News
Johnson Commends NiRA, Registrars on .ng Domain Name Impacts
Dr Omobola Johnson, minister of Communication Technology has commended the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA) and the Registrars for their resolves to exploit the uniqueness of the .ng domain name in projecting the international relevance of Nigeria’s Country Code Top Level Domain (ccTLD).
Johnson made the remark while commissioning NiRA office complex at 8 Funsho Willaims Avenue, Iponri, Suru-Lere, Lagos, on Friday.
The Minister also encouraged the accredited Registrars to double their efforts to serving the internet community locally and register .ng domain name on behalf of the Registrants worldwide and become big players like the “GoDaddy” of USA.
She identified .ng domain name as the country’s unique identity in the cyberspace.
“It is ours and our internet economy grows in leaps and bounds, we must proudly secure our identity in cyberspace. I therefore assure Nigerians that we are in for eccit.i.ng times”.
She recalled that the NiRA House commissioned on Friday, was purchased from the proceeds of past sales of premium domain names, validating the fact that the business and wealth creation opportunities in the domain name registration industry are significant.
The property serves, mot only as the operational headquarters of NiRA, but also provides a resource centre for training and certification in Domain Name System (DNS), an e-library for research in DNS, fully furnished offices for short term hiring, and a canteen.
“I am fully assured that the Executive Board of Directors will ensure sustainable good use of the premises,” Johnson said, while acknowledging the contributions of the Ministry, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and other stakeholders in keeping NiRA’s dreams alive.
On her part, Mrs. Mary Nma Uduma, president of NiRA said, “For us at NIRA it’s a dream come true, looking back from our humble beginning, when we started from nothing, our sustainance then was out of the goodwill of our stakeholders, people of like interests/mind in the DNS industry as well as some members of the Association.
“NiRA’s office was a single room in a residential apartment in SuruLere, Lagos before NITDA gave us an office space at Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.
“The success of NIRA cannot be complete, without appreciating our supervising Government Agencies; Ministry of Communication Technology (COMTECH), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), our stakeholders such Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Internet Service Providers Association of Nigeria (ISPAN), Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN), Internet eXchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON) and other ICT stakeholders.
“I would also seize this moment to appreciate and thank our Board of Trustees, my colleagues on the Executive Board of Directors, staff of NiRA, our Accredited Registrars, Registrants, members of the Association and the public for their immense contributions.
“My joy is that history will not forget us because victory is ours and all achievements of NiRA are for the development of our nation Nigeria”.
NiRA was founded on March 23, 2005 as a stakeholder-led organisation, charged with the management of the Nigeria’s country code Top Level Domain Name (ccTLD), dot ng.
The transfer of the appropriate management of this important National Resource was coordinated by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) on behalf of the Federal government of Nigeria. Stakeholders within Nigeria’s Internet community participated in its formation. It was registered as an Incorporated Trustee on February 9, 2007.
NIRA’s formation brought to an end the long years of controversy in the country, over the management of this critical national resource, following the intervention of the then President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.
The re-delegation of the .ng ccTLD came nearly 12 years after the country code was hosted first in Italy, and later by Mr Randy Bush, an American.
While Mr Bush was the technical contact for the ccTLD, Mrs. Ibukun Odusote served as the administrative contact.
NIRA’s Constitution was adopted by Stakeholders, at a meeting held on March 28, 2006. A Board of Trustees (BoT) was elected among the stakeholders with Dr. Isaac A. Odeyemi as the pioneer Chairman, shortly after the adoption of the Constitution.
By May 1, 2007, the first Executive Board of NIRA was elected with Engr. Ndukwe Kalu of blessed memory leading a 10-man Board.
Dr Omobola Johnson, minister of Communication Technology, Mary Nma Uduma, president of NiRA and, executive board members of NiRA other invited guests during the commissioning of NiRA House on Friday.
Renaissance Africa Energy has completed the “acquisition of the entire (100%)” equity holding in Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC).
This is according to a statement on Thursday by the spokesman of Renaissance Africa Energy Holdings Tony Okonedo who said the acquisition was completed on the same day.
“This follows the signing of a sale and purchase agreement with Shell in January 2024, and obtaining all regulatory approvals required for the transaction. Going forward, SPDC will be renamed as ‘Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited,” the statement added.
