By Precious Mark
The Federal Government has urged all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to enforce strict compliance with national data privacy laws, placing personal liability on Permanent secretaries (PS), Accounting officers, and Chief executive officers (CEOs) for any institutional failure.
The directive, contained in Circular No. 59805/S.l/74 dated July 27, 2026, was signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, and formally announced in a statement released on Tuesday, by the Head of Legal, Enforcement, and Regulations at the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Babatunde Bamigboye.
Under the order, all federal institutions must immediately align their operations with the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 and observe all guidelines issued by the NDPC to safeguard citizens’ personal information.
The circular highlighted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s stance on digital governance, emphasizing that data is the new oil whose value increases the more it is refined and responsibly shared. President Tinubu directed all ministries, extra-ministerial departments, and agencies to capture information rigorously and safeguard it under the new law.
To ensure compliance, MDAs are required to designate qualified Data Protection Officers (DPOs), submit their details to the NDPC for registration, and engage licensed Data Protection Compliance Organisations (DPCOs) for mandatory statutory audits.
Government bodies must also dedicate specific operational funds in their annual budgets for data security safeguards and ensure timely submission of compliance audit returns.
Holding leadership directly accountable, the circular explicitly noted that permanent secretaries, accounting officers, and chief executive officers of all MDAs will be held personally responsible for ensuring institutional compliance with both the circular and the provisions of the NDP Act.
Commending the development, the National Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the NDPC, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, praised the administration’s political will to protect citizens’ privacy rights.
He noted that transparent data governance is vital to achieving the government’s key development priorities, adding that the NDPC has set up a specialized regulatory clinic to provide technical support and help all agencies meet their statutory obligations smoothly.