In line with the need to reform the identity landscape in Nigeria, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) has stated that Federal government is keen on passing the data protection bill.
This was revealed by Mr. Andrew David Adejo, the Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs in the SGF’s office, during the validation workshop of the Legal and Regulatory Reform Working Group (LRWG) which held in Abuja yesterday.
According to him, in as much as the digital identity of Nigeria is concerned, one of the critical components of the Digital Identification for Development (ID4D) project is to strengthen the legal and institutional framework.
In his words: “As it’s expected in any modern society, in order to adequately control the capture, storage, and utilization of data and to protect his citizens from abuses, it is essential to have a data protection law which can regulate and shape the activities of individuals, organizations and the government in matters related to the processing of personal information.
“The Data Protection Bill which we are gathered to deliberate upon and validate is a major step among many steps that will hopefully culminate in the birth of a data protection law which is necessary to promote trust under the Digital Identity Ecosystem particularly as it relates to the protection of privacy rights and personal data, strengthening institutional and administrative framework, inclusion and non-discrimination, interoperability of identity databases and registries,”.
On his part, Engr. Aliyu Aziz, the director-general of NIMC, stated that the assignment the Commission is charged with is one which ensures that the draft bill supports a broader and holistic legal enabling environment which meets the multi-sectoral needs of Nigeria and beyond in terms of user privacy, security, protection, access and use of data including the designation of an independent data protection authority.
Furthermore, he explained that a robust legal and regulatory framework underpinning an ID system is a critical enabler for success. In addition, the national data protection bill which is fundamental to the entire ID project of Nigeria; is considered one of the most crucial legal and regulatory frameworks for promoting trust in the foundational ID System with regards to the protection of privacy and personal data.
Air Vice-Marshal, Victor Udoh rtd who also spoke during the event affirmed that the identification data in Nigeria is the best in the world. In fact, the validated Bill will consequently be submitted to the Federal Ministry of Justice (FMOJ) for further drafting work and presented to the Federal Executive Council for onward transmission to the National Assembly as an Executive Bill.
To this end, he called on the stakeholders at the event to support the draft data protection bill through the National Assembly
InlandTown! 2020
