From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ibrahim Pantami, Tuesday reiterated that the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) 2019, was in full effect to build trust between the government and the people, adding that non-compliance would attract stiff penalties. 
A statement by the ministry, disclosed that Pantami spoke when he addressed a global audience of Ministers attending the Future Tech Forum in London.
The Minister stated that the protection of citizens data in the country was not just a secondary legislation, but also constitutional requirement.
He said the Cyber crimes Act of 2015, provides for “lawful intercept which is only effected when a security institution establishes a Prima Facie case of a crime, otherwise, the confidentiality of citizens communications and correspondences are guaranteed.
The Minister who addressed his counterparts at a forum titled; The Future of Trust In Data as a Force for Good, said “Nigeria already has some policies in place to ensure the protection of citizens data and to also build trust between government and citizens. There is also a subsidiary legislation called the guidelines for processing personal data which gives impetus to the NDPR and assurance of confidentiality to citizens. “Thirdly, government also invested in creating awareness among the citizenry to enable understanding of both the regulation and government’s willingness to adhere to the dictates of law regarding confidentiality”
He said the government had further engaged the services of Data Protection Compliance officers (DPCOs) to further create awareness and serve as middlemen between the government and aggrieved citizens in addressing breaches where they may occur.
The Minister also noted that data collection played a significant role in aiding government’s pro-activeness in curtailing and managing the COVID 19 challenge in Nigeria.
The statement listed those in attendance of the forum to include; ministers from the United States of America (USA), China, Korea, Kenya, Japan, Sweden, Senegal, the European Union, Canada, Singapore to among others.