MDAs device means to flout directive on .ng domain registration

Some ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of the federal government are still flouting the federal government directive that all MDAs should register their websites on the country’s top level domain name .ng.

They have devised means through registration of different websites outside of .ng and linking such websites from their various main websites as against creating them as subdomains.

Nigeria CommunicationsWeek investigations revealed that among agencies that flout the directive and maintaining a standalone website registered on another domain not .ng is Federal Road Safety Corps with website www.frsc.gov.ng.

A visit to this agency’s website you will notice some banners that supposedly should be a subdomain but in the case of Nigeria Driver’s License it is a website registered on www.nigeriadriverslicence.org which is a clear violation of the federal government directive on registration with.gov.ng.

Responding to this, Mohammed Rudman, president, Nigeria Internet Registration Association (Nira), decried none compliance of some agencies to the directives on registration of website and hosting of servers locally after years it was issued.

“The ideal thing for FRSC is to create a subdomain for Nigeria Driver’s License instead of registering it as a standalone website in contravention of federal government directive. It could be that the agency lacks the technical skill on how to create sub domain which is part of the advocacy programme of Nira to educate ministries and agencies on website registration,” he said.

He added that complying with federal government directive on registration of its agencies and ministries website on .ng prevent government websites from been clone by cyber criminals as well avoid inconsistency just like some agencies that are operating two websites identity.

Mrs. Mary Uduma, chairperson, Internet Society (ISOC) Nigeria chapter, decried action of Federal Road Safety Corps and wondered why any federal government agency will indulge in such action after NITDA has developed and launch a domain name policy for ministries and agencies of government and also established Bureau of Public Service Reform (BPSR) aimed at looking at evaluating and ranking websites of Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

She frowned at such practice which according to her is aimed at frustrating efforts of government to give the country visibility in the superhighway and promised to take the action up with NITDA.

Meanwhile, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has warned government agencies from hosting public data on cybers and clouds outside Nigeria

In a statement signed by Isa Ibrahim, agency’s director general, NITDA said though government data is substantially hosted locally, some agencies still host their data outside the country.

“It should be noted that the government considers the data of government as national resources which must be stored in Nigeria and analysed within existing regulations for improvement of governance and development of the country.”

The statement said violators of the guidelines would be sanctioned in accordance with the agency’s enabling laws.

The Agency noted that prior to the operation and full implementation of the Regulatory Guidelines for Nigerian Content Development in ICT, a sizeable component of Government data was hosted outside Nigeria.