Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has commissioned its new headquarters in Abuja, marking a significant milestone in the development and institutional growth of data protection regulation in Nigeria.
The facility was commissioned by the Honourable Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr ‘Bosun Tijani, at a ceremony hosted by the National Commissioner/Chief Executive Officer of the NDPC, Dr Vincent Olatunji.
Speaking at the event, Tijani commended Olatunji’s leadership and the contributions of the Commission to Nigeria’s digital transformation, while acknowledging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s support for the country’s data protection ecosystem.
He highlighted the President’s signing of the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, the directive to Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government to comply with data protection regulations, as well as the allocation of the property for the NDPC’s new headquarters.
The Minister also commended the staff of the Commission for the progress recorded under Olatunji’s leadership, urged them to intensify efforts to make data protection and privacy priorities for Nigerians.
In his remarks, titled “Upward Trajectory of NDPC,” Olatunji expressed appreciation to President Tinubu and the Minister for their continued support to the Commission.
He traced the growth of the NDPC from a 12-member unit within the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) into a leading Data Protection Authority, highlighting several milestones achieved by the Commission.
According to him, the NDPC has so far licensed 356 data protection-compliant organisations, facilitated the creation of more than 27,000 jobs and reached over 66,000 Nigerians through its Virtual Privacy Academy.
He added that more than 99,000 individuals had benefited from 228 training programmes conducted by the Commission, reflecting its expanding efforts to deepen awareness and compliance with data protection standards across the country.
Olatunji described the newly commissioned facility as the largest Data Protection Authority office in Africa, saying it represented another major step in the Commission’s institutional development and Nigeria’s broader data protection journey.
The ceremony attracted stakeholders from the data protection and digital economy ecosystems, who joined the Commission to celebrate the commissioning and reaffirm the growing importance of privacy and responsible data governance in Nigeria.
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