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.
National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has said thet more than 136 million Nigerians and legal residents have been enrolled in the National Identity Database (NIDB).
In a statement on Tuesday, Kayode Adegoke, head of corporate communications, NIMC, said Abisoye Coker-Odusote, chief executive officer (CEO) of the commission, announced the milestone during a courtesy visit to the ministry of budget and economic planning.
In April 2025, NIMC said over 117.36 million Nigerians had been enrolled as of February 28, 2025.
The visit was part of the commission’s ongoing stakeholder engagements with ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) on the implementation of the NIMC Act 2026.
Presenting the new Act, Coker-Odusote said the legislation repeals and replaces the 2007 NIMC Act, modernising Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem by positioning the national identification number (NIN) as the country’s foundational identity under the “one person, one identity” policy.
She said the law also establishes NIMC as the root certificate authority for the national digital infrastructure and introduces stronger data protection and cybersecurity measures, as well as digital credentials.
“The Federal Government remains committed to enrolling and issuing NINs to all Nigerians and legal residents within the shortest possible time,” Coker-Odusote said.
She added that NIMC is ready to collaborate with the ministry of budget and economic planning to leverage the NIN for economic planning and national development initiatives.
Speaking during the visit, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, the minister of budget and economic planning, reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to the implementation of the NIMC Act 2026.
Bagudu described the legislation as “a transformative milestone” that would strengthen Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem and accelerate national planning and development.
He commended the NIMC director-general and the commission’s leadership for their efforts in securing the passage of the legislation, noting that it provides “a solid legal foundation for a trusted, secure, and inclusive national identity management system”.
The minister, however, said the true measure of the Act’s success would lie in its implementation and the benefits it delivers to Nigerians.
“The true measure of the Act’s success will lie in its effective implementation and the tangible benefits delivered to citizens,” he said.
Bagudu also called for stronger collaboration across the federal, state and local governments to build public confidence in the national identity system and eliminate the duplication of identity databases across government institutions.
He said the NIN should serve as Nigeria’s single, universally accepted identity standard, supporting efficient service delivery and good governance.
On June 26, President Bola Tinubu signed the NIMC Act 2026 into law, repealing the commission’s 2007 establishing Act.
At the time, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, minister of interior, said the legislation would strengthen Nigeria’s legal framework for digital identity management, cybersecurity and secure digital authentication, while reinforcing the NIN as the country’s foundational identity credential under the “one person, one identity” principle.
Plateau State Public Complaints Commission (PCC), an agency of the state established to investigate complaints of abuse of office, administrative injustice and other forms of official misconduct is allegedly collecting personal information from members of the public through its website with no privacy policy.
According to investigation by Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), PCC is falling short of a key transparency requirement under Nigeria’s data protection laws.
FIJ found on Tuesday that PCC collects personal information from members of the public through its website despite providing no privacy policy explaining how that information is collected, processed, stored or protected.
The commission serves as the state’s ombudsman, receiving complaints free of charge against public institutions and private organisations on issues including wrongful dismissal, victimisation and administrative negligence.
Yet, while its online complaint portal requests personal information such as names, phone numbers, email addresses, subject lines and complaint details, visitors are given no privacy notice explaining what becomes of that information after it is submitted.
The omission means visitors are not told why their information is being collected, how long it will be retained, the legal basis for processing it or the rights available to them as data subjects.
WHAT IS THE POSITION OF THE LAW?
The guidelines issued by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) are explicit: every government website is required to have a privacy policy.
Section 10.4 (i, ii) of the NITDA guidelines mandates all government websites to exercise diligence when collecting personal details or information about visitors on their websites.
The requirement is intended to ensure transparency and accountability in the handling of personal information, allowing visitors to understand why their data is collected, how it will be used and the safeguards in place to protect it.
Similarly, the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023 requires data controllers to provide privacy notices to individuals before, or at the point of, collecting their personal information.
Such notices are expected to disclose, among other things, the purpose for collecting the data, the legal basis for processing it, the period for which it will be retained and the rights available to data subjects.
Section 27 of the NDPA states:
(1) Before a data controller collects personal data directly from a data subject, the data controller shall inform the data subject of the – (a) identity, residence or place of business of, and means of communication with the data controller and its representatives, where necessary;
(b) specific lawful basis of processing under section 25(1) or 30(1) of this Act, and the purposes of the processing for which the personal data are intended;
(c) recipients or categories of recipients of the personal data, if any;
(d) existence of the rights of the data subject under Part VI;
(e) retention period for the personal data;
(f) right to lodge a complaint with the Commission in accordance with section 46 (1) of this Act; and
(g) existence of automated decision-making, including profiling, the significance and envisaged consequences of such processing for the data subject, and the right to object to and challenge such processing.
Without a privacy policy, visitors have no way of knowing the commission’s data-handling practices or the safeguards, if any, in place to protect the personal information they submit through the website.
At press time, the Plateau State Public Complaints Commission’s website had no privacy policy.
Federal government has directed key digital regulators to suspend the implementation of new rules affecting internet platforms and online intermediaries while it develops a unified national regulatory framework.
Dr Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy
The directive was issued on Tuesday by Dr Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, after chairing a strategic meeting with the leadership of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC).
The minister in a statement, said that the rapid growth of the digital economy has created areas where the responsibilities of the three regulators increasingly overlap, particularly in artificial intelligence, online safety, and data protection.
He said that a coordinated approach is needed to provide regulatory clarity, protect investor confidence, and support innovation.
Dr Tijani noted that as part of the directive, the agencies will temporarily halt the implementation of recently introduced guidelines in these overlapping areas.
However, the Minister said that they will continue to carry out their statutory responsibilities within their respective legal mandates.
Dr Tijani said that a Joint Technical Coordination Committee will now be established to work with industry players, academics, and civil society on a single, coherent regulatory framework.
The minister added that the move is designed to improve coordination across government, create a more predictable business environment, and strengthen Nigeria’s position as a leading destination for digital investment in Africa.
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