The National Commissioner/CEO of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Dr Vincent Olatunji, flagged off the first cohort of the Technical and Organisational Measures (TOMs) Drill on Data Protection Measures for IT Administrators across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government.

Delivering the opening address, Dr Olatunji stated that the recent attacks on government digital infrastructure have necessitated the TOMs Drill for IT professionals in the public sector. He reiterated the importance of data protection and privacy in line with the provisions of the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023 (NDP Act), and the need for MDAs to proactively prevent bad actors from compromising their systems. This supports the Federal Government’s plan to fully digitise its operations, with over 35 MDAs already committed to full digitisation.

Dr Olatunji commended the capacity of the public service workforce in Nigeria, as well as the upward movement in compliance in the public sector from about 4% to over 20%, but noted that every MDA must comply with the provisions of the NDP Act. He advised all participants to maximise the opportunity afforded to them to deepen their knowledge of data protection and privacy, support their respective MDAs in achieving compliance, and exchange relevant knowledge.

Participants in the drill included IT officers from about 60 MDAs, such as the OSFG, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, ONSA, NIMC, Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Navy, CBN, EFCC, ICPC, DSS, INEC, GBB, NIPOST, NRS and NITDA, among others.