NIRA donates100,000 domain names for centenary celebration

NIRA is the agency responsible for keeping database of all registered names of companies and individuals with .ng domain name which is the Nigeria’s identification on the World Wide Web.Speaking at a registrars forum and end of the year get-together in Lagos, NiRA’s President, Mrs. Mary Uduma said the free domain names is open and […]

NIRA is the agency responsible for keeping database of all registered names of companies and individuals with .ng domain name which is the Nigeria’s identification on the World Wide Web.
Speaking at a registrars forum and end of the year get-together in Lagos, NiRA’s President, Mrs. Mary Uduma said the free domain names is open and available to all Nigerians for grab  this year.
She said: “We have thrown it open to the registrars that we want to register 100,000 domain names for the centenary celebration of Nigeria next year.  It is up to the registrars to grab the opportunity because it is a free domain name. Any Nigerian who shows interest will be given free domain names.”
Uduma urged all Nigerians doing business online to switch to .ng domain name platform in order to have local affiliation with global recognition.
She added: “We have less than 50,000 people registered on the .ng. Though we missed our plans to get 250,000 people registered this year, 2014 will be different. We have drawn our programme on how to create awareness; we will partner with media houses in going round states and see that they participate.”
She further stated that “we need more registrars. The .ng has great potentials because we will make money for ourselves, the government, to drive local content, the potentials are endless.”
NIRA President also hinted that a working group which comprises of registrars has been appointed and saddled with the responsibilities of looking into the second level domain name and the premium (current domain platform) pricing.
Uduma said the working group would be totally independent, adding “we will only give them support with sending of mails and others.”
Meanwhile, registrars on the .ng domain of the NIRA however called for the deduction of fee allotted the re-certification of their domain names.
According to the registrars, N50,000 re-certification fees attached to the .ng was too exuberant.
One of the registrars, head IT, Global Trend Network, Patrick Ohikhuare said “we feel many people are interested in the platform but the amount to be paid to renew the domain name is just too much. We would like to have the fees reduced minimally.”
Responding to the registrars complaint on re-certification fee, a member of the Executive Board NiRA, Mohammed Rudman, said the N50,000 payment placed on re-certification of domain names after a year is to test registrants if they are faithful to the platform.