“We are extremely proud to have completed this strategic acquisition. The Renaissance vision is to be ‘Africa’s leading oil and gas company, enabling energy security and industrialisation in a sustainable manner.’
We and our shareholder companies are therefore pleased that the Federal Government has given the green light for this milestone acquisition in line with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act,” said Tony Attah, managing director/CEO of Renaissance.
He added: “We extend our appreciation to the Honourable Minister of Petroleum Resources, the CEO of the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and the GCEO of Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) for their foresight and belief, paving the way for the rapid development of Nigeria’s vast oil and gas resources as a strategic accelerator for the country’s industrial development”.
Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) said it has commenced moves to ensure that its website was linked to the portals of institutions to enable ease of verification.
Mustapha Iyal, executive director, Operations of NELFUND, made this known during a sensitisation programme at the University of Ilorin for higher institutions in Kwara state recently.
Sharing more insight on the update, Iyal said: “We observed that one of the problems we are having is the problem of verification. So what NELFUND is trying to do is that we want to engage the institutions directly by linking the NELFUND activities on the institutional portals so by doing that when a student is trying to do registration in school, they can select whether they want to pay via NELFUND, cash or other means.
“So if the student opts to pay with NELFUND, they will fill in the application with their details which are already on the institutional portals so they don’t have to go to the NELFUND portal. That is the kind of portal we are looking at. We want to create a synergy.”
Speaking further on complaints raised by students of beneficiary institutions in Kwara state, the NELFUND official said the organisation has commenced work on issues raised.
He said: “On the issues raised by the students, we are working on ways to make the whole process seamless. We have already started working on the issues. We work 24 hours and we are always there for the student.”
Also speaking, Umar Farouk, a representative of the National Association of Nigerian Students on the NELFUND board, lauded the move by the administration of President Bola Tinubu to establish the student loan initiative.
According to Farouk, the move will further encourage indigent students to have access to higher education.
He stated: “One of the campaign promises of the President is the student loan and I am happy to say that the student loan fund is here to stay. Nigerians can now understand that children of nobodies can now access higher education easily. With access to student loan, everyone now has the ease to go to school.”
The implementation of the student loan scheme is President Bola Tinubu’s flagship project in the education sector.
Operators in the insurance sector have been advised to have a rethink on their traditional approaches to business and embrace change with agility and the wave of digital transformation in modern business. Doing so, he stated, will enable them remain relevant and competitive in the business world.
The Chairman, Nigeria Insurers Association (NIA), Mr Kunle Ahmed, gave the advice at the 2025 Insurance Chief Executives’ retreat organised by the insurers in Lagos.
Speaking on the relevance of the theme of the year’s retreat, “Digital Disruption and Social Innovation: Reshaping Our Traditional Models,” Ahmed said, “As we discuss digital disruption, I urge you to consider the following questions: how can we leverage technology to better understand and serve our customers, how can we harness the power of data to drive decision-making and innovation, most importantly, how can we create a seamless and integrated digital experience that not only meets but exceeds customer expectations?”
He said equally important was the role of social innovation in reshaping the insurance industry, adding that as insurers, operators have responsibility to address the evolving needs of their diverse communities and ensure that their services were inclusive, accessible, and beneficial to all.
“Social innovation challenges us to think beyond profit margins and focus on creating positive social impact. Inclusive insurance, for instance, aims to provide financial protection to underserved and vulnerable populations. By developing products that cater to the unique needs of these communities, we can foster financial inclusion and resilience. Similarly, sustainable insurance practices can help mitigate the impacts of climate change and promote environmental stewardship,” he said.
He urged the insurers that as they explore the concept of social innovation, they should reflect on how to design insurance products that were not only profitable but also socially impactful.
He further said they should think about how to engage with stakeholders to drive collective action towards sustainability as well as how to measure and communicate the social and environmental benefits of their initiatives.
Ahmed told the insurers that the journey of digital disruption and social innovation was not one that they could embark on alone, adding that it required collaboration, partnership, and a shared vision for the future.
He said as industry leaders, they must work together to foster a culture of innovation, openness, and continuous learning.
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