Nigeria Orders All Ministries to Appoint Data Protection Officers

The Nigerian federal government issued a circular on July 27, 2026, signed by Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume, directing every ministry, department and agency (MDA) to fully comply with the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDP Act) 2023. Each MDA must appoint a qualified Data Protection Officer, register the officer’s details with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), and, where needed, engage licensed Data Protection Compliance Organisations. Agencies are required to allocate budget for staff training, awareness programmes, technical safeguards and periodic compliance audits, and to submit mandatory audit returns within prescribed timelines. The directive also holds permanent secretaries, accounting officers and chief executives personally accountable for compliance, echoing President Bola Tinubu’s statement that “data is the new oil.”