The Nigerian Senate, the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) have joined a broad coalition of stakeholders to call for the urgent and comprehensive implementation of .ng domain adoption to promote and solidify Nigeria’s digital identity.
The collective call was the central theme of the Tech Convergence 2.0 event, recently organized by the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA) in Abuja, where policymakers, government officials, and industry leaders converged to deliberate on Nigeria’s digital future.
At the heart of the Tech Convergence 2.0 discussions was the fundamental concept that a nation’s digital identity is an extension of its national identity. The event, held on October 14, 2025, focused on the Nigeria First Online agenda, urging for digital patriotism by leveraging the .ng domain and the Domain Name System (DNS) industry to drive the development of the Nigerian Internet ecosystem.
While the .ng ccTLD already ranks second in Africa, stakeholders stressed that the national drive to patronize “Made-in-Nigeria” products and services, as espoused by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s policy, must now aggressively extend to the digital space. Owning Nigeria’s digital identity through .ng is seen as both an act of sovereignty and strategic necessity in an era where governance, business, and innovation are increasingly digital-first.
The Senate, government agencies and industry leaders strongly backed the call for increased .ng domain adoption, emphasizing the critical role of government in leading the charge.
Representing the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, Senator Diket Plang underscored the vital role of government in shaping digital policy. “We now live in a digital world, and we must also take ownership of our presence online, and for us, the true mark of that ownership is through the .ng domain,” he stated, highlighting what digital identity ownership means for all Nigerians.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT & Cybersecurity, Senator Shuaib Afolabi Salisu, reinforced this, stating, “We must understand we are stakeholders in our Internet space and must promote what is ours.”
NiRA President Adesola Akinsanya described .ng as “a symbol of Nigerian digital pride,” emphasising that ownership of the national domain reflects both national confidence and capacity. The President further stated, our mission is to build trust through the Nigerian identity online, and ensure every Nigerian is identifiable online through our digital identity, the .ng domain.
Chairperson of the NiRA Board of Trustees, Mrs. Ibukun Odusote, urged stakeholders to prioritize the adoption of local digital infrastructure: “There should be an urgent need to adopt what is ours, which is the .ng domain.”
The representative for the DG NITDA stressed that the public sector must be the primary representative of the Nigerian government online, stating, “The internet has gone beyond just communication, but an infrastructure for innovation and identity.”
Crucially, Director General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Dr. Adebowale Adedokun, made efforts to ensure that all communications across the over 1, 200 Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) are hosted under the .ng domain. This move is intended to strengthen national identity and prevent use of generic domains in the public service.
The Tech Convergence 2.0 was a call to individual and institutional accountability. Oluwaseyi Onasanya, Chief Operating Officer of NiRA, urged Nigerians to reflect on their digital presence: “Nigerians need to adopt .ng to allow us to own our narrative online.” This reinforced that promoting the .ng domain is a patriotic act that builds national trust and unity.
The event challenged individuals, institutions, and government bodies to move beyond rhetoric and act. Tech Convergence 2.0 underscored a single truth as stated by NiRA president, Nigeria’s digital identity must be owned, built, and secured by Nigerians.
The driving force behind Tech Convergence 2.0 was the understanding of the fundamental truth that a nation’s digital identity is an extension of its national identity, and that it directly impacts both digital and national development, a message that needs to be broadened in reach.
