|Kabir Adeyemo, Tech Lawyer
“In the age of information, the greatest danger is not that data is stolen, but that it is misused,” This popular saying continues to echo in Nigeria’s evolving digital landscape, where personal information travels faster than the laws meant to protect it. For years, the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has acted as the country’s principal gatekeeper of digital privacy, issuing guidelines on how organisations should handle, store, and process personal data. In theory, the framework outlines how data protection laws ought to be applied from defining valid consent to mandating breach notifications. But the practice, many experts argue, has struggled to keep pace with Nigeria’s rapidly expanding digital ecosystem. When the NDPC, then operating through the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR), introduced its landmark law in 2019, it was widely hailed as a breakthrough moment. The regulation addressed critical issues at the time: unlawful data sharing by companies, poor cybersecurity hygiene, lack of transparency in data processing, and the unregulated transfer of citizens’ information to foreign servers. It also set the foundation for organisational accountability by introducing obligations for Data Controllers and Processors, requiring them to maintain basic compliance structures.
Back then, the law was timely. It filled a vacuum and created the first real regulation for data protection in Nigeria. But as technology evolved, its shortcomings slowly began to surface. Shortcomings that only a few experts seemed willing to discuss openly. Among those voices was Kabir Adeyemo, a respected tech lawyer known for his incisive commentary on digital rights and regulatory reform. Adeyemo has appeared on several technology-focused programmes, offering legal clarity on Nigeria’s accelerating shift toward a data-driven economy.
In one interview he granted to newsmen after a panel discussion at a fintech policy forum in Lagos, Adeyemo was asked whether he believed the 2019 still adequately protected Nigerians’ personal data, especially given the rise of AI-driven analytics, aggressive marketing databases, and cross-border data mining by private platforms.
He paused briefly before responding. “The truth is, our regulation was strong for 2019 realities, but it no longer reflects how data is collected and weaponised today,” he said. “We need a system that doesn’t just punish breaches but actively prevents them. We also need clearer rules for major data controllers, mandatory risk assessments, and routine audits, not voluntary compliance.” Adeyemo went on to identify specific gaps that regulators had yet to confront. These included the absence of a tiered compliance model for organisations handling large volumes of sensitive data, the lack of enforceable standards for processors operating outside Nigeria, and the insufficient oversight mechanisms for emerging technologies like biometric verification systems and automated decision-making tools. “Other countries are moving toward preventive regulation,” he added. “We can’t afford to stay reactive.”
As a news correspondent observing Nigeria’s digital policy landscape, it is clear that Adeyemo’s recommendations align with reforms already adopted in countries such as Kenya, where a stronger classification system for significant data controllers has led to reduced breaches and improved organisational accountability. The Kenyan model has also shown that clearer roles for processors and mandatory audits do not stifle innovation; instead, they build public trust.
Adeyemo’s comments, though made in a few years after the regulation was made, reflect what many in the sector quietly acknowledged: Nigeria’s data protection regime is due for renewal. And if the country eventually embraces the type of structured, multi-layered, risk-based approach he proposed, it may yet position itself as a digital rights leader on the continent. In the end, the message is unmistakable, Nigeria’s digital future will depend not only on innovation but on the boldness to reform the laws that protect its people. And voices like Kabir Adeyemo’s continue to push that conversation forward.
