HANTAVIRUS: Health Law Researcher Olatunde Isaac Warns Nigeria’s Data Protection Law Could Slow Pandemic Research

By Peter Dansu 

Growing global concern over infectious diseases such as hantavirus has triggered renewed debate about whether Nigeria’s data protection laws are strong enough to support rapid pandemic research during public health emergencies.

A health law researcher and Chief Executive Officer of Bioclinix Medical Diagnostic Centre, Isaac Olatunde, has warned that certain provisions in the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 could unintentionally slow down scientific response efforts when speed is most needed to save lives.

Olatunde raised the concern amid increasing international attention on emerging infectious diseases and the urgent need for countries to strengthen outbreak preparedness, data sharing, and medical research systems.

The Nigeria Data Protection Act, signed into law to regulate the processing of personal data, has been praised for improving privacy protection and aligning Nigeria with international standards similar to Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation, GDPR.

However, Olatunde believes the law creates an uneven system during public health emergencies.

According to him, the Act grants special exemptions to government agencies and “competent authorities,” allowing them to process personal data with fewer restrictions during emergencies. While these provisions are designed to support swift government intervention during disease outbreaks, independent researchers are not clearly given the same emergency flexibility.

He warned that such limitations could weaken Nigeria’s overall pandemic response capacity.

“In a public health emergency, delays in accessing data translate directly into delays in analysis and response,” Olatunde said.

“When independent researchers are slowed down by legal constraints while government agencies are not, the overall scientific response becomes fragmented and less effective.”

He explained that during the COVID-19 pandemic, independent scientists and medical researchers played vital roles in epidemiological modelling, diagnostics development, data analysis, and clinical support. Yet, many of them reportedly faced difficulties accessing critical health data quickly enough to contribute effectively at scale.

Olatunde stressed that the issue is not about opposing data privacy protections, but about ensuring a balance between protecting citizens’ personal information and enabling urgent scientific research during emergencies.

He argued that independent researchers working under ethical approval and proper oversight should also benefit from carefully controlled emergency exemptions.

According to him, such safeguards could include mandatory ethical clearance, strict data minimisation policies, anonymisation of sensitive information where possible, and time-limited access tied specifically to officially declared public health emergencies.

Public health experts have increasingly warned that modern outbreak response depends on collaboration between government institutions, universities, laboratories, private researchers, and healthcare organisations. Any legal framework that slows one part of that network, they argue, could reduce the effectiveness of the entire response system.

The Nigeria Data Protection Commission, which is responsible for implementing and enforcing the law, is expected to play a major role in determining how emergency data access is handled during future disease outbreaks.

Stakeholders are now calling for clearer emergency research guidelines that would allow faster access to critical health data during pandemics without compromising personal privacy rights.

Although hantavirus has not emerged as a direct public health threat in Nigeria, experts say the growing global attention surrounding infectious disease preparedness highlights the need for Nigeria to strengthen both its legal and scientific response structures before another major outbreak occurs.

For Olatunde, the message is clear: Nigeria’s readiness for the next pandemic may depend not only on hospitals, laboratories, and surveillance systems, but also on whether its laws can allow science and medical research to move quickly when lives are at stake.

Pendatyo-U-Tiv Reiterates Her Support For Gov. Alia

...Says he deserves to be re-elected in 2027

By Terfa Naswem

PENDATYO-U-TIV, Rt. Hon. Chief (Mrs) Dorothy Mato has reiterated her support for the Executive Governor of Benue State, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia for his penchant for development.

She describes Gov. Alia as a man who has placed Benue State on the path of restructuring in various aspects of its existence for the common good, emphasizing the need to give him all the support and votes he needs to win his re-election in 2027.

Eulogizing Gov. Alia as a linchpin for the development of Benue State, Hon. Mato believes that he will continue to propel the state to the realm of people-oriented impact, taking into account the fundamental indices could elicit immeasurable happiness from the people of Benue State.

She appeales to all eligible voters in Benue State to take advantage of INEC's third and final phase of the nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise which will resume on 11th May, 2026 and end on 10th July, 2026, and get their voter's card to ensure that Gov. Alia is re-elected in 2027.

Group Demands Sack of NDDC Boss Ogbuku Over Alleged Links To Timipre Sylva

By Peter Dansu 

The Niger Delta Integrity and Democracy Network (NDIDN) has called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately sack Dr. Samuel Ogbuku as Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) due to his deep and compromising ties to former Bayelsa Governor Timipre Sylva who is alleged to be involved in coup plot against the President 

Sylva is named as the seventh defendant, marked “still at large,” in a 13-count treason and terrorism charge filed by the Federal Government.

While the case against the ex-Minister continues, the group insists that his close associate should not remain in charge of a sensitive federal agency.

“Dr. Samuel Ogbuku is a well-known political loyalist of Timipre Sylva and reportedly served as his Chief of Staff during his governorship,” Comrade Francis Edafe, National Coordinator of NDIDN, stated in a press release.

“It was this godfather relationship that secured his appointment to head the NDDC.

"At a time when his principal is a fugitive facing grave charges of treason, allowing Ogbuku to control billions of naira meant for Niger Delta development is a dangerous national security risk.”

The group stressed that the connection runs far deeper than politics.

“Richie Imoh Tommy, the brother of Sylva’s wife, is believed to be serving as Personal Assistant to Dr. Samuel Ogbuku," Edafe added.

"This is not a loose association — it is a tight family and patronage network embedded right at the top of the NDDC.

"Such infiltration raises serious questions about whose interests are being protected: the suffering people of the Niger Delta or a network linked to anti-government activities."

Comrade Edafe accused Ogbuku of turning the Commission into what appears to be a personal fiefdom for questionable alliances.

“While communities continue to endure environmental pollution, abandoned projects, and youth unemployment, a man whose inner circle is so intimately tied to a wanted suspect cannot be trusted with public funds."

The statement further highlighted disturbing allegations of financial trails between NDDC contracts and the suspected coup financing.

Reports indicated that military intelligence and agencies like the NFIU and EFCC traced suspicious large sums — including claims of up to ₦45 billion in NDDC-related funds — with links to the plot.

The group further alleged that part of the funds suspected to have been used by ex governor Sylva to procure the violent removal of Mr. President from office, were largely sourced from NDDC which gave billions of naira contract to Okpoama Kingdom coastal protection , a company with strong and undeniable links to Sylva, during that period. 

While Ogbuku and the NDDC management have denied any involvement or arrest, the group argued that these denials are insufficient in the face of grave national security concerns.

The NDIDN warned that Ogbuku’s continued stay in office undermines President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and exposes the region to further underdevelopment and potential instability.

“We demand the immediate sack of Dr. Samuel Ogbuku. A comprehensive forensic audit of all contracts, projects, and financial transactions under his leadership must be launched without delay by the EFCC and security agencies.

"All influences traceable to the Sylva network within the NDDC should be thoroughly investigated and purged,” the statement added.

Edafe urged traditional rulers, youth groups, elders, and stakeholders across the Niger Delta to support this call.

"The NDDC belongs to the people, not to any godfather’s proxy. President Tinubu must act decisively to sanitise this vital institution and demonstrate zero tolerance for compromised leadership,” he concluded.

The group vowed to sustain public advocacy and explore all lawful avenues until concrete action is taken to protect public resources and strengthen Nigeria’s democracy.