Strengthening the Legal Framework for Personal Data Protection in Nigeria

Abstract

Advancement in Information Communication Technology (ICT) has brought to the fore the need for the protection of individuals’ personal data. In today’s digital age, the personal data of individuals are routinely collected and stored in databases of both private and public establishments. Such personally identifiable information can easily be analyzed with fascinating accuracy, rapidly transmitted, and put to unimaginable uses. This situation has placed the regulation of personal data collection and uses on the front burner in many nations. The weak or total absence of regulation of personal data poses serious challenges to the security of lives and property of individuals and can constitute a serious disincentive for the adoption of beneficial technology. Employing the doctrinal methodology, this article examines the legal framework for personal data protection in Nigeria with the aim of assessing the adequacy or otherwise of relevant extant regulations in protecting the personal data of Nigerians and other people doing business in Nigeria. Looking at the state of the law in some developed and developing countries, the paper notes that the current state of regulation in Nigeria is still a far cry from what obtains in most countries of the global North and some sister African countries. It, therefore, concludes that there is a compelling need for a stronger regulatory framework for data privacy in Nigeria.