Abuja (Nigeria): The Federal Government has stated that the investigation into Meta’s operations was conducted to ensure that the company operates within the nation’s laws.
The National Commissioner of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Dr Vincent Olatunji, stated this in Abuja on Friday at a Training Session for DevsInGovernment, titled “Innovating with Privacy: Building Trust in Government Digital Services.”
The U.S.-based company operates social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Threads.
The government, through the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), recently imposed a 220 million dollar fine on Meta for data breaches.
“We are not necessarily being punitive. However, any institution that fails to cooperate or comply with our laws will be sanctioned,” Olatunji said.
The initiative aims to equip workers from Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) of the government with digital knowledge and skills.
Olatunji said the probe of Meta Platforms Inc. required a multi-agency approach to ensure a thorough and detailed investigation with appropriate mechanisms to resolve the issues.
“We are concerned about the ways and manners in which data of citizens are collected and managed in Nigeria and outside Nigeria.
“In so doing, we also consider the economic values for the citizens and the country, and we want the global best standards and practices to be entrenched here.
“We are not necessarily being punitive. However, any institution that fails to cooperate or comply with our laws will be sanctioned,” he said.
He said that, given the sensitive nature of data in governance and business, the federal government would do everything legally necessary to sanitise the sector.
“The future of government is digital, but the success of digital governance will depend on trust, and privacy is the foundation of that trust.
“Deploying trusted digital services is not a task for government alone; it requires all of us across public and private sectors, civil societies and citizens working together.
“Together we can build a citizen-centric, innovative digital nation that others will look to as a model of trust and progress,” he said.
