Lawyer and data protection practitioner Temidayo Akindele has stressed that as Nigeria accelerates its digital transformation across banking, commerce, and social interaction, the nation’s global economic competitiveness and internal security are imperilled without a fundamental cultural and operational shift towards rigorous data protection and ethical technology use.
He disclosed this during the 2026 Privacy Week theme, “Privacy in the Era of Emerging Technologies: Trust, Ethics and Innovation.” The information governance and privacy expert, Akindele, underscored the opportunities and risks embedded in technology adoption amidst expanding digital footprints and data privacy concerns.
She noted that the theme’s pillars are not abstract concepts but urgent operational requirements for every Nigerian entity. “Digital transformation is accelerating in every sector. Our traditional ways of interacting, buying, selling, and engaging are now significantly conducted online. We will be using more technology in every aspect of our lives,” she stated.
Commenting on the core themes, she described trust as foundational for digital interactions. “People want to know that the person at the other end of their digital interaction is real and that they’re not being scammed. Having secure and safe digital platforms builds trust. With the rise in cloud-based storage services, people need confidence that their information is secure and not accessible to unauthorised persons,” Akindele said.
The data specialist stressed the importance of ethics in how data is created, managed, and used, particularly for algorithms and AI. “With the potential for profiling and personalisation online, you want data to be used for good, not for nefarious purposes. You want the content pushed to you, your kids, or your ageing parents to be wholesome, without fearing that online interactions will cause harm,” she said.
While championing the importance of innovation, she cautioned that the drive for innovation harbours significant dangers if left uncontrolled. “We should all have the opportunity to innovate and grow, but we need the right framework of data governance and information security to support that innovation in a safe environment,” she said.
Similarly, the data protection professional illustrated this with the rise of informal vendor engagement on WhatsApp and Instagram. “Everybody wants to innovate, but you want to innovate safely. I have heard stories of fake banking alerts scamming vendors. Safety is needed for the buyer, the seller, the platform, and the regulator.”
Akindele opined that balancing innovation with robust data safeguards and regulatory compliance is Nigeria’s defining challenge, even as she identified the nation’s cultural disposition towards informal information sharing as a critical vulnerability.
“We are warm, loving, and friendly people, which also means we have informal attitudes towards information sharing. I’ve heard of cases where people record private conversations without permission and disclose voice notes or chats publicly without regard for the other person’s privacy,” she said.
She cited that this lax attitude also creates systemic risk in business. “Your shop attendant is taking customer details. Are they aware of the need to keep it confidential? A vendor should not use a customer’s image on social media without consent, as fairness in data protection requires a reasonable expectation of privacy.”
While commenting on Artificial Intelligence (AI), she emphasised that generative AI is a game-changer, but also poses unique risks such as deepfakes, inherent bias, and hallucinations, in which AI fabricates information. She said, “Many generative AI models are trained on American data, leading to bias against women or certain races. Such models can generate inaccuracies and should not be used without proper human oversight. Always verify the output against another source.”
Additionally, she pointed to severe risks for organisations in AI adoption. “If employees are not using enterprise AI—AI unique to the organisation—there’s a risk of confidential information being lost, with consequences such as personal data breaches, contractual breaches, and financial and reputational damage.”
Regarding the adequacy of Nigeria’s Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023 and the General Application and Implementation Directive 2025, Akindele affirmed that it is a vital starting point. She expressed optimism that, though still in its infancy, Nigeria’s data protection regime can experience rapid development through awareness programmes and specialised training.
The data specialist proposed a radical, society-wide solution involving mandatory privacy literacy education. “We need far more general awareness. Mandatory awareness and training must extend to every organisation—universities, schools, hospitals, government, and financial institutions. As people interact more with technology, they will want to understand how it works, increasing knowledge in the discipline and creating opportunities for experts in data protection, privacy, and security.”
“The Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has a key focus on empowering data subjects. They should plan to create programmes to increase digital literacy, especially in schools, letting people know their rights and how to be safe online,” Akindele averred.
She noted that translating law into lived culture is directly tied to national prosperity and regulatory compliance, and commended the NDPC’s vision to empower Nigerians in this regard.
“Any organisation wanting to engage with a Nigerian business will examine the adequacy of its data security and privacy awareness. We can’t just have laws on paper; we must filter that understanding to every single person, from the gateman to the CEO. The success of any training is predicated on everyone understanding their roles and obligations.”
“We are in a digital era. These things are not going to go away. We all need to learn more and do better. Building a privacy culture is not just about avoiding risk; it is our passport to participating safely and competitively in the global digital economy. It is, in fact, an urgent economic imperative,” she concluded.
