NITDA GUIDE TO ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNMENT AND MILITARY DOMAIN NAMES IN NIGERIA

A Guide specifies policies for registering and securing .gov.ng and .mil.ng domain names for government and military entities in Nigeria. It targets government IT administrators, military officers, and citizens identifying official websites, with NITDA managing the registry. This protects against fake sites and maintains domain security.

What Is This Policy?

NITDA's guide specifying the policies and procedures for registering, managing, and securing .gov.ng and .mil.ng domain names for Nigerian government and military entities.

Who Does It Target?

Federal and state government IT administrators Military and security agency ICT officers NITDA as the .gov.ng and .mil.ng registry manager Citizens and organisations identifying government websites

What Does It Aim to Achieve?

Ensure that .gov.ng and .mil.ng domain names are used exclusively by genuine government and military entities, protecting citizens from fake government websites and maintaining domain security.

Key Features

Eligibility Criteria: Only verified federal, state, and local government entities may register .gov.ng domains. Registration Process: Prescribes the verification and approval process for government domain name registration. Security Standards: Requires HTTPS and other security standards for all government websites. Deregistration: Provides procedures for deregistering domains of defunct or reorganised government entities.

Current Status

Rollout Stage: Active Coverage: All Nigerian government and military web presence Beneficiaries: Citizens; government credibility; cybersecurity Funding: NITDA / Federal Government

How to Access

Government agencies: apply for .gov.ng domain through NITDA Military entities: apply for .mil.ng domains through NITDA in coordination with Ministry of Defence Citizens: verify government websites end in .gov.ng to avoid phishing Application method: Apply for government domain names at https://www.nitda.gov.ng

Important Terms

Only genuine government entities may use .gov.ng domains — others face prosecution Citizens should only share personal data on websites with .gov.ng addresses NITDA maintains the authoritative register of all government domain names

Official Resources

Website: https://www.nitda.gov.ng Contact: National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)

Legal Framework

Issued under the National Information Technology Development Agency Act 2007, which empowers NITDA to issue guidelines, frameworks, and standards for ICT development in Nigeria. Operates alongside the Nigerian Communications Act 2003, the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act 2015, the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, and the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy 2020-2030. Draws on the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) policy framework, the .ng domain registry rules, the NCC domain name management guidelines, and the Public Service Rules on government digital identity.