The Federal Government has been charged to put in place central control mechanism for data protection in the country, as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) commenced the enforcement of the mandatory Bank Verification Number (BVN) on bank customers.
The stakeholders say the protection is imperative, as corporate and personal data have become one of the most sought after commodities in the world today, which necessitated it effective protection.
This is one of the recommendations made at a day stakeholders’ meeting on Internet Governance organised by Nigeria Internet Governance Forum for players in the sector from North West part of the country, held in the commercial city of Kano.
Although, the stakeholders acknowledge the recent legislation enacted by the National Assembly on cyber security, they believe there is the need to have a central control and protection of the huge data being generated by various public and private establishments in the country.
According to them, as things are presently in the country, some of the data generated, which is estimated to worth several billions of naira, can be attack by identity thieves.
Giving the threat to data and privacy in the country, Sunday Folayan, president, Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA), who delivered a lead paper entitled ‘Securing Data and Privacy on Net’ at the event, said personal data generated from driver’s licence, national identity card registration, international passport, and the latest BVN, need to be centrally protected.
“The evolution of data has brought about several challenges, and because of it importance it can be attacked. The threat and vulnerability of the data is growing on a daily basis that is why we as a nation must device a central way of protecting it.
“We are happy that Nigeria has enacted a cyber Act (2015), we know this is not enough protection for the data warehoused in the country, that is why we want the government and other bodies involved in data generation and management to protect them.
“The privacy of individuals is also very important, it is a known fact that personal and corporate data have become a commodity which can be sold and bought by the highest bidder today,” Folayan said.
Commenting on some of the measures already put in place by Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), Abubakar Mana, who represented executive vice chairman, hinted that the commission had fashioned out an Industry Code of Practice for Internet Service Providers in the country.
Mana said his agency was also strengthening partnership with other government agencies in the area of cyber security, as well as industry internet code of ethics.
He suggested a data commission be established, pointing out that such commission would help harmonised all the private and corporate data of the citizens in the country.
Speaking to BusinessDay on the sideline of the meeting, Yunnsa Yau, executive director, Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), one of the conveners of the meeting, said the event was organised as avenue to generate inputs on issues to be deliberated upon in the next Global Forum on Internet Governance slated to hold in Brazil.
He said during the stakeholders meeting it was identified that the challenge of infrastructure and language, cost of access, and others factors were hampering the penetration of internet in the country.
Yau disclosed that the agenda of Nigeria in the next global internet governance forum would be driven by how the country could leverage on internet for socio-economic development.
The country will also bring to the global arena the need for more proper control and use of internet, and equitable representations in the governance of internet in the world, he said.
