NITDA Assures That COVID-19 Data Collection Strategies Align with NDPR Guidelines

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has said that data collection strategy employed by authorities at Nigeria’s borders and its implication on the rights of data subjects to privacy, are in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR).

This clarification was made in a statement issued and signed by Mrs Hadiza Umar, head, Corporate Affairs and External Relations, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

According to the statement, the agency said “the general public is aware that the world is currently faced with a pandemic called COVID-19 and global authorities have been working in concert to defeat this global threat.

“Nigeria is one of the countries that has become the cynosure of all eyes for how it has managed to keep this and other similar situations under check.

“As part of containment strategies, authorities at our entry ports have devised ingenious means of collecting health information from passengers arriving Nigeria.

“Their processes include a lot of personal data collection, such as travel history, name, address, phone number, email, destination etc”.

The statement further stated that “It is expedient to evaluate the implication of this personal data collection on the rights of data subjects to privacy.

“The NDPR Article 2.2 provides for the basis of processing personal data.Among the bases are- consent, legitimate interest, contractual agreement, legal, public and vital interest.

“The data processing being done by public health officials to contain the COVID-19 pandemic is covered under VITAL and PUBLIC interest of the data subject and other Nigerians.

“This position is further reinforced by the provisions of Section 45 of the Nigerian Constitution which limits the right to privacy granted in Section 37.

“In view of the foregoing, NITDA wishes to assure all Nigerians and foreigners that the strategies employed align with NDPR guidelines as well as the Nigerian Constitution.

“We therefore urge all to fully cooperate with officials who are working hard to keep us safe.

“Furthermore, the Agency remains resolutely committed to enforcing its guidelines and in discharging its mandate for the development of IT in Nigeria.

“It would therefore work with all parties to ensure that the data being collected is processed and stored in compliance with the NDPR” the statement concludes.