Kelvin Bowoto
Dr. Vincent Olatunji, the National Commissioner of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), has ordered a full-scale inquiry into accusations of illegal access to enrollees’ personal data in the National Identity Management Commission‘s (NIMC) database.
This probe is an additional regulatory step taken by the NDPC in response to public concerns over illicit access to participants’ personal data by a shadowy business known as XpressVerify.com.
As previously stated, the NDPC has been working with the NIMC to promote data protection adequacy. To this purpose, the NDPC held a training session with relevant NIMC personnel in early February 2024. This is one of a series of steps being implemented by the federal government to protect data privacy.
“We note that NIMC has initiated an internal investigation, and it has immediately given full assurances of cooperation with NDPC to get to the root of the allegation and to review existing mediums through which any entity may lawfully verify the identity of enrollees on its platform,” Olatunji said in a written statement.
“Furthermore, the NDPC will collaborate with competent agencies to audit the cases of alleged unauthorized data processing and monetization, and anyone found guilty of breaking the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, will be brought to justice.”
The national commissioner also requested that the preliminary findings of the probe be made public within seven days.
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Meanwhile, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) underlined that it provides NIN verification and other services through approved partners.
However, XpressVerify is not one of the Commission’s licensed partners, as stated.
According to the statement, “We express our gratitude to our media partners and the whistleblowers for bringing this to our attention and wish to assure Nigerians and legal residents that there is no data breach of any sort and the citizens’ data is safe and secure in Nigeria’s national identity database.”
Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, the NIMC’s director general and chief executive officer, has immediately ordered a thorough investigation into the matter to determine whether any of the Commission’s tokenization verification agents violated the licensing agreement, either directly or through any of their sub-licenses.
Coker-Odusote underlined NIMC’s commitment to data protection and privacy and stressed that no effort will be spared to ensure the safety and security of all enrollees’ data. “Every citizen and legal resident’s NIN and other personal information are protected by top-tier security.
“NIMC confirms its steadfast commitment to protecting, securing, and managing the data entrusted to it. “The Commission recognizes the critical importance of maintaining public trust and confidence in our operations, and we will continue to uphold the highest standards of integrity and accountability,” she said.
Techrectory with Agency Report.
