Kenny Folarin, Abuja
The National Commissioner/Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Data Protection Bureau, (NDPB) Dr. Vincent Olatunji has stated that the bureau would set up her own data protection certification body in line with incoming data policy act which will provide over 500,000 jobs in Nigeria.
Olatunji while speaking in Abuja on thursday at a press briefing noted that the local certification body is imperative to ensure global competitiveness and mitigate the dearth of qualified and certified data protection officers.
“In Nigeria we have over 500,000 data processors controllers each of the supposed to appoint 1 data processors officer (DPO)
“But in Nigeria, we don’t have up to 10,000 qualified and certified data protection officers, whereas we have 500,000 data processors controllers leaving a gap of 490, 000 jobs for Nigeria having passed through the normal requirements”.
“But the good thing is that we are trying to set up our own data protection certification body, very soon we will license our own data protection body for certified Nigerians on line with data policy act that will soon be enacted in that will make us to provide over 500,000 jobs”.
Meanwhile,. Olatunji stated that as the bureau awaits the legislative processes to move forward in due course, they are also carrying out compliance initiatives which includes initiating the National Data Protection Adequacy Programme (NaDPAP).
He explained that adequate data protection goes beyond a display of privacy policy and filing of compliance audit returns with the Bureau but consists in the implementation of Technical and Organizational Measures that ultimately safeguard the rights and freedoms of data subjects.
Meanwhile, Olatunji expressed dissatisfaction over non-compliance to data protection and privacy in the public sector.
He explained that the level of compliance in the public sector to data privacy and protection is just 4% unlike the private sector which is 49% but also understand the implication of data bridges hence doing the needful to ensure compliance.
Olatunji noted that the bureau had visited over 50 federal public institutions to preach the gospel of data protection and privacy and will not rest on its oars on awareness to ensure compliance on data privacy and protection
