Emma Okonji
The latest statistics released by the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), the body responsible for managing Nigeria’s country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD), showed a steady growth in Nigeria’s .ng domain name registration and usage in the last seven months of 2022.
The statistics, which THISDAY obtained from the official website of NiRA, showed that .ng domain name registration, renewal and restoration, grew from 178,813 in June to 183,792 in December 2022.
In July 2022, the figure grew to 180,162 and in September same year, it increased to 181,275. In November 2022, the figure increased again to 183,169, before it reached 183,792 in December 2022.
According to the statistics, the total registration, renewal and restoration of .ng domain name was 181,983 in October 2022, but the figure increased in November to reach 183,169, with a further increase to 183,792 in December 2022.
The increase in figure came from the active 2nd level domain name users, which rose from 78,704 in October to 81,607 in November, before rising again to 84,329 in December 2022.
From the statistics, fresh registration of .ng domain name in October was 6,388, renewal was 4,773, while restoration was 95. In November, fresh registration of .ng domain name was 6,177, renewal was 4,861, while restoration was 101. In December, fresh registration of .ng domain name dropped to 6,102, renewal also dropped to 4,349, while restoration increased to 132.
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.
Reacting to the increased number of active .ng domain name users in the last seven months of 2022, 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 2023 message to Nigerians, Rudman said: “The year 2023 has started well for us at the .ng registry. NiRA was recognised for its contributions to the growth of the internet with an award from the National Association of Computing Students (NACOS).
In 2022, the Executive Board of NiRA dropped the cost of Premium Domains, making them more accessible to individuals and businesses that were innovative in their approach to their online identity. In addition, the registration of Premium Domain names was supported with a brand-new portal, making the registration of .ng premium domain name a straightforward process, which is completed in a few easy steps. NiRA Premium Domain Names are unique labels which can greatly boost recognition on the internet. They are indication of the creativity of an organisation in reaching its target audience.”
He further said: “We have explored new collaborations, strengthened the relationships, with our esteemed Registrars and seen the resultant improvement in the perception of .ng in the market measured by an increase in its adoption. We are very excited about what 2023 has in store for us, having seen the impact of our activities in 2022 on the growth of the .ng domain. Our core operational objective remains to promote the stability, security, and reliability of the .ng domain name. To achieve this, we keep abreast of the latest developments in the global domain name ecosystem by engaging with stakeholders from various sectors across Africa and the world. The onus lies on us to continuously improve on our results and surpass our own expectations.”
