The Director-General of the National Orientation Agency, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, has described data privacy as a core national value that is essential to human dignity, public trust and responsible citizenship.
Mallam Issa-Onilu made the remarks at the Second Data Privacy Summit 2026, organised by the National Data Protection Commission, as key stakeholders met to discuss privacy challenges in the era of emerging technologies. He said data protection goes beyond technical and regulatory issues and aligns with the National Orientation Agency’s mandate of shaping mindsets and strengthening moral and civic values under the National Values Charter.
According to him, the Charter promotes dignity, integrity, accountability and respect for fundamental rights, both offline and online. He added that integrating civic education with data protection efforts will help raise ethically aware and digitally responsible citizens.
Also speaking at the summit, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Wilson-Jack, stressed that emerging technologies are rapidly transforming governance and service delivery, making data protection critical to ethical governance, accountability and sustainable innovation.
From a security perspective, the Director of the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre, Commissioner of Police Uche Ifeanyi Henry, warned that cybercrime and data breaches now pose serious threats globally and within Nigeria. He described data as the new product driving modern institutions and national security, and called for stronger collaboration to address growing trust and security concerns.
Meanwhile, the National Identity Management Commission reassured Nigerians of the safety of their personal data. Represented by its Head of ICT, Engineer Lanre Yusuf, the Commission disclosed that over 128 million citizens have been enrolled into the National Identification Number system, reaffirming its commitment to secure and inclusive digital identity management.
