The Ondo State Government has sought the partnership of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) to create data protection jobs for the youths of the state.
According to a statement released on Saturday by the Head of Media at the NDPC, Itunu Dosekun, the Ondo state Deputy Governor, Olayide Adelami, visited the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Friday to seek the partnership.
Specifically, the State is hoping to fill in the existing gaps in data protection professionals in the country. The NDPC had earlier lamented about the dearth of data protection officers in Nigeria, stressing that only 10,000 out of 500,000 available positions are currently filled.
Upskilling Ondo youths
While noting that the purpose of his visit was to explore possible areas of collaboration between NDPC and the state in a way that fosters development for the people of the State, Dr Olayide said:
- “Our government is passionate about youth development and one of the ways to ensure our youths are gainfully employed is to equip them with the right skills, needed for 21st-century workplace.
- “In view of this, we have identified ICT as one key area to upskill our youths and expand their capabilities to be globally competitive.
- “My visit here today is to meet with the team at NDPC to establish a partnership that will enable us train thousands of young graduates in Ondo state as data protection officers, realizing the enormous opportunity in this field.”
NDPC ready to partner
Meanwhile, the National Commissioner/CEO of NDPC, Dr Vincent Olatunji, expressed the Commission’s readiness to work with the Ondo state government to promote a culture of Data Protection that would also help create employment opportunities for young people in the state.
Olatunji commended the Deputy Governor’s understanding of the importance of data protection. According to him, unauthorized access to data will lead to breaches, and breaches will lead to lots of implications, such as reputational damage, financial loss, and in extreme cases, death.
He acknowledged the Ondo state government’s commitment to addressing this issue and its potential to enhance trust and confidence in governance. Dr Olatunji warmly accepted the proposed collaboration, expressing the Commission’s eagerness to work with the Ondo state government to promote a culture of Data Protection, enhance capacity, and create employment opportunities within the state.
- “Jobs will be available for the youths of Ondo state when they are trained and certified as Data Protection Officers, which will also give room for global competition,” he added.
The collaborative effort between NDPC and the Ondo state government is seen as a significant step towards harnessing data protection for youth development and governance enhancement, ultimately contributing to the progress and prosperity of Ondo state and Nigeria as a whole.
