The National Assembly has commenced moves to review and strengthen Nigeria’s National Data Protection Act, 2023, in response to emerging cyber threats and rapid technological advancements, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI).
Chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber Security, Afolabi Salisu, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja at the opening of a three-day Data Protection Awareness Promotion workshop organised for the Joint National Assembly Committee on ICT by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission and Ampersand Development Partners.
Salisu said the proposed review became necessary following new global developments in digital technology, cybersecurity and international conventions regulating cybercrimes and data governance.
According to him, since the law’s enactment in 2023, the emergence of advanced AI systems and growing concerns about cyber threats have underscored the need for stronger legal safeguards to protect citizens and national digital assets.
The senator noted that there is a close relationship between data governance and cybercrime, stressing that Nigeria must continue to improve its legal and institutional frameworks to remain ahead of emerging threats in the digital space.
“We need to ensure the security of our country, particularly in cyberspace and our data governance, as well as technological advancement like AI,” he said.
Salisu maintained that lawmakers must possess adequate knowledge of data privacy and cybersecurity issues to effectively legislate and respond to evolving technological realities affecting governance, commerce and national security.
“You cannot legislate in an area that you are not sufficiently knowledgeable in. This workshop allows us to build our capacity to understand modern principles of data protection and to be in a position to review the National Data Protection Act,” he stated.
He explained that the review process would examine how effectively the law has addressed Nigeria’s data protection challenges over the past three years and compare its implementation with practices in other countries.
“At the end of this exercise, we would be able to come up with a roadmap and timeline with a view to reviewing the National Data Protection Act,” he added.
The senator also urged Nigerians to be more conscious of their personal data security, warning that many supposedly free public WiFi services and digital applications often monetise users’ personal information without their full understanding.
The chairman of the House Committee on ICT and Cyber Security, Stanley Olajide, described data as Nigeria’s future economic resource, saying the country’s next prosperity would be driven more by data than oil.
He stressed that strong data protection laws were critical to attracting foreign investment, adding that any data generated within Nigeria must remain protected under Nigerian laws and regulatory frameworks.
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