Privacy policy

Last updated: June 2026

This policy explains how NigeriaHowTo (“we”, “us”) handles personal data when you visit nigeriahowto.com. We are an independent information website, not a government body, and we are built around a simple principle: collect as little as possible, and never touch sensitive identity data.

Who is responsible for your data

NigeriaHowTo is independently owned and operated by Nikita Bystrykh (Founder & Publisher), based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. For any privacy matter, the data controller can be reached at [email protected].

What we never ask for

The most important thing on this page is the list of things we will never ask you for — through this website, by email, by phone, or through any social channel:

• Your National Identification Number (NIN).
• Your Bank Verification Number (BVN).
• Your passport number or any biometric data.
• Your bank account number, card number or card details.
• Your passwords, PINs, one-time codes or recovery information.

If any page, email or message claiming to be from NigeriaHowTo asks for the information above, treat it as fraudulent and report it to [email protected].

What we collect and why

• Usage and analytics data — when you visit, our analytics provider (Google Analytics 4, see below) records pseudonymous information such as pages viewed, approximate location (country/region, derived from a truncated IP address), device and browser type, and the site or search that referred you. We use this in aggregate to decide which topics to expand and which guides need clearer structure. We do not use it to identify you personally.
• Newsletter email address — only if you voluntarily subscribe. We use it solely to send the updates you asked for, and you can unsubscribe at any time using the link in every email.
• On-site search keywords — what you type into our search box, used to find gaps in our coverage.
• Messages you send us — the content and contact details in any email or correction report, kept so we can respond and maintain an editorial record of the correction.
• Server and security logs — our hosting/CDN provider may log IP addresses and request metadata briefly to serve pages, prevent abuse and diagnose faults.

Cookies and similar technologies

Cookies are small files stored by your browser. We use them sparingly:

• Strictly necessary — a small number of cookies or local-storage entries needed to render the site and remember your preferences. These do not track you across sites.
• Analytics — Google Analytics 4 sets cookies (typically named _ga and _ga_*) that store a pseudonymous identifier so it can measure aggregate traffic.

You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings, use private browsing, or install the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on to opt out of analytics. Blocking analytics does not affect your ability to read any guide.

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4, a service provided by Google, to understand how the site is used in aggregate. Google processes this data as described in its own privacy policy. We are working towards a cookie-consent control for visitors in regions that require prior consent; until then, you can opt out using the browser controls and add-on described above.

Advertising and affiliate links

The site is currently free to read. In future we may earn revenue from advertising, affiliate links or sponsorships. If and when we add advertising partners or affiliate tracking, they may set their own cookies; we will update this policy to name them, explain what they collect, and provide a consent mechanism where required. Sponsored or affiliate content is always clearly labelled and never changes our editorial conclusions.

How we use your data and our legal basis

We process personal data only for the purposes above. Depending on the law that applies to you, our legal bases are:

• Consent — for the newsletter and, where required, for non-essential cookies. You can withdraw consent at any time.
• Legitimate interests — for aggregate analytics, security logging and responding to your messages, balanced against your rights and limited to what is necessary to run the site.

We process data in line with applicable data-protection law, including the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 (NDPA) for readers in Nigeria and the EU/UK GDPR for readers in those regions.

Who we share data with

We do not sell your personal data. We share the minimum necessary with a small number of service providers who process it on our behalf:

• Google (Analytics) — aggregate usage measurement.
• Hosting / content-delivery provider — to serve the site quickly and protect it from abuse.
• Email service provider — only if you subscribe to the newsletter, to deliver it.

We may also disclose data where we are legally required to, or to protect the rights, safety and security of our readers and the site.

Data retention

• Analytics — retained by Google for the period set on the property (and in aggregate by us for as long as useful for editorial planning).
• Newsletter email addresses — until you unsubscribe, after which they are removed from active mailing lists.
• Editorial correspondence — retained as part of the corrections record where it relates to a published article.

International transfers

NigeriaHowTo is operated from the United Arab Emirates, and some providers (such as Google) process data in other countries, including the United States. Where data is transferred across borders, we rely on the provider's recognised safeguards — such as standard contractual clauses or equivalent measures appropriate to the data involved.

Your rights

Depending on where you read from, applicable data-protection law (including the NDPA and GDPR) may give you the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you.
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Request deletion of your personal data.
• Restrict or object to certain processing.
• Receive your data in a portable format.
• Withdraw consent at any time, where processing relies on it.
• Lodge a complaint with your data-protection authority — in Nigeria, the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC).

To exercise any of these, email [email protected] or use the contact page. We aim to respond within 30 days.

Children

NigeriaHowTo is intended for a general adult audience and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, contact us and we will delete it.

Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect the limited data we hold. No system is perfectly secure. If you become aware of a vulnerability, please follow our security-disclosure process — email [email protected] or see the contact page.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy — for example, when we add a provider or feature, or to reflect a change in the law. The current version always lives at this URL; the “Last updated” date above changes when we revise it, and material changes are flagged at the top of the page.

How to contact us

For privacy questions, write to [email protected] or use the contact page. Publisher and imprint details are in the about page and the contact-page imprint.