African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) has warned Nigeria that outsourcing sensitive biometric data to third-party entities poses significant data privacy and national security risks

The General Secretary of the continental labour body, Joel Odigie, urged Nigeria to reclaim complete control of the biometric capturing process, ensuring that it was cost-effective, secure and the best way to safeguard the interests of its citizens and the broader migration community.

While urging Nigeria to join pro-Pan-African countries blazing the trail for Africa’s ‘open continent agenda’, the ITUC-Africa insisted that an open continent would lead to a genuine facilitation of the continent’s integration.

“We would love to have Nigeria join this class of African countries leading the continent forward to genuine and shared integration and progress. We wish to point to the following areas, where quick changes can lead to genuine facilitation of the continent’s integration.”

In a letter, with ‘O/R: 848/2024/GS/AK’ as reference number, addressed to the Nigerian Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Odigie observed that Nigeria had always set a high standard in many regional matters, and urged the country to continue in that direction by adopting a visa-on-arrival facilitation policy for all African citizens, as demonstrated by several African countries.

ITUC-Africa said it was concerned that the continent’s pace and commitment towards integration remained weak, slow and discouraging, especially with most African Union member states, who quickly embraced and canvassed sovereignty and security as excuses to close, restrict and slow the integration agenda.

The labour body maintained that the current model of privatising biometric capturing for immigration purposes through the involvement of external vendors had raised concerns related to affordability, security and accountability.

Odigie added: “The process, as it stands, is prohibitively expensive for many African citizens and migrants alike, thereby limiting access to essential immigration services. Biometric capturing is a component of the visa fee charged by most African governments. Biometric capturing (facial photo and fingerprint collections) is done by all entrants into Nigeria, including Nigerians (in some cases, who, of course, do not pay for it).”