NDPC Threatens to Revoke Licenses of Underperforming Data Protection Firms

Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has warned that it will revoke the licenses of data protection compliance organisations (DCPOs) that fail to meet performance expectations.

Gatekeepers News reports that this warning was issued by the National Commissioner of NDPC, Vincent Olatunji, during a breakfast meeting with DCPOs in Lagos.

Olatunji emphasised the need for DCPOs to identify areas of poor performance and improve their registration rates, which have been low since March.

He stated that 19 licenses were revoked last year and similar actions will be taken this year if necessary.

“The mantle is on them to drive advocacy by talking to their clients on the importance of data protection and why they need to register. It is necessary to increase the number of data controllers and processors,” Olatunji said.

The NDPC regularly evaluates its 291 registered DCPOs based on the quality of their work, and Olatunji emphasized the importance of knowing whether their performance is enhancing data protection in the country.

He also highlighted the commission’s achievements, including the implementation of a roadmap introduced last year and the development of mechanisms to stimulate growth and create jobs.

Oyedokun Oyewole, President of the Institute of Information Management, noted that the data protection industry is still developing and faces challenges such as inadequate awareness.

He commended the NDPC’s efforts to create awareness about data privacy and compliance requirements but emphasized the need for more awareness efforts to educate citizens about the importance of data privacy in an increasingly digitized world.