Emma Okonji
Nigeria has witnessed another drop in the registration, renewal and restoration of its .ng domain name, according to the latest statistics released by the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), the body responsible for managing Nigeria's country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD).
The total figure for the registration, renewal and restoration of .ng domain name dropped to 231,556 in March, after attaining 234,083 in January this year.
The figure had also dropped in December last year to 229,583, after recording a slight increase in the months of October and November last year, which was put at 230,454 and 231,853 respectively.
According to the statistics, the total .ng domain name registration, renewal and restoration, reached 234,083 in January 2025, but dropped slightly to 232,853 in February, with a further drop to 231,556 in March 2025.
Although the summation of .ng domain name includes registration, renewal and restoration, but the latest statistics on Nigeria's .ng domain name as released by NiRA, showed that registration alone reached 9,591 in January 2025, but dropped to 6,200 in February 2025, before it increased slightly to 6,440 in March 2025.
The .ng domain name renewal alone was 8,339 in January 2025, but it dropped to 4,492 in February 2025, before it increased to 5,724 in March 2025, while the .ng domain name restoration alone was 215 in January 2025, but dropped to 118 in February 2025 before it increased to 137 in March 2025.
The ccTLD .ng domain name is Nigeria's identity in cyberspace, which has the .ng at the suffix of every official email address that originates from Nigeria. In the United Kingdom, all official email addresses end with .co.uk. In United States of America, they end with .com, while in South Africa, the official email addresses end with .co.za.
Nigeria had initially maintained a steady growth in the adoption and usage of .ng domain name across different sectors of the economy and the growth attracted commendations from the global community of Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in 2023.
ICAN had commended Nigeria in 2023 for surpassing the 225,000 mark for all registered .ng domain names in the country, when Nigeria attained the 226,702 in June 2023. Nigeria had further populated its .ng domain name registration from August to November in 2023, before it dropped slightly to 229,583 in December 2024, but the figure however increased to 234,083 in January 2025, before sliding again to 231,556 in March 2025, according to the latest statistics released by NiRA.
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In NiRA's Newsletter for the month of March 2025, its President, Adesola Akinsanya, spoke about NiRA's commitment to driving .ng domain adoption and advancing Nigeria's digital landscape.
Speaking on the theme: "Our Digital Identity, Our Movement: Advancing Nigeria Through .ng," Akinsanya said: "The internet is not just a tool--it is the great equaliser, the great connector, and the great amplifier of ideas. And here in Nigeria, through the .ng domain, we are not just users of the internet--we are owners of our digital destiny. Like every nation with its own ccTLD, the .ng domain is a fundamental driver of our digital economy, ensuring that Nigeria's online presence is built on a foundation that truly belongs to us."
NiRA has stood as the guardian of Nigeria's online identity, ensuring that our businesses, our stories, and our innovations have a home on a domain that reflects who we are. But today, we must go further. We must not only protect the digital space--we must redefine it. Our advocacy is not just a mission; it is a movement, Akinsanya further said
