Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum 2011 – Communiqué

Thursday, 24 and Friday, 25 March, 2011
Golden Gate Paradise, Ikoyi-Lagos, Nigeria

Theme: “Internet Governance & Broadband Evolution in Nigeria”
Following deliberations at a two-day Nigeria DigitalSENSE forum on Internet Governance and
Development (IGD) in Nigeria, organized by DigitalSENSE Africa (DSA) in collaboration with the Nigerian
Communications Commission (NCC) and held at the Golden Gate Paradise, Ikoyi-Lagos, on Thursday and
Friday, March 24-25, 2011 on the theme “Internet Governance & Broadband Evolution in Nigeria,”
participants restated the call for a more proactive role by every stakeholder through Public Private
Partnership (PPP) in recognition of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) push for the
involvement of governments and all stakeholders in the promotion of Information and Communication
Technologies for Development (ICT4D), as well as the Multi-Stakeholder Approach (MAS) being
championed by the global coordinating agency of Domain Name System (DNS), the Internet Corporation
for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
Participants commended NCC for its consistency in supporting Public Private Partnership concept
in Nigeria and urged other government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to borrow a leaf
from NCC.
We urge Internet Service Providers (ISP), hardware makers, operating system vendors and web
companies in Nigeria to make ready their services and equipment for the Internet Protocol Version Six
(IPv6).
Although there are plans for successful migration and co-existence techniques for IPv4 and IPv6
transition, migration to IPv6 has become imperative given the ‘Test Flight’ to be executed on IPv4 on
Wednesday, June 8 2011, being spear-headed by the Internet Society (ISOC) tagged the ‘World IPv6
Day’.
Participants also noted that this Test Flight will permit some major Internet service providers like
Google, Facebook, Yahoo!, Akamai and Limelight networks to offer their contents over IPv6 only for a
24-hour period. The goal of the Test Flight Day is to motivate organizations across the industry – Internet
service providers, hardware makers, operating system vendors and web companies – to prepare their
services for IPv6 to ensure a successful transition as IPv4 addresses run out.
Participants were intimated on the plans by the Nigerian government and internet stakeholders
to host the West Africa Internet Governance Forum (WAIGF) on July 27-29, 2011 in Lagos, in the subNigeria
Digital Sense Forum 2011 – Communiqué
2
region’s preparation for the sixth annual global Internet Governance Forum (IGF) scheduled to hold in
Nairobi, Kenya on September 27 through 30, 2011.
Again, the 2011 edition of the Nigeria Digital Sense forum acknowledged security as a major issue
of concern for the Nigerian Internet community, but noted that while its being discussed at all levels,
stakeholders should not despair, as the platform offered the Nigerian Internet community the
opportunity to assemble and deliberate, educate and proffer solutions on how to make best use of the
situation; taking benefit of the available Internet Access, its Diversity, Openness in addressing matters
concerning Security and its Governance in Nigeria.
The forum further recognized:
1. That members of the Nigeria Internet community must be encouraged to participate at the sixth
Internet Governance Forum, either individually, group or remotely.
2. Calls on Federal Government to establish Broadband Stimulus for the ICT sector to boost
infrastructure deployment.
3. Nigerian Internet Community hereby call for the adoption of Internet Protocol version Six (IPv6)
by all stakeholders, especially the Internet service providers, hardware makers, operating system
vendors and web companies.
4. As matter of urgency that IPv6 awareness and capacity building be organized for both Internet
Services Providers and other stakeholders in Nigeria, mostly with respect to the ‘Test Flight Day –
World IPv6 Day’ before or on June 8, 2011.
5. That distinct seminars and trainings on IPv6 should be regularly organised for the Nigerian
Internet Community in addition to incorporation of IPv6 into the university curriculum.
6. Participants restate calls for the establishment of a National Internet Registry (NIR) to guard the
IP management subjects in the country and develop a ‘National IPv6 Roadmap’ to strategize the
IPv6 transition.
7. Government through the ICT-regulatory agencies should provide incentives to Internet industry
to encourage adoption of IPv6-based infrastructure, especially via tax rebates, with specific call
