As part of activities to mark the recent International Privacy Day hosted in Nigeria as a week-long event on “Data Privacy Awareness” by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the Data Protection Services Limited (DSPL) hosted two schools in Oyo and Plateau states to promote awareness on data privacy amongst young people.
This year’s theme by NITDA was tagged “Privacy Week – Adopt-a-School with Privacy and Cybersecurity Class,” and encouraged licensed Data Protection Compliance Organisations (DPCOs) to take the message of data protection and awareness to secondary schools.
DPCOs are licensed by the NITDA to drive compliance to Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) , the country’s principal legislation on data protection.
Under the “Privacy Week – Adopt-a-School with Privacy and Cybersecurity Class,” DSPL adopted Bishop Phillips Academy, Iwo Road, Ibadan, Oyo state and Government Secondary School (GSS), Buruku, Jos, Plateau state for the general awareness on data privacy and cybersecurity.
RELATED No Digital Economy Without Data Protection – DSPL’s Tunde Balogun
“Bishop Phillips Academy is incidentally Governor Seyi Makinde’s alma mata and allowed us at DSPL to spread the gospel of “Privacy Rights of Children, Data Privacy and Protection in Nigeria; and Surfing the Web among others to young people,” said Chief Executive Officer of DSPL, Mr. Tunde Balogun.
“We are glad to partner with NITDA to share with young people in Nigeria the importance of data privacy and protection; the role of everyone including DPCOs like DSPL and the role of the NITDA as well as why the NDPR is important including to safe guard right to data privacy; safe guard transactions involving exchange of personal data; prevent manipulation of personal data; and ensure Nigerian businesses remain competitive in international trade, amongst others,” added Balogun.
In Jos, DSPL worked closely with the Plateau Information and Communication Technology Development Agency (PICTDA) to faciliate the adoption and awarenes process in GSS, Bukuru. The event included short quiz on data protection and presentation of prizes to winners of the quiz.
Since licensed, DSPL has become a leading DPCO in Nigeria’s fast-growing data protection industry with robust grip of the public sector. According to Balogun, ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of government in the country handle the largest amount of personal data that could be easily compromised, thereby leading to a breach of the NDPR. DSPL has been driving the advocacy among public institutions to ensure that they comply with the NDPR,
Balogun said DSPL already has a strong public sector clients base across the country’s political zones. His words: “We are doing a lot of advocacy in the public sector because public institutions are the biggest processors of personal data anywhere in the world.”