, our supervising ministry, which is the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology, launched a programme titled Energise Commercialisation. This entirely was for commercialisation of all R&Ds,” she said.
On research Institutions carrying out research on areas of industry needs, she said, “NOTAP is bridging the gap between research and development with industry needs, “it is on our programme called the NITDF, NOTAP Industry Technology Transfer Fellowship. By this programme, we engage the universities and the industries, in what we call the triple helix. We liaise with the universities and the industries to sponsor, the industries will sponsor a Ph.D candidate in a Nigerian university to conduct relevant researches.
“They will provide the topics that they want researches for and such students will research on that with the assistance of the industries, because they wear the shoes, so they know where it pinches them. But usually, there are Ph.D candidates already established. This year alone, we certified about 15 of them to enter into this programme and they have gone into the various universities.
“And we are still looking for people to update some of the projects; the research topics we already have. But we are not getting enough persons to do the researches. So, we are going to do further advertisement to see if other candidates will come up.
Federal government has launched a drive to standardise operations across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) through the nationwide adoption of the new National Digital Alphanumeric Postcode System.
Dr Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, launched the initiative at a high-level stakeholder workshop on Thursday in Abuja.
The conference, themed “Embedding the Nigerian Digital Postcode in Public Service Delivery,” brought together key stakeholders to discuss the adoption of the system across government institutions.
Represented by Nadungu Gagare, permanent secretary of the Ministry, declared that the initiative was a critical pillar for the country’s economic and security framework.
“The Nigerian Digital Postcode represents far more than an improvement to postal services. It is a strategic national asset. Without accurate location intelligence, governments struggle to plan effectively, emergency responders lose valuable time, and financial institutions face verification challenges,” he said.
Tijani said the Alphanumeric digital postcode system was a pathway and a defining moment for Nigeria’s digital transformation under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
He said an accurate national addressing system would enable government agencies to plan better, improve emergency response, support credible census and elections, expand financial inclusion and ensure citizens were not excluded from essential services because of poor location data.
The Minister commended NIPOST for leading the initiative and urged MDAs and state governments to integrate the system into their operations, stressing that its success would depend on collaboration, interoperability, and nationwide adoption.
Omotola Odeyemi, postmaster general and chief executive officer, Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), explained that the digital postcode system creates a “common language of location” for the entire government.
She urged federal and subnational entities to integrate the infrastructure into their daily operations to maximise its value.
“Just as digital identity has helped to establish who a citizen is, this National Digital Postcode helps us to determine where services, opportunities, and interventions should be delivered. Its success will not be measured by the number of postcodes that we generate but by the lives that we improve,” the NIPOST boss explained.
Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, head of the Civil Service of the Federation, represented by Dr Abdul Sule Garba, permanent Secretary of the Service Welfare Office, pledged full administrative backing for the rollout.
She noted that the civil service would be properly equipped to adapt to the data-driven system.
“The operationalisation of the Nigerian digital postcode is a strategic initiative that has the potential to significantly improve public administration, service delivery, and digital governance across the country,” Mrs Walson-Jack added.
The workshop featured live demonstrations and technical panel sessions focused on linking the new digital postcode system directly into national healthcare, social protection, education, and electoral planning.
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