Emma Okonji
Paradigm Initiative (PIN), a pan-African organisation and thought leader in digital rights and inclusion space, has stressed the need for government agencies that are in possession of the data of Nigerian citizens to protect such data in order to avoid breach and undue expose of same.
Worried that the data of Nigerian citizens may have been stolen from the database of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), PIN accused NIMC of improper protection of such data, and has gone to an Abuja High Court to challenge NIMC for negligence over citizens' data kept in its custody.
Executive Director at PIN, Mr. Gbenga Sesan, who revealed this at a media briefing in Lagos to spotlight key digital rights and inclusion issues on the African continent, said PIN also joined in the lawsuit, the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria Interbank Settlement Systems (NIBSS), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), and the Attorney General of the Federation.
According to him, "The reason we've joined all of them in the lawsuit is because they all have questions to answer in the matter."
Sesan insisted that Nigerian citizens must be treated with equal rights and their data must be protected at all cost, and that no Nigerian citizen should be treated as a second class citizen in his own country.
Giving reasons why PIN had to challenge NIMC in court, Sesan said: "We went to court to challenge NIMC for three reasons. Number one is to establish that there was a data leak. Number two is to invoke the powers of the Nigeria Data Protection Act that seeks to protect any citizen whose data is abused. The third reason is to make NIMC accountable for all Nigerian data in its possession."
He said the court has fixed January 22, 2025 for hearing of the lawsuit filed against NIMC and other defendants.
According to him, Nigeria is not the only country where PIN carried out extensive work in data protection this year, adding that PIN did same in some other countries, like Tanzania, Kenya and Cameroon, which recently got its data protection law.
"The new data protection law in Cameroon is not perfect by any standard, but of course we commend the government of Cameroon for what they have done in that regard, just the same way we had commended Nigeria last year for getting a data protection law," Sesan further said.
Chief Operating Officer (COO) at PIN, Nnena Paul-Ugochukwu, in her opening remarks, spoke about how PIN would continue to leverage research outcomes as powerful tools for effective policy advocacy.
According to her, PIN has developed toolkits called RIPOTI, which empowers citizens to report and document rights violations and AYETA, which equips users with tools and knowledge to stay safe and secure online.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
"Our communication strategy has undergone continuous refinement, adapting to the changing landscape. In addition to conventional communication methods, we have integrated innovative approaches to amplify our outreach and impact.
Our strategy employs diverse channels, and this approach ensures that our message reaches and resonates across diverse audiences, deepening awareness of digital rights and broadening our influence," Paul-Ugochukwu said.
