Free 100,000 .ng domain names to commence operation in 2nd quarter

The President of the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA), Mrs Mary Uduma, on Tuesday said that free Nigerian domain names would be offered to interested citizens in the second quarter of 2014.

Nigeria’s peculiar Internet domain name, classified as dot ng (.ng) is a unique address used in accessing websites on the Internet.

Uduma told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that NIRA was already working on the processes to accommodate that number of people.

She said that the free domain offer was part of their contribution toward the nation’s centenary celebration.

The NIRA President said that it was imperative for the registrars to promote the unique identity of Nigeria on the Internet with the Nigerian domain name.

“The .ng aims to improve the visibility of Nigeria on the Internet by creating local content with ensured content security,’’ she said.

Uduma said that NIRA had opened a second level domain to ensure successful registration of the free 100,000 domain names.

She also encouraged registrars to always promote the .ng brand by making it their priority before their customers.

“Let us counter the image of this country by registering the .ng domain name. Registering the .com domain means that we are enriching other countries.

“The .ng will ensure that registrars make money for themselves and the economy; it will help to build local content and create jobs,’’ Uduma added. (NAN)