[AfrICANN-discuss] Why NiRA Records Low dot ng Registration

[Anne-Rachel Inné]

Why NiRA Records Low dot ng Registration

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/why-nira-records-low-dot-ng-registration/104542/

08 Dec 2011

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    [image: 2509F03.Omobola-Johnson.jpg - 2509F03.Omobola-Johnson.jpg]

*Minister of Communications, Mrs Omobola Johnson*

 *By Emma Okonji*

Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA) has identified low level
of awareness creation as a factor militating against the ‘dot ng’ domain
name registration in the country.

According to NiRA, only about 40,000 domain names have been registered
since the inception of the sales of domain names in 2008.

Chief Operating Officer of NiRA, Mr. Ope Odusan, who spoke to THISDAY on
the status of ‘dot ng’ domain name registration, challenged registrars of
the nation’s Country Code Top Level Domain name (ccTLD) to raise the volume
of registration of the ‘dot ng’ domain name and to create more awareness
among Nigerians and corporate organisations, on ‘dot ng’ domain name
registration.

Odusan, who spoke shortly after the Registrars’ Forum organised by NiRA in
Lagos at the weekend, commended registrars for the level of registration
carried out so far, but challenged them to increase registration figures in
order to address appreciable size of Nigerian population that is well over
160 million.

As an incentive to boost ‘dot ng’ domain name registration in the country,
Odusan promised to offer iPad 2 to any registrar that registers up to 5,000
domain names in a month.

In technical parlance, ‘dot ng’ domain name is Nigeria’s identity in the
cyberspace. Every country has its identity and must be identified as such
when sending electronic mails through cyberspace, via the internet.

The cyberspace address of individuals or organisations in Nigeria must end
with ‘dot ng’. For example, an organisation known as Dudu Enterprise can
have a domain name of www.dudu.com.ng The identity simply identifies the
organisation as Nigerian organisation. People can have individual domain
names such as samuel.com.ng,

South Africa has .za, while Canada has .ca, and their citizens are
identified by their domain names.

NiRA, the agency responsible for the control and administration of domain
names in Nigeria has been in the forefront campaigning for the registration
of domain names with the country’s  identity, and discouraging the use of
alien domain names that end with yahoo.com

Odusan called on Nigerians to take advantage of accredited registrars in
the country and register their domain names as second or third level domain
names.

Presenting awards to registrars at the Registrars’ Forum and End of Year
Get-Together organised by NiRA for all registrars, Odusan commended all
registrars for their efforts in registering the dot ng domain name.

The award was based on the registrars with the highest volume of
registration figures from the month of August to November 2011.

As the names were called, one particular registrar kept surfacing as
‘Registrar of the Month’ for the months of August, September, October and
November. The registrar, Upperlink Limited, eventually swept all the awards
as it emerged ‘Registrar of the Month’ for August to November,

In August, Upperlink Limited registered 229 domain names, in September, it
registered 249 domain names, in October, it registered 627 domain names,
and in November, it registered 2,403 domain names, topping registration
figures in all four months under review. Upperlink was presented with four
plaques as the Registrar of the Month for the four consecutive months.

Sharing the secret of the firm’s consistent win, Technical Manager for
Upperlink, Mr. Shola Akinsanya, who received the awards for Upperlink said
the firm sold domain names at pocket friendly rates, coupled with its
aggressive campaign in sensitising Nigerians on the importance of owning a
domain name.

He said Upperlink partnered Google on its recently concluded one week web
fair in Lagos, from where it had more opportunities to talk to thousands of
participants at the web fair.

Upperlink, he said, had invested so much on advertising ‘dot ng’ domain
name and that more Nigerians were becoming aware of the need to identify
with the nation’s ccTLD
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