on upstream Internet connectivity providers to facilitate IPv6 readiness in their networks.
8. All new IT equipment supplied to Government should be IPv6 compliant and Government should
set target date for MDAs to migrate to IPv6 compliant networks.
9. Urged government to address the issues of high-cost of Internet access and devices as well as
ensuring that all primary, secondary and tertiary institutions have well-equipped computer
laboratories fully connect to the Internet.
Nigeria Digital Sense Forum 2011 – Communiqué
3
10. FG should integrate .ng into the rebranding process, while requesting National IT Development
Agency (NITDA) to ensure that MDAs make adequate of use .ng country code Top Level Domain
(ccTLD) name.
11. Nigerians were asked to see .ng ccTLD as their landed property in the cyber space and invest in it.
12. Recognition of the legality and validity of electronic data and its various applications including
writing, information and communication, signatures and certification, contract formation and
performance, data storage/retention and evidence in legal proceedings.’
13. Participants also recognised some non-Legal Constraints impeding the uptake of e-Commerce
and m-Commerce in Nigeria, including high cost of Internet access, poor public power supply,
illiteracy and poverty.
14. State governments in Nigeria should commence actions by enacting relevant e-Commerce and
m-Commerce laws to guide businesses within their domains.
15. Nigeria needs Data Protection and Privacy law to give expression to the constitutional provision
and boost e-Signature recognition and online identification of customer, caching, hacking, use of
cookies etcetera, as well as check terrorism and content Control-Role of ISP’s and Search Engines
operators.
16. Participants further urged for adequate discussion on Applicable Law and Jurisdiction issues in
Internet Transactions/Electronic Contracts so as to avoid cyberspace fallacy.
Stakeholders were charged to:
(a) Involve and collaborate with industry and civil society groups in order to promote civic
participation and engagement of citizens' in matters of common concern – Internet of all things.
(b) Ensure that the National Assembly fast-tracks the passing of cybercrime bill and other related
bills, possibly before the end of the current Legislative session, so as to reaffirm Nigeria’s position
in battling cyber crimes from Nigerian- Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and among the youths.
(c) Reaffirm partnership of the forum through collaboration with relevant Ministries, Departments
and Agencies (MDAs) of government, mostly at the Federal level, including NITDA, Galaxy
Backbone (GBB) Plc, and National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Ministry of Information and
Communications as well as Ministry of Science and Technology public private partnerships.
The Nigeria Digital Sense forum 2011 was proudly supported by MTN Nigeria Communications
Limited, Omatek Plc, Teledom Group, IXPN, Computer Warehouse Group (CWG), Linkserve, School of
Oriental and African Studies, University of London, United Kingdom; Ashfield and Bowman
Attorneys; Paradigm Initiative Nigeria, and endorsed by Nigeria Internet Registration Association
Nigeria Digital Sense Forum 2011 – Communiqué
4
(NiRA), Nigeria Internet Group (NIG), Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON),
Association of Telecom Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) etcetra.
The Nigeria DigitalSENSE Africa 2011, was presided over by the former President, Nigeria
Internet Group and ATCON, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, with a facility tour by participants to Nigeria
Internet Exchange Point facility in Lagos on the second day after a morning session. The forum attracted
over 550 participants, cutting across decision makers, regulators, government representatives, NGOs,
technocrats, ISPs, major GSM/mobile operators, online entrepreneurs, students, market women/men
and religious organisation and community-based organisation.
For further information please contact:
Executive Director, DSA, Nkemdilim Nweke (Mrs), 234-8023725607;
www.digitalsenseafrica.com.ng,
Inquiries: remnekkv@gmail.com, info@digitalsenseafrica.com.ng

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

ICANN endorses dot XXX amidst protest

Despite demonstration at the just concluded 40th public meeting of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Northern California, United States, against the registration of dot XXX by the global Internet coordinating body, ICANN as a Sponsored Top Level Domain (sTLD).

