NDPC: Real Reason Why We Signed MoUs with Foreign Data Protection Agencies

Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole in Abuja

]The National Data Protection Commission (NDPC), has disclosed that it signed different Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with foreign data protection authorities to enable Nigeria enforce her data protection laws in those countries.

He explained that if one is not in Nigeria but happens to break the Nigerian data protection law, NDPC will be able to enforce the law in any country where the violation took place.

The National Commissioner of the NDPC, Dr. Vincent Olatunji made the clarification on Tuesday in Abuja at the  launch of the commission’s journal.

Olatunji said: “We have signed MoUs with some countries DPAs so that when you breach our data laws we can apply our laws against you in that country.

 “We have signed MoUs with some data protection authorities (DPAs), like the Office of Data Protection of Canada. We also signed with the Dubai International Financial Center Authority.

 “We signed the MoUs because of the scope of our law, that if you collect and present the data of Nigeria, you are not fined in Nigeria. You are to be fined outside the country. You are within the scope of the law. Now, the question is how will you enforce the law in the following countries. 

“And that is why we need to work with DPAs in other countries for our laws to be enforced in their countries. And also for knowledge exchange. We are also looking at that now.”

He noted that back home in the country they are still signing MoUs with regulators to ensure full compliance.

“ In addition to that, we are also signing with regulators in Nigeria, for them to properly regulate their sectors, to deepen data privacy for their stakeholders to comply with the provisions of the law. 

“Even the private sector, we are also working with them to ensure that all we are doing in the area of MoUs is to ensure that we enforce the law, bolster data privacy in Nigeria, and we increase level of compliance to the provisions of the law,” he said.

 According to Olatunji, Nigeria has achieved a lot at the global level when it comes to data protection, and that it has not gone unnoticed.

 “We are also a member of the Network of African Data Protection Authorities, made up of about 37 countries in Africa that have data protection laws and data protection authorities.

“And as a matter of fact, we are bringing all of them to Nigeria in May this year. That shows the recognition. For us to even be able to win that award, is a big deal of international recognition,” he said.

Chairman, Association of Licenced Data Protection Compliance Organisation in Nigeria (ALDPCON), Ivan Anya, while corroborated Olatunji.

“When a law is enacted, we look up to the effect it will have on the economy. Since I’ve been a data protection expert I’ve not seen any law that has such traction that the data protection law has.

“As DPCO in the areas that we have not done well, we are putting things in place to build on what we have achieved,” he said.