Buhari Creates New Agency, Makes New Appointment

President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Dr Vincent Olatunji as the National Commissioner/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Data Protection Bureau (NDPB).

Naija News reports that the appointment was approved following a request by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami.

In a statement on Friday issued by the Spokesperson of the minister, Uwa Suleiman the appointment is with immediate effect.

The minister’s spokesman revealed that Olatunji was the Director of the eGovernment Development and Regulations Department at NITDA.

She disclosed that Olatunji is an indigene of Ekiti State and holds a PhD in Geography and Planning from the University of Lagos and an Advance Diploma in Computer Science.

Suleiman stated that the NDPB was established in line with global best practices and would focus on data protection and privacy for the country, among others.

The statement reads: “The successful implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) for a Digital Nigeria has significantly increased the adoption of data platforms and accelerated the datafication of our society.

“This has increased the importance of having an institution that focuses on data protection and privacy.

“The issuance of Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR), subsidiary legislation to the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) Act 2007, increased awareness about the need for data protection and privacy.

“The NDPB would be responsible for consolidating the gains of NDPR and supporting the process for the development of primary legislation for data protection and privacy.”