By Juliet Umeh
The conversation about Nigeria’s digital sovereignty took center stage again as the Nigerian Senate, the Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP, and the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, joined forces with industry stakeholders to champion the adoption of Nigeria’s country code top-level domain, .ng.
The coalition made the bold call during Tech Convergence 2.0, organized by the Nigeria Internet Registration Association, NiRA, in Abuja.
Themed “Nigeria First Online”, the event underscored that a nation’s digital identity is an extension of its national identity, and urged both public and private institutions to fully embrace the .ng domain as a symbol of digital patriotism.
Speaking on behalf of the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, Senator Diket Plang highlighted the urgency of digital self-reliance.
“We now live in a digital world, and we must also take ownership of our presence online. For us, the true mark of that ownership is through the .ng domain,” he said.
Also lending his voice, Senator Shuaib Afolabi Salisu, Chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT & Cybersecurity, noted that protecting Nigeria’s online space begins with national consciousness.
“We must understand we are stakeholders in our Internet space and must promote what is ours,” he said.
.ng: more than a domain — a symbol of digital pride
NiRA President, Adesola Akinsanya, described the .ng domain as “a symbol of Nigerian digital pride”, stressing that owning and using it reflects both national confidence and digital capacity.
Akinsanya emphasized: “Our mission is to build trust through the Nigerian identity online and ensure every Nigerian is identifiable through our digital identity, the .ng domain.”
Similarly, Mrs. Ibukun Odusote, Chairperson of NiRA’s Board of Trustees, appealed to businesses and institutions to adopt homegrown digital infrastructure.
“There is an urgent need to adopt what is ours, the .ng domain,” she said.
Public sector to lead by example
Representing the Director General of NITDA, a senior delegate reaffirmed that the public sector must lead in digital identity adoption.
“The internet has gone beyond just communication; it is now infrastructure for innovation and identity,” the representative said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Adebowale Adedokun, Director General of the Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP, revealed that steps are being taken to ensure all communications from over 1,200 Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) operate under the .ng domain.
“It’s a matter of national identity and data sovereignty. Hosting government communications on foreign domains weakens our digital independence,” he warned.
Building trust through digital patriotism
The call for .ng adoption is part of a wider effort to promote digital trust, inclusion, and national branding within the local Internet ecosystem.
Oluwaseyi Onasanya, Chief Operating Officer of NiRA, captured this sentiment succinctly.
“Nigerians need to adopt .ng to allow us to own our narrative online,” he said.
He explained that choosing .ng is more than a technical choice, it’s a patriotic statement that reinforces Nigeria’s place in the digital economy.
At present, the .ng country code ranks second in Africa, yet experts argue that Nigeria must take a more deliberate approach to match its size, innovation potential, and population strength in the digital sphere.
Moving beyond rhetoric
Tech Convergence 2.0 ended with a collective call to action, urging government agencies, businesses, and individuals to embrace the .ng domain as the foundation of Nigeria’s digital future.
As NiRA President Akinsanya added: “Nigeria’s digital identity must be owned, built, and secured by Nigerians. Only then can we truly say we are online, on our own terms.”
