Managing digital records within Nigeria's regulatory framework

Abstract

Nigeria has a complicated legal and regulatory environment. This complicated history brings to mind the oft-quoted Biblical phrase, “There was no king in Israel, and every man did what was right in his own eyes.” (New King James Version Bible, 1982 Judges 17:6) As the technological landscape began to change, strong legislative frameworks are now required to guarantee the security, accessibility, and integrity of digital information. Since enacting the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) in 2019, and the subsequent passing into law of the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023, and establishing the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Nigeria has reached landmark milestones in Nigeria's journey toward improving data protection and privacy. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the recent developments in Nigeria's data protection landscape and implications for digital records management in government agencies and businesses. This paper further tries to examine the implications of these developments for digital records management within Government Agencies and Businesses. It will also provide a brief history of digital records in Nigeria. Furthermore, it will analyze key provisions of the NDPA and the NDPC's strategic priorities and identify opportunities and challenges for aligning records management practices with the new framework. The paper also reviews the relationship between records management and organizational credibility in Nigeria, discussing how proper record management is crucial for the credibility of public institutions and organizations in Nigeria. Additionally, it attempts to show the benefit of data-driven regulatory approaches to assist organizations in navigating Nigeria's complex regulatory landscape. This paper offers recommendations for businesses, agencies, and regulators to utilize the NDPA and its strategies to enhance the adoption of digital records management. The methodology for selecting and analyzing sources involved a comprehensive literature review and policy analysis, focusing on key legal documents, academic articles, and reports from relevant agencies.