The National Commissioner and CEO of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Dr. Vincent Olatunji, has reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to fostering academic collaboration in the area of data protection. This came as he received a delegation from Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK), led by the institution’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics), Professor Muhammad Maikano Ari, who represented the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sa’adatu Liman.
During the visit, Professor Ari commended the NDPC for its remarkable efforts in promoting data protection and privacy in Nigeria, applauding Dr. Olatunji’s visionary leadership. He noted with pride that NSUK is the first university in Nigeria to comply with the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023, setting a national benchmark for other institutions.
The NSUK delegation, which comprised professors and senior administrative staff, presented several proposals aimed at deepening collaboration between the university and the Commission. Among these was a request for NDPC’s endorsement of NSUK as an institutional partner to advance data protection awareness across the country. The team also sought support for the introduction of new academic programmes in Data Protection and Governance, to complement existing postgraduate offerings in Data Forensics and Data Science run by the university’s Centre for Cyberspace Studies.
Responding, Dr. Olatunji praised NSUK’s leadership in compliance and innovation, noting that it is the first Nigerian university to appoint a professor as a Data Protection Officer (DPO), supported by a Deputy DPO. He welcomed the proposed collaboration and pledged the Commission’s full support, including his personal involvement as a guest lecturer in the forthcoming Data Protection and Governance programme.
The NDPC boss also highlighted several of the Commission’s ongoing initiatives, such as the creation of Data Privacy Clubs, the Virtual Privacy Academy (VPA), and the forthcoming 2026 Privacy Week, which will focus on engaging young Nigerians in data protection awareness. He encouraged NSUK to take an active role in these initiatives to leverage the opportunities they offer.
To formalise the collaboration, both parties agreed to establish a working group that will develop a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to guide the partnership and advance data protection capacity-building efforts in Nigeria’s North-Central region.
