The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has announced plans to enforce strict penalties on businesses mishandling Nigerians’ data starting this year. National Commissioner Dr. Vincent Olatunji revealed the shift during his 2025 outlook, emphasizing the implementation of the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA).
“For data controllers and processors, there will be massive enforcement in 2025. We’ve never issued any fines, but going forward, you will hear about heavy penalties,” Olatunji stated.
The NDPC also aims to create jobs in 2025 through data protection professionals trained and certified last year. “We’ll launch these experts into the job market to work with data controllers and processors,” Olatunji added, highlighting the Commission’s focus on building globally competitive human capital in the data protection ecosystem.
Additionally, the NDPC plans to intensify nationwide awareness campaigns to educate Nigerians about their data rights and ensure compliance with the law.
As part of its enforcement strategy, the NDPC requires all data controllers and processors—spanning sectors such as banking, telecoms, insurance, and education—to register with the Commission by December 31, 2025. These entities must also submit annual audit reports between January 1 and March 31, detailing their data protection measures.
“What the law says is that all data controllers and processors, over 500,000 in Nigeria, should register with the Commission. This enables us to regulate them effectively and monitor how they safeguard the data in their care,” Olatunji explained.
The Data Protection Bill, signed into law by President Bola Tinubu on June 12, 2023, transformed the National Data Protection Bureau into the NDPC, granting it authority to enforce the law. Globally, data protection enforcement surged in 2024, with regulators in the EU imposing hefty fines on platforms like Meta, LinkedIn, and TikTok for non-compliance.
The NDPC’s 2025 agenda aligns Nigeria with global trends, aiming to ensure robust data protection practices and uphold the rights of citizens.
