• Targets capacity building for 250,000 persons

From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja

The Federal Government has asked Nigerians to take advantage of employment opportunities in the data privacy eco system.

According to Dr Vincent Olatunji, National Commissioner of the Nigeria Data Protection Bureau (NDPB), there is a large skill deficit in the space, with over 49,000 job opportunities exiting.

He added that the Bureau is establishing a certification system that would allow it to yearly train 50,000 workers on data protection.

Olatunji stated these at a capacity building workshop organised by the Bureau for journalists covering ICT in Abuja on Friday.

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He said: “In Nigeria today, those of of who are certified as data protection officers are not up to 3000. Where we have over 500,000 data processors and controllers and each of them is supposed to have a Data Protection Officer (DPO). Whereas, the number of certified DPOs in Nigeria are not up to 10,000. You can see the gap. So we have a gap of about 490,000, jobs waiting for people. But is this information available to people? Do people really have the skills to take up these jobs? And one good thing about this is the fact that globally it is the same thing. If you are certified and you know what you are doing you can work anywhere. You can even be in Nigeria and be a DPO for a company outside the country.

“So this is a completely new sector that will create jobs, that will create wealth for the country. Part of the target of the digital economy sector is to create two million jobs in 24 months. You can now imagine if the data privacy system alone already has about 490,000 jobs waiting. You can imagine what that can do. You can imagine all the banks, all the insurance companies, all the hotels, all the schools, aviation, all sectors, employing DPOs. Imagine what that will do for the country. So it’s a sector that is loaded with potentials to create jobs and to create wealth for Nigerians.”

The NC who encouraged the Journalists to take advantage of the opportunities, underscored the significance of approving the data protection Act which he explained would transform the Bureau into a regulatory authority and enable the government generate huge revenue from the sector.

He said: “And one good thing is that if the Bureau eventually becomes a commission, it will become self funding. Then we won’t rely on government money because data controllers and data processors pay a token whenever they are filing their audit reports with us and those that will be licensed too will pay license fee and if there is any major fine, they pay it. So the benefit is that the bureau will be able to fund itself effectively and even make money for government.

“Our population in Nigeria is almost half of that of EU and their regulation is so strong. I don’t know if you are aware that recently, just about three weeks ago, they fined Meta 1.3 million Euros. You know what that can do for our economy. You can imagine if we on our own part are able to catch defaulters and fine them millions of dollars. You know what that means.”