The senate committee on ICT and cyber security has proposed an amendment to Nigeria’s National Data Protection Act 2023 in response to growing cybercrime threats and the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence technologies.
Gatekeepers News reports that Afolabi Salisu, chairman of the senate committee on ICT and cyber security, disclosed the plan on Tuesday during the opening of a three-day data protection awareness workshop organised for members of the joint national assembly committee on ICT.
The workshop was facilitated by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) in partnership with Ampersand Development Partners.
According to Salisu, the proposed review became necessary due to evolving global realities, including the rise of AI systems, increasing cross-border cyber threats, and emerging international regulations such as the United Nations Convention on Cybercrime.
“There is a nexus between data governance and cybercrime, hence the need to review the Act and strengthen it where necessary to protect our national interest,” he said.
The senator warned that cybercriminals were increasingly deploying artificial intelligence tools, digital platforms, and weak data governance structures to target governments, businesses, and individuals.
He noted that Nigeria has witnessed a steady increase in cyber-related offences, including identity theft, financial fraud, ransomware attacks, data breaches, and digital espionage affecting banks, telecom firms, government agencies, and private citizens.
Salisu also raised concerns over the misuse of personal data by digital platforms, mobile applications, and online service providers that collect users’ information without adequate safeguards or consent.
He added that experts have repeatedly warned that Nigeria’s growing digital economy and rising internet penetration expose the country to greater risks without stronger regulatory frameworks.
“As legislators, we need to understand data privacy and protection. You cannot legislate in an area you are not sufficiently knowledgeable about,” Salisu said.
According to him, the workshop is expected to help lawmakers evaluate the implementation of the 2023 Data Protection Act and identify areas requiring improvement in line with global best practices.
He added that discussions at the workshop would shape the roadmap and timeline for the amendment process.
The lawmaker also cautioned Nigerians about hidden risks associated with digital platforms and free online services, warning that many mobile applications, public WiFi systems, and online platforms harvest and process personal data without users fully understanding the implications.
Also speaking at the event, Stanley Olajide said data would become more valuable to Nigeria’s future economy than oil.
Olajide argued that foreign investors may hesitate to commit capital to Nigeria without strong data protection laws and regulatory safeguards.
The lawmaker described data as part of Nigeria’s sovereign wealth and stressed the need for stronger legal mechanisms to hold organisations accountable for data breaches.
“Whatever data that we have is our sovereign wealth, is something that belongs to us,” he said.
“How do we protect it? We have to make sure that the right legal frameworks are put in place, so that the data, once breached, you can actually hold entities, corporations, the countries responsible when they breach your data law.”
Olajide pointed to countries such as the United States, which already enforce strict regulations governing data stored within their jurisdictions.
“In the US, they have their data law; if you put anything in their cloud, it is owned by the United States. So we also have to have something here,” he said.
“Anything that resides here in Nigeria and is generated here must be home and protected by our country; so we are put in the right laws and framework in place just to do that.”
Nigeria enacted the National Data Protection Act in 2023 to regulate the processing of personal data, protect privacy rights, and establish the NDPC as the country’s primary data protection regulator.
