Oluwabukola Odunwole
In giving to the society, a Non-Government Organisation (NGO), Data Knowledge Information Privacy Protection Initiative (DKIPPI), has trained no fewer than 5,000 people on Data Privacy.
This was made known at a news conference by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of DKIPP, Mr Tokunbo Smith, held on Saturday in Lagos to commemorate Data Privacy Day.
It was reported that Data Privacy Day is an international effort to highlight importance of data privacy and ensure its compliance.
Smith said that the training of the training was on capacity building to promote data processing practices that safeguard the security of personal data and privacy of data subjects.
“The NGO had contributed and was presently contributing to the development of Data Privacy and Protection in Nigeria. There had been capacity building in digital literacy to the public to improve the level of data, knowledge and information privacy and protection.
“Our desires to create awareness on Data privacy and educate the public on the importance of data privacy is already yielding positive results,” he said.
Smith, however, said that the Federal Government through the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) had been very supportive in promoting digital privacy.
He said that the Federal Government had provided cash, materials for learning and other incentives.
Also, speaking at the event, Mr Doyin Talabi, a Data Consultant, said that data would be the new “oil”, and if not well protected would lead to damage.
He said that it was very important to create awareness of data privacy to ensure privacy and security.
“It is because all of us, both in the private and public sector, individuals, have personal information that must be kept private,” he said.
Talabi said that such awareness of the need for data privacy would preserve lives, physical and mental health.
Also, Mr Kunle Adesida, an Engineer and Co-Founder of Cranium Integrated Solutions Limited, while relating to the health sector, said that data privacy was the bedrock to seamless and effective health care delivery.
He said that health care delivery would become perfect if the patient had emotional satisfaction that their psyche was being worked on to enable delivery of adequate information to their physicians.
Adesida said that most patients did not give enough information when it comes to health care delivery.
According to him, that is why data privacy is something that everyone needs to come out and celebrate.
He, however, urged the government to give enough financial strength and put in place policies to ensure that all sectors across the nation focus on data privacy.
“I believe it will take us a long way,” Adesida said.