Usually, the sponsored Top Level Domain represents a specific community interest, while the sponsor carries out delegated policy-formulation.

ITRealms Online recalls that last Thursday, some participants at the 40th public meeting were led by a California-based Free Speech Coalition (FSC) to a demonstration to drum home their points and awkward plans by ICANN to give dot XXX being proposed by ICM Registry a green light.

Barely 24 hours afterwards, the board of ICANN endorsed dot XXX, saying it met all the required registration details to be so approved.

While approving the ICM Registry application for .XXX, ICANN board noted that following the June 25, 2010 substantial public comments were received number over 700, on the process options available to ICANN to consider the Independent Review Panel’s Declaration of February 19, 2010, they accepted in part the findings of the Panel.

“The Board then directed staff ‘to conduct expedited due diligence to ensure that: (1) the ICM Application is still current; and (2) there have been no changes in ICM’s qualifications,’” part of the resolution made available to ITRealms Online read.

Also, the board stated that ICANN staff performed the required due diligence, that showed that the ICM application remained current and that there have been no negative changes in ICM’s qualifications.

Armed with an updated proposed registry agreement which included additional provisions, requirements and safeguards to address the issues that the Government Advisory Committee (GAC) and other community members under ICANN had raised in respect to the previously proposed agreement, the proposed registry agreement and due diligence materials were posted for public comment.

ICANN equally noted that in the over 700 comments received, though few of the comments addressed the terms of the registry agreement, no changes to the registry agreement were recommended in response to the comments.

The global internet coordinating body pointed out that on December 10, 2010, the Board agreed with an assessment that entering into the proposed registry agreement would conflict with only three items of GAC advice and directed the staff to communicate this information to the GAC.

Further, the Board determined that it intends to enter into a registry agreement with ICM Registry for the .XXX sTLD, subject to GAC consultation and advice, and thereby invoked the consultation as provided for in ICANN Bylaws section Article XI, Section 2, Paragraph 1(j).

In addition, ICANN led by its chairman, Mr. Peter Dengate Thrush, and chief executive officer, Mr. Rod Beckstrom, explained at a press meeting on Friday after the reading of board resolution, said that in order to facilitate the Bylaws consultation with the GAC, the Board on January 25, 2011, directed staff to forward a letter from the Board to the GAC clearly setting forth the Board’s position on how the ICM proposed registry agreement meets items of GAC advice, and setting forth the items of GAC advice remaining for consultation, following which the board on March 16, this year, forwarded a letter clarifying GAC advice on the ICM matter to the Committee.

And having carefully considered comments from the community and the GAC in making this decision, in furtherance of ICANN’s mission, the board, according to the Director, Global Media Affairs, Mr. Brad White, has in conjunction with GAC completed a formal Bylaws consultation on those items for which entering the registry agreement might not be consistent with GAC advice.

Hence, he said, the board resolved by authorizing the CEO of ICANN, Mr. Beckstrom or the General Counsel to execute the proposed registry agreement for the .XXX sTLD, in substantially the same form posted for public comment in August 2010.

“The Board’s statement is without prejudice to the rights or obligations of GAC members with regard to public policy issues falling within their responsibilities,” part of the resolution stated.

However, the agitating group under the Free Speech Coalition led by its Executive Director, Ms Diane Duke, noted the imperativeness of the whole issue by the adult industry professionals mostly of the serious ramifications of this complex issue in what she described as a five-part series, which point out some of the atrocities in ICM’s proposal on .XXX TLD, declaring that owning a .XXX TLD may be far more dangerous and detrimental to online business than not.

