The National Commissioner/CEO, Nigeria Data Protection Commission, Dr Vincent Olatunji, was represented by the Head of Strategy, Partnerships & Communications at the Commission, Mrs Abiola Jide-Abe, at the Children ICT/STEM Summit hosted by High Tech Center in Abuja.

Reinforcing the need to protect children’s data in the digital space, particularly as AI technologies expand, Mrs Jide-Abe highlighted how emerging AI tools increase the urgency of setting clear privacy boundaries, emphasising privacy as the right of individuals to control what they share publicly and what they keep private, noting that data protection serves as the key mechanism for upholding that right. She stressed that building secure systems is a collective responsibility.

Mrs Jide-Abe further cautioned that failure to protect personal data puts trust, security, and freedom at risk. She emphasised that data protection goes beyond regulatory compliance and is fundamentally about upholding human dignity in the digital age.

The Summit also featured a panel session themed “Your Digital Footprint Matters: Privacy, Reputation & Online Safety,” where an Officer of the Innovation Unit, NDPC, Ms Flora Gabriel, represented the Commission.

The event ended with a call for Nigeria to play a leading role in promoting responsible digital footprint management.