INEC/ NDPC AGREED TO COLLABORATE ON DATA PROTECTION
Oru Leonard
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) have agreed to collaborate to safeguard citizens’ data.
The decision was reached during an official visit by a team of expert led by Dr. Vincent Olatunji, the National Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NDPC to INEC Headquarters, Abuja on Wednesday, 17th July 2024.
The INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu who received the guests asserted that INEC has the largest database of citizens in Nigeria.
He said “At the last election, we had Ninety-Three Million (93,000,000) records of citizens and only recently, we conducted the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise in just two states (Edo and Ondo), we have added more than Two Hundred Thousand (200,000) additional records to the existing register”.
According to the Hon. Chairman, the Commission is saddled with the responsibility of conducting credible elections in Nigeria, pointing out that “there cannot be credible elections without a credible register of voters and there cannot be a credible register of voters without data so we can’t as I said conduct elections without a credible register of voters and we are very proud to say that INEC has perhaps the largest database of citizens in Africa,” he added.
Speaking further, the INEC Chairman emphasized the critical need for collaboration on data protection. In his words “We also house perhaps the most sensitive national record of citizens with their fingerprints and facial biometrics and we include all citizens from those in the executive branch of government to people in the National Assembly, Security Services in the country, we have our Justices of all categories of courts in the database. We have all categories of citizens, male and female, young and old”.
In her remarks, the Hon. National Commissioner May Agbamuche-Mbu Esq. praised the NDPC for accepting the invitation. She noted that INEC had thoroughly studied the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) and expressed a strong desire to collaborate with the agency to safeguard citizens’ data. This intention prompted the invitation extended to the National Commissioner/ CEO and his team to visit INEC.
Dr. Vincent Olatunji, the National Commissioner and CEO of the National Data Protection Commission (NDPC), commended the initiative for the meeting, he emphasized the vital and crucial importance for protection of data domiciled in the Commission.
Harping on the need for data protection, the CEO said, “Identity theft, unauthorized access to a database which people can use for malicious things has attracted global attention and all countries of the world are trying to put in place measures to ensure that they protect the data of citizens in their country”.
Dr. Olatunji assured the Commission that the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) will continue to offer support, particularly by providing free training for INEC staff to become Data Protection Officers.
