The Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA) recently held a gala and web awards night organised to recognise all those using the .ng domain names.
The event had two sets of awards; the first was the .ng web awards while the other was the Presidential awards. The .ng web awards recognised companies and institutions that have effectively used the .ng domain over the years and have indirectly helped to promote the Nigerian brand online.
The other set of awards were given by the NiRA President to organisations and individuals that have been committed to the development of the ICT industry in Nigeria. Mary Uduma, erstwhile President of NIRA received the special recognition award for her contributions to the growth of the .ng domain name ecosystem. Another recipient, was Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata Jnr. (CFA), Presenter, Tech Trends on Channels TV and Founder, Techsmart.ng, who received the NiRA Presidential Award for Youth Development, an award that recognizes and encourages youths with a combination of the best .ng website, best online local content and best use of ICT and finally, Dr. Wunmi Hassan, who was recognised for her role in the advancement of women in technology.
NiRA’s ultimate goal is to get more Nigerians to use the .ng domains because Nigeria currently has less than 100,000 .ng domains while South Africa has over 1 million .co.za domains.
Like the Chairman, Board of Trustees, NiRA rightly pointed out, it is a shame for any Government establishment in Nigeria to still be using any extension other than .ng.
Winners of the .ng competitions preceding the gala and awards night also received gifts from NiRA. This is encouraging as many Nigerian government establishments, business concerns and individuals as possible to embrace the .ng domain name going forward.
