Data Protection, Key to Nigeria’s Future, Sovereignty, Says NCC

* Signs MoU with data protection commission

Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole in Abuja

The Executive Vice-Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, has stated that data protection is key to the future and sovereignty of Nigeria.

Maida stated this at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the NCC and the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC), in his office on Thursday, in Abuja.

He said: “And this is why data protection is very very important towards the future and sovereignty of this nation.

“You’re laying the foundations whereby people have a right to govern their own data, because in the future I believe we’re going to be moving away from labour unions to data unions.

“And it is foundations like this that will prepare us, and people need to know that they have the data, they need to be aware of the data they are generating and they need to know their rights around that data.

“If they don’t know it, somebody will monetise it. So, when they say you’re using the platform for free, it’s not really free. Somebody is monetising your data. But it’s going to get to a point whereby you too, should also have your rights to either say, yes, you can use it or no, you cannot use it.”

The NDPC National Commissioner, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, who explained the partnership between his commission and NCC on data protection, said it was aimed at situating data privacy and protection within the telecoms sector.

“How do we properly situate data privacy and protection within the telecom sector? We can’t do it without you. It is your mandate, it is within your power to actually regulate these people.

“And that is why we started this process last year, to see how we could work together to properly support you in regulating the sector from the privacy perspective, because we know that our expertise and skills in data privacy, and your skills, and expertise in regulating your sector.

“But when we bring these two skills together, that is the only way we can effectively do what is right for our country and for our people.

“We are coming together to put pen and paper to sign the MoU between the NiCC and the NDPC to see how we can effectively work together to take care of the privacy and protection of the data of all Nigerians that have their data with the data controllers and processors,” he said.