The Nigeria Internet Registration Association on Monday reaffirmed its commitment to securing Nigeria’s digital space and actively collaborating with government agencies to curb cyber-related crimes and misuse of digital resources.

This assurance was given by NiRA president Adesola Akinsanya in an interview in Lagos. Mr Akinsanya said that NiRA had fully aligned itself with the government’s efforts to provide a safe online space for its citizens.

Mr Akinsanya added that it had been in strategic engagements with relevant bodies, including the National Information Technology Development Agency. He said that it had also aligned itself with the Nigerian Communications Commission, the Office of the National Security Adviser, and law enforcement agencies to discourage internet fraud.

According to Mr Akinsanya, NiRA continuously provides technical insights, data intelligence, and policy recommendations on issues related to domain name registration, DNS abuse, and traceability as part of our input into the government’s strategy.

“Through partnerships with global bodies like the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers and the African Network Information Centre, NiRA aligns with international best practices to ensure the Nigerian namespace is secure, credible, and trusted,” said Mr Akinsanya.

The NiRA boss was speaking on the backdrop of allegations that internet fraudsters within and outside the country buy Nigerian and other African countries’ internet protocol addresses and use them to commit crimes in their country.

He noted that it was alleged these fraudsters made it appear they were in Nigeria or within Africa when the crimes were committed.

Addressing the alleged fraudulent practice, the NiRA President drew a clear distinction between IP addresses and domain names, stating that they are not the same thing.

Mr Akinsanya said that IP address management was under the purview of AFRINIC, the regional Internet registry for Africa, while NiRA managed the .NG domain registration.

Notwithstanding the distinction, the NiRA boss condemned any misuse of digital resources by any Nigerian, whether domestically or internationally. According to him, to maintain the integrity of the national digital identity, NiRA has instituted robust internal controls.

“At NiRA, we have instituted multi-layer verification processes and registrar compliance requirements to discourage fraudulent registrations,’’ said Mr Akinsanya.

Mr Akinsanya said that the association also runs continuous Domain Name System abuse monitoring and takes prompt action in collaboration with the appropriate security and regulatory agencies when suspicious activity linked to a .NG domain is detected.

According to him, beyond enforcement, NiRA has focused on proactive measures over the past two decades.

The president said part of its proactive measures were public awareness campaigns, capacity-building workshops, and stakeholder sensitisation programmes to promote digital responsibility and cyber ethics.

He said that the association was also investing in adopting the Domain Name System Security Extension to make the .NG domain more secure and resilient against attacks.

The NiRA president assured Nigerians of more innovation, stronger collaborations, and enhanced trust in the .NG brand.

He added, however, that NiRA’s focus remained on deepening local content hosting, promoting digital sovereignty, and ensuring that Nigeria’s online identity remained a “symbol of credibility, innovation, and national pride”.

(NAN)