The Nigerian Senate, a number of government agencies and industry have all called for Nigerians to increase their use of the country’s ccTLD .ng at the recent Tech Convergence 2.0 event, organised by the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA).
It’s the second-largest ccTLD in Africa behind .za with 229,583 .ng domain names, up from 212,890 a year earlier, compared to .za’s current 1.4 million, but the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA) has been urging Nigerians to register domain names under .ng and its 10 second level options for some time.
At the Tech Convergence 2.0 event in mid-October in Abuja, the Nigerian Senate, the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) joined a broad coalition of stakeholders to call for the urgent and comprehensive implementation of .ng domain adoption to promote and solidify Nigeria’s digital identity.
Discussion centred on the fundamental concept that a nation’s digital identity is an extension of its national identity. The event, held on 14 October 2025, focused on the Nigeria First Online agenda, urging digital patriotism by leveraging the .ng domain and the Domain Name System (DNS) industry to drive the development of the Nigerian Internet ecosystem. There was an emphasis on the critical role of government in leading the charge.
Representing the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, Senator Diket Plang underscored the vital role of government in shaping digital policy. “We live in a digital world, and we must also take ownership of our presence online, and for us, the true mark of that ownership is through the .ng domain,” he stated, highlighting what digital identity ownership means for all Nigerians. Senator Shuaib Afolabi Salisu, Chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT & Cybersecurity, reinforced this, stating, “We must understand we are stakeholders in our Internet space and must promote what is ours.”
NiRA President, Adesola Akinsanya described .ng as “a symbol of Nigerian digital pride,” emphasising that ownership of the national domain reflects both national confidence and capacity. The President further stated, Our mission is to build trust through the Nigerian identity online and ensure every Nigerian is identifiable online through our digital identity, the .ng domain. Mrs. Ibukun Odusote, Chairperson of the NiRA Board of Trustees, urged stakeholders to prioritize the adoption of local digital infrastructure: “There should be an urgent need to adopt what is ours, which is the .ng domain.”
The representative for the DG NITDA stressed that the public sector must be the primary representative of the Nigerian government online, stating, “The internet has gone beyond just communication; it is an infrastructure for innovation and identity.” Crucially, Dr. Adebowale Adedokun, Director General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), made efforts to ensure that all communications across the over 1,200 Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) are hosted under the .ng domain. This move is intended to strengthen national identity and prevent the use of generic domains in the public service.
The Tech Convergence 2.0 was a call to individual and institutional accountability. Oluwaseyi Onasanya, Chief Operating Officer of NiRA, urged Nigerians to reflect on their digital presence: “Nigerians need to adopt .ng to allow us to own our narrative online.” This reinforced that promoting the .ng domain is a patriotic act that builds national trust and unity.