From Data to Dignity: Rethinking Privacy and Consent in Nigeria's Digital Age

Abstract

In an era where data has become the new currency of power, Nigeria’s rapid digital transformation presents both immense promise and profound ethical challenges. From financial technologies and e-governance systems to surveillance infrastructures and artificial intelligence applications, the expansion of digital ecosystems has far outpaced the ethical, legal, and institutional mechanisms designed to protect citizens’ privacy. This paper interrogates this disjuncture by foregrounding the interactions between technological innovation, human rights, and the moral economy of data. The paper adopts a documentary and analytical research design to examine how weak data governance regimes, limited digital literacy, and the commodification of personal information have collectively undermined autonomy, consent, and public trust in Nigeria’s digital space. Drawing on case evidence from both state and corporate actors, it reveals how opaque data practices and exploitative surveillance cultures threaten not only individual rights but also the moral legitimacy of digital governance. The study argues for a paradigm shift from a profit-driven data culture to a dignity-centered digital ecosystem grounded in accountability, transparency, and respect for cultural values. It concludes that embedding privacy, consent, and human dignity into the architecture of Nigeria’s digital transformation is indispensable for achieving inclusive and ethical technological progress. By reframing data governance as a question of human dignity rather than mere compliance, Nigeria can lead the Global South in crafting a rights-based model of digital development.