The National Commissioner/CEO of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Dr Vincent Olatunji, paid a courtesy visit to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) headquarters, where he was received by the Secretary to the ICPC, Clifford Okwudiri Oparaodu, Esq., on behalf of ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN.
Dr Olatunji said the NDPC was at the ICPC office to enlighten them on data protection and privacy. Using practical examples, he highlighted the benefits of compliance as well as the dangers of non-compliance with the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDP Act, 2023) signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR). He took the opportunity to propose the Virtual Privacy Academy (VPA) recently launched by the NDPC, and offered capacity building opportunities to the ICPC.
In response, Mr Oparaodu, Esq., noted that although data protection and privacy is a little novel, its importance can’t be overstated. He noted that being a specialised government agency, they handle sensitive information whose leakage could cause grave harm. While agreeing with Dr Olatunji that compliance with the NDP Act improves partners’ confidence in their operations as they carry out their mandate, he noted that the ICPC has inaugurated Data Protection Champions to ensure full compliance with the NDP Act within the ICPC.
Mr Oparaodu, Esq., accepted the capacity building initiative on behalf of Dr Aliyu, and proposed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the NDPC and ICPC. A working group was formed to plan the details and implementation of the MoU.
