Privacy Policy.

1. Who we are

This website is operated by the Ministry of Defence, Ship House, Central Business District, Area 10, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria ("the Ministry", "we", "us").

The Ministry is a Ministry of the Federal Government of Nigeria. For the purposes of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 (NDPA) and the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation 2019 (NDPR), the Ministry is the Data Controller for personal data processed through this website and its associated services.

Our Data Protection Officer can be contacted at dpo@defence.gov.ng.

2. What personal data we collect

We collect personal data only when you actively provide it or when it is generated automatically as part of normal website operation.

Data you provide to us

• Contact forms & FOI requests — name, email address, phone number, organisation and the content of your message or request.
• Newsletter subscription — email address and (optionally) name.
• SERVICOM complaints — name, email, details of the service interaction and your complaint.
• Job applications — name, contact details, employment history, qualifications and other information included in your application.

Data collected automatically

• Server logs — IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URL, pages visited and timestamps. Logs are retained for 90 days for security monitoring only and are not used for analytics or advertising.
• Cookies — see Section 7 for full details.
• Language & accessibility preferences — stored locally in your browser only; we do not transmit these to our servers.

3. How we use your data

We use personal data only for the specific purpose for which it was collected, or as permitted by law.

• To respond to your correspondence, FOI request, complaint or enquiry.
• To send you newsletters and updates if you have subscribed (you may unsubscribe at any time).
• To process and assess job applications.
• To maintain the security and integrity of this website.
• To comply with legal obligations placed on the Ministry.
• To fulfil our statutory functions as a Federal Ministry of the Government of Nigeria.

We will never sell your personal data, use it for commercial advertising, or share it with third parties for their own marketing purposes.

4. Legal basis for processing

Under the NDPA 2023, we rely on the following lawful bases:

• Legal obligation — processing necessary to comply with statute (e.g. FOI Act, Public Service Rules).
• Public task — processing necessary to perform a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the Ministry.
• Consent — for newsletter subscriptions; you may withdraw consent at any time.
• Legitimate interests — for server security logs, where the Ministry's interest in protecting public systems is not overridden by your rights.

5. Who we share your data with

We share personal data only where necessary:

• Other government ministries, departments & agencies — where your request requires their involvement (e.g. referring a complaint to the relevant MDA).
• Law enforcement & security agencies — if required by law or a valid court order.
• Technical service providers — hosting and translation services, all subject to data processing agreements consistent with the NDPR.
• Microsoft Azure Translator — if you use the translation feature, the page text is transmitted to the Microsoft Azure Translator API. See Microsoft's privacy statement for details.
• Anti-spam protection — all public forms (Contact, FOI and SERVICOM) use privacy-preserving anti-spam measures: a visible slider-puzzle CAPTCHA (drag a piece into a gap) that runs entirely in your browser with no data sent to any third party; a hidden honeypot field that automated bots fill but human visitors never see; a submission-timing check that rejects unrealistically fast completions; and server-side rate limiting that prevents flood attacks. Rejected submissions are logged using a one-way hashed IP address — the raw IP address is never stored.

We do not transfer personal data outside Nigeria except where a legal gateway under the NDPA 2023 applies (e.g. adequacy decision or standard contractual clauses).

6. How long we keep your data

Data type	Retention period
General correspondence	3 years
FOI requests	7 years (statutory requirement)
SERVICOM complaints	3 years
Job applications (unsuccessful)	12 months
Newsletter subscriptions	Until you unsubscribe
Server / access logs	90 days

7. Cookies

This website uses a small number of cookies. No cookies are used for advertising or cross-site tracking.

• Session cookie (mod_session) — stores your current session state (e.g. language choice). Deleted when you close your browser. Strictly necessary.
• Accessibility preferences (mod_a11y) — remembers text-size and contrast settings. 12-month expiry. Strictly necessary / functional.
• Language preference (mod_lang) — remembers your chosen display language. 12-month expiry. Functional.
• Microsoft Azure Translator — page text is sent to the Microsoft Azure Translator API when you use the translation dropdown. No cookies are set by Microsoft on this site. Translations are cached in your browser's local storage only.

You can disable cookies in your browser settings. Disabling functional cookies means your language and accessibility preferences will not be saved between visits.

8. Your rights

Under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 you have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Rectification — ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Erasure — ask us to delete your data (subject to our legal retention obligations).
• Restriction — ask us to restrict how we process your data while a complaint is resolved.
• Data portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Object — object to processing based on legitimate interests or public task.
• Withdraw consent — for processing based on consent (e.g. newsletter), at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, write to dpo@defence.gov.ng. We will respond within 30 days. Identity verification may be required.

9. Security

The Ministry implements appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction or disclosure. Our website is served over HTTPS. Access to personal data within the Ministry is restricted on a need-to-know basis.

If you suspect a data breach involving your personal data, please contact dpo@defence.gov.ng immediately.

10. Children

This website is not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has submitted personal data to us, please contact us immediately and we will delete it.

11. External links

This website contains links to third-party websites (other government portals, media organisations, etc.). This Privacy Policy applies only to this website. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of linked sites.

12. Changes to this policy

We will update this policy when our practices change or when required by law. The version number and effective date at the top of this page will be updated accordingly. Material changes will be announced on the home page for at least 30 days.

13. Complaints & regulatory authority

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, you may lodge a complaint with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC):

Nigeria Data Protection Commission
No. 5 Donau Crescent, off Amazon Street
Maitama District, Abuja
info@ndpc.gov.ng · ndpc.gov.ng