The Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has indicated interest in partnering with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to provide training on data privacy and protection for Nigerians.
The National Commissioner/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Commission, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, made this known when he paid a courtesy visit to the NYSC National Directorate Headquarters in Maitama, Abuja.
Olatunji said the partnership would strengthen the acquisition of digital skills among Corps Members, and also prepare them for opportunities in the growing digital economy. He added that the commission had identified about 500,000 data processors and controllers in the country that would need the services of data protection officers.
He said the data protection sector offered strong employment prospects and also support the Federal Government’s job creation drive. The CEO said under the partnership, the NDPC would train NYSC staff free of charge and at the same time, provide access to its Virtual Privacy Academy (VPA).
He said under the partnership, 100 Corps Members would be trained and certified as Data Protection Officers in each state of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory. “By law, it is mandatory for all Ministries, Department and Agencies of the Federal Government to process data in accordance with the provisions of the Nigerian Telecommunications Act of year 2023,” he said.
Olatunji, who commended the NYSC for being the best compliant Federal Government Agency on data protection in the country, lauded the Scheme’s contributions to the socio-economic advancement of the country since inception. He stressed the need to put adequate measures in place in order to protect every information going online from every internet user. He advocated the appointment of data processing officers in all NYSC formations across the country.
In his remarks, the NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, noted that data protection and security were very essential for building confidence in the digital economy.
He, therefore, welcomed the proposal for collaboration and pledged to integrate the training into the Scheme’s Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme.
Nafiu said that Corps Members were always active on the social media, but noted the gap in data protection, adding that the partnership would enable the Corps Members to serve as good advocates of data protection. Both agencies agreed to form a committee that would fast track a Memorandum of Understanding to ensure a nationwide implementation of the partnership engagements.
