NiRA inaugurates Auction Committee to sell domains

The Nigeria Internet Registration Association has announced the inauguration of an Auction Committee to facilitate the sale of the nation's country code TLD (top-level domain) name, .ng.

"The work of the committee is expected to herald a new beginning in the utilization of .ng and is expected to submit its final report in early January, with the first auctions expected either late January or first week of February," said NiRA president Ndukwe Kalu.

"This is both for special registrations on the first level -- like mybank.ng -- and also premium domains on the second level, like doctors.com.ng, shop.com.ng, among others," he added.

As set out in NiRA's policies released earlier this year, the sale of premium domains will allow Nigeria to provide some of the lowest cost country code TLDs and generic TLDs in the world, Kalu said. All Nigerians will be able to obtain a .ng domain at a very low price, while the higher charge for premium domains will augment the costs, he explained.

"Since the release of the policy, NiRA has been inundated with inquiries on the modalities for the acquisition of the premium domains... There was therefore need to ensure that we have a world-class and transparent process in place," Kalu said of the need for the Auction Committee.

The committee will be led by Mary Uduma, NiRA vice president and director of licensing at the Nigerian Communications Commission, while NiRA treasurer Bimbo Olayinka will serve as the committee's deputy chairman.