Emma Okonji
The number of Nigeria’s active .ng domain name users picked up slightly to reach 180,162 in July, after sliding in June this year to as low as 178,813, according to the recent statistics released by the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), the body responsible for managing Nigeria’s country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD).
The statistics, which THISDAY obtained from the official website of NiRA, showed that in June 2022, total registration, renewal and restoration was 178,813, but the figure increased in July to reach 180,162, which showed the number of active .ng domain name users in the country.
The increase in figure came from the active 2nd level domain name users, which rose from 67,462 in June to 70,115 in July.
From the statistics, fresh registration of .ng domain name in July was 5,920, renewal was 4,781, while restoration was 156, up from 127 in June.
The .ng domain name figure had dropped in June 2022 to 178,813, showing a decrease in the total number of active .ng domain name users in June this year.
Details according to the released statistics, showed 5,926 domain name registration, 4,936 domain name renewal, with 127 domain name restoration in June this year, while the active third level domain name was 111,351, and the active second level domain name was 67,462, which brought the total number of active domain name users in June 2022 to 178,813, which is a decrease from the 179,420 active domain name attained in May this year.
The statistics however showed an increase in the number of active domain name users in July, which is put at 180,162.
The ccTLD .ng domain name is Nigeria’s identity in cyberspace, which has the .ng at the suffix of every official email address that originates from Nigeria. In the United Kingdom, all official email addresses end with .co.uk, in United States of America, they end with .com, while in South Africa, official email addresses end with .co.za.
In Nigeria, NiRA has carried out several campaigns to sensitise Nigerians on the need to populate .ng domain name, which is Nigeria’s identity in cyberspace.
Reacting to the increased number of active .ng domain name users in the month of July, the President of NiRA, Mr. Mohammed Rudman, told THISDAY that Nigerians were beginning to understand the need to identify with .ng domain name for every online transaction and communication.
In his opening remarks in the 200th edition of the NiRA e-Newsletter, Rudman said: “It feels good to look back at what we have achieved in disseminating information about the growth of .ng domains and providing insight as to the impact of our work on the nation at large. The overall thrust of our efforts has been to increase the adoption of .ng domain names. Without a doubt, we still have a lot to do this year, but we are closer to the achievement of our strategic goals than we have ever been.”
This quarter will be particularly busy for us as we collaborate with various associations such as the Nigeria Bar Association and the Nigeria Medical Association to inform members about the value of .ng domains. In addition, NiRA as the current Chairperson of the Nigeria Internet Governance Forum will be leading the Multi-stakeholder Advisory Group to host the Forum on the 15th of September 2022, where we hope to further ramp up campaign for the adoption of .ng domain name, Rudman further said.
