Hot SourceThe federal government has reassured Nigerians of its commitment to address the issues around data governance and data sovereignty, in a bid to protect and control the use of personal and public data.
Chairman, Senate Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, Senator Salisu Afolabi, gave the assurance while speaking as a special guest at the just concluded Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) 19th International Conference in Kano, with the theme: “Intelligent, Secure and Sustainable Innovation for Connected World (ConNovate 2025).”
Responding to the keynote speech on AI and Data Sovereignty, given by the President, International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP), Anthony Wong, who is an ICT Lawyer, Afolabi said: “Thank you for the beautiful keynote you have delivered, particularly on data governance. I will see what we need to do as a country to promote it, using the National Digital Economy and E-Governance Bill that is currently going through legislative work in both chambers of the National Assembly. I can assure you that we will take this into consideration.”
Afolabi also told members of the NCS and all information technology experts present at the conference to expect a new Cybercrime Act that will soon be released to cater for the country’s cybersecurity needs and prosecute offenders.
“Recently, 143 nationals from different countries were convicted of cybercrime after they were arrested in Abuja, in Nigeria. This is to show you that the war against cybercrime is ongoing and it’s going to be total. As legislators, we’ll ensure that we put in place laws that will arrest and prosecute and simply bring justice and safety to the Nigerian cyberspace. You cannot have a digital economy if the cyberspace is not safe. The National Digital Economy and E-Governance Bill that will address these issues, has gone through second reading, and very soon we’ll be sharing this with the members of the IT profession.
“The Bill also seeks to update some of our existing laws that are still analog. We currently have uncertainty about some electronic transactions. People send emails that tend to have the force of official communication. People sign documents online that seek to replace physical signature. But there’s uncertainty in the law about that. The Digital Economy and E-Government Bill, when passed into law, will ensure that we remove the uncertainty to allow digital signature to have the same force of law as physical signature. It will ensure that email communication is as good as physical communication, and it will ensure that our digital economy transactions have the force of law,” Afolabi said.
In his goodwill message, the Chairman, House Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, Hon. Adedeji Stanley Olajide, talked about the evolution of technology, from Mainframe Computing to Unix Computing, Distributed Computing for real time processing, Desktop Computing, Cloud Computing, to Artificial Intelligence, which according to him, is the next oil boom for Nigeria. He therefore called on the newly inducted members of NCS, who are the younger generation to embrace changes and technology evolution and to use the knowledge gained to transform Nigeria.
The keynote speaker, and President of IFIP, Anthony Wong, spoke about the importance of data and data sovereignty from the Global South.
According t him, data has now become an investment in governments, in politics, in debate, in resources. “It has become one of the most valuable assets as we move on into the future. The debate on data and the use of data, the collection and the protection has intensified,” he said.
Speaking about data sovereignty from the perspective of Nigeria and the Global South, Wong talked about data ownership, data control and data consent for the use of data in training Artificial Intelligence (AI), as well as the benefits to derive from the use of data.
“So data sovereignty is a legal, is a political principle and it asserts your rights as individual, the community, the government, the organisation, about how you collect, control, manage, and use the data. There are quite a number of countries in Africa now that has those laws. But what’s missing is the concept of a data governance perspective about all the other data that doesn’t fit into personal information data,” Wong said
In her goodwill message, the Director General and CEO of National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Abisoye Coker-Odusote, who was represented by a senior staff of the commission, said since the early days when computers were first introduced into the nation’s fabric, the digital economy of Nigeria has evolved from a modest beginning into a dynamic engine of growth.
She said, “Today, the sector contributes between16 per cent to 18 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP, with bold plans to escalate this to 21 per cent, underpinned by sweeping investments in digital infrastructure and other developmental key points. This surge reflects transformed lives, re-emerging businesses and a more inclusive and resilient economy.”
According to her, NIMC is both humbled and proud to contribute meaningfully to the evolution, as the National Identification Number (NIN) has transcended from a credential to a cornerstone of a secure, inclusive digital ecosystem. As of August, this year, over 123 million Nigerians have been enrolled, making a staggering milestone and a 36 per cent increase from the under 90 million recorded in January 2023. This unparalleled growth underscores the power of sustainable innovation and relentless outreach, Coker-Odusote said.
On his part, the Managing Director and CEO of Galaxy Backbone, Prof. Ibrahim Adepoju Adeyanju, thanked NCS for organising the conference and spoke about the five strategic pillars that enable Galaxy Backbone to provide connectivity and digital solutions.
The Governor of Kano State, Abba Kabir Yusuf, declared the conference open, and welcomed all the participants to the city of Kano.
The governor who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Dr. Suleiman Wali Sani, said his administration remained deeply committed to promoting ICT-led development from a revolution e-governance platforms and expanding digital infrastructure, to investing in technology hubs and training programmes for Nigerian youth.
“Kano State will continue to seek partnership with professional bodies like the Nigeria Computer Society to further advance digital transformation in the state and beyond,” the governor said.
President, NCS, Dr. Muhammad Sirajo Aliyu, in his welcome address, said the yearly international conference brought together IT professionals across the globe to discuss vital issues in the ecosystem.
According to him, “Technological solutions and electronic systems have the potential to achieve lasting and positive impacts on economic prosperity, development and stability of any nation. A viable technological infrastructure will facilitate enhanced service delivery and efficiency in agriculture, production, healthcare, business, education, social interaction and national planning. The reliability and quality of national technological infrastructure is a critical factor for rapid growth of any nation.”
The post FG Keen on Data Governance, Intensifies Efforts to Protect Nigeria’s Cyberspace through Legislative BillEmma Okonji appeared first on THISDAYLIVE.
