Data protection, privacy issues are paramount national concerns, says NJI Administrator

By Vivian Okejeme

The Administrator of the National Judicial Institute (NJI), Hon. Justice Babatunde Adejumo, has declared that data protection and privacy are matters of critical national importance with direct implications for governance, national security, economic stability, and citizens’ rights.

Justice Adejumo made the remarks in Abuja during the opening ceremony of a capacity-building workshop on data protection for judicial officers, organized by the NJI in collaboration with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) at the Institute’s Mohammed Bello Centre.

Declaring the event open on behalf of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Hon. Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, GCON, the NJI boss warned that while digital data remains a vital national resource, it is increasingly targeted by illicit actors in ways that threaten national sovereignty and undermine public trust in government institutions.

Justice Adejumo noted that the exponential growth of technological innovations requires judges to stay abreast of complex data privacy concepts and emerging global legal standards.

He emphasized that the courts play a pivotal role in enforcing data rights—such as the right to information, rectification, erasure, and objection—as well as resolving compliance disputes and balancing public safety against individual privacy rights under the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023.

Earlier in his address, the National Commissioner and CEO of the NDPC, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, highlighted the judiciary’s role as the final arbiter in safeguarding data privacy rights.

“Yours is the inherent power of adjudication—the very last hope of the common man,” Dr. Olatunji told the assembled judges, noting that Section 50 of the NDPA explicitly allows aggrieved parties to seek judicial review of the Commission’s regulatory orders within 30 days.

Dr. Olatunji underscored the need for Nigeria’s legal interpretation to align with international benchmarks—including the ECOWAS Supplementary Act, the AU Malabo Convention, and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), given that platforms processing the data of over 90 percent of Nigerians operate across international jurisdictions.

Detailing the Commission’s milestones since the enactment of the NDPA 2023, the NDPC boss revealed that:” Over 41,000 Data Controllers and Processors of Major Importance have been registered.

“More than 8,000 compliance audit returns have been processed.

“Over 240 data breach incidents were investigated, resulting in over 20 major remediation orders and public notices issued against 1,900 non-compliant entities.

“ The data protection sector has created over 27,000 jobs, with more than 1,500 certified Data Protection Officers (DPOs).

“The NDPA has been translated into Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba, alongside the launch of a Virtual Privacy Academy reaching over 66,000 users.

“The NDPC earned the 2025 PICASSO Award for Most Outstanding Data Protection Authority in Africa and emerged as a finalist in four categories at the 2026 Global Privacy Awards.”

Justice Adejumo expressed gratitude to the CJN and Chairman of the NJI Board of Governors, Hon. Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, as well as the NJI Education Committee chaired by Hon. Justice John Inyang Okoro, JSC, for supporting the initiative, describing the workshop as a benchmark for inter-agency collaboration across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).