Caring for your personal data

Statutory Data Privacy Notice

1. Your personal data – what is it?

Personal data relates to a living individual who can be identified from that data. Identification can be by the information alone or in conjunction with any other information in the data controller's possession. The processing of personal data is governed by the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) 2019 and the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023.

2. Who are we?

The Diocese of Lagos South West (Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion) is the data controller. This means the Diocese determines the purposes and manner in which your personal data is processed.

3. How do we process your personal data?

The Diocese of Lagos South West complies with its statutory obligations under Nigerian data protection legislation by:

• • Keeping personal data accurate and up to date;
• • Storing and destroying records securely;
• • Strictly applying data minimisation and avoiding excessive collection;
• • Protecting data from loss, misuse, unauthorized access, and unlawful disclosure;
• • Ensuring appropriate organizational and technical safeguards are maintained.

We process data for the following specific purposes:

• • Delivering voluntary services and pastoral care for the benefit of the public;
• • Administering ecclesiastical rosters and registers (Clergy, Readers, Lay Ministers, PCC/DCC Officers, Synod members);
• • Managing employees, diocesan volunteers, and administrative committees;
• • Maintaining diocesan accounts, official records, and processing donations;
• • Sending communications, event announcements, and episcopal greetings (with instant unsubscribe facilities);
• • Conducting church synod and ecclesiastical governance elections.

4. What is our legal basis for processing?

• Explicit consent: where you voluntarily opt in to communications (such as birthday greetings or announcements);
• Legal & employment compliance: fulfilling statutory obligations under employment, tax, or social protection laws;
• Legitimate religious activities: processing carried out by a not-for-profit ecclesiastical body relating exclusively to members, former members, or individuals in regular contact with the Diocese.

5. Sharing your personal data

Your personal data is treated with strict confidentiality. It is never sold, leased, or disclosed to third parties for commercial advertising.

Data may only be shared with authorized church administrative bodies within the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), or authorized technical service providers operating under binding confidentiality agreements to maintain our diocesan systems.

6. Data retention schedule

We retain data in accordance with the Church of Nigeria guide "Save or Delete: the Care of Diocesan Records". Birthday greeting subscriptions last 24 months. We send a reminder before that deadline; subscribers can renew for another 24 months or erase their data. Unconfirmed subscriptions are deleted at the deadline, and erasure can be requested sooner.

7. Your statutory rights

Under the NDPR and NDPA 2023, you hold the right to:

• • Request a copy of all personal data held about you;
• • Request rectification of inaccurate or outdated information;
• • Request permanent erasure of data where retention is no longer justified;
• • Withdraw your consent at any time without detriment;
• • Request restriction of processing or object to specific data uses;
• • Lodge a complaint with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC).

8. Further processing

If we intend to process your personal data for a new purpose not covered in this notice, we will publish an updated notice and seek prior consent where mandated by law.

9. Annex A – Authorized Data Recipients

Personal data is shared only when necessary with:

• • The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) for ecclesiastical governance;
• • Partner dioceses for official transfers and synodical representation;
• • Secure digital infrastructure providers (email delivery and encrypted cloud databases);
• • Law enforcement or regulatory authorities solely when mandated by Nigerian law.