The adult entertainment industry is certainly no stranger to the use of “child protection” as a pretext to impose unnecessary regulations on it while engaging in direct attacks on the civil liberties of its members. But governments are not the only serial abusers of this hypocritical tactic. ICM also uses “child protection” as one of the fundamental reasons why a .XXX sTLD is needed. It even did so in its application when it made the vague promise to “support the development of tools and programmes to protect vulnerable members of the community.”

ICM also promised ICANN’s Government Advisory Committee (GAC) that it “will donate $10 per year per registration to fund IFFOR’s (International Foundation for Online Responsibility) policy development activities and to provide financial support for the work of online safety organizations, child pornography hotlines, and to sponsor the development of tools and technology to promote child safety and fight child pornography.”

There’s a problem with ICM’s math, however. This is the same ten dollars per year per registration that ICM’s Stuart Lawley described and continued to describe quite differently to the adult entertainment community.

Commenting on the development the president, Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA), Mrs. Mary Uduma, described the approval granted ICM on .XXX as typical definition of endorsement of pornography on the Internet by the coordinating body, especially it having presence on the root of internet, inferring to the TLD.

Remmy Nweke, just back from San Francisco, California, USA:
ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

ICANN’11 second meeting goes to Singapore

The second meeting of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) would in June this year hosted by the Asia-Pacific region based on its policy of rotation.

Ordinarily, ICANN hold three public meetings annually to chart a way forward for the Internet community globally. The first just ended in Silicon Valley, San Francisco, California, last Friday.

ICANN president, Mr. Rod Beckstrom affirmed this at the end of the conclusion of ICANN’s 40th public meeting in San Francisco, disclosed that the board has approved Singapore as the official host of the 41st public meeting in June, while it was initially co-located in Amman, Jordan on behalf of the Asia-Pacific meeting.

“Due to unforeseen circumstances, the ICANN Board Executive Committee determined to change the meeting location to Singapore,” part of the resolution paper revealed.

He explained that as part of ICANN’s public meeting schedule, three times a year ICANN hosts a meeting in a different geographic region as defined in the ICANN Bylaws of the world, the meeting number 41, scheduled for 18-24 June 2011, is to occur in the Asia-Pacific geographic region.

Also, the Committee reviewed the recommendation for hosting the meeting in Singapore, and the determined that the proposal met the significant factors of the Meeting Selection Criteria used to guide site selection work.

“Outside of the call for recommendations, the process for selection of sites does not call for public consultation, as the staff assessments of the feasibility of any site is the primary consideration,” he said.

Additionally, he explained that all public meetings advance ICANN’s transparency and accountability objectives.

“There will be a financial impact on ICANN in hosting the meeting and providing travel support as necessary, as well as on the community in incurring costs to travel to the meeting,” he said, noting that there is no impact on the security or the stability of the Domain Name Systems (DNS) due to the hosting of the meeting.

Remmy Nweke, just back from San Francisco:
ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

NCC to collaborate with ISPON on telecom software

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that it is ready to partner with the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON) in the establishment of the national working group on telecommunications software services transactions and billing systems, reports ONYINYECHI NWANGWU.

Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Eugene Juwah, said this in Abuja at the weekend when the leadership of the institute, led by its President, Mr. Chris Uwaje paid him a courtesy call to unveil is activities and expectations.

Dr. Juwah urged ISPON to articulate a clear programme of action in this direction for the consideration of the management and board of the Commission since billing in telecommunications and similar software related activities in the telecom industry need to be properly practiced in Nigeria.

The NCC boss said although the activities of ISPON is much more related to the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) the Commission is ready to support in the areas that fall within the telecommunications regulation and practice.

Juwah however called for a concerted effort towards realizing cost effective usage of software solutions in various aspects of economic management in the country.

Earlier, the President of the Institute, Mr. Chris Uwaje, said the visit was in furtherance of the institute’s national advocacy for the establishment and adoption of national software strategic policy and to rub minds on the critical and challenging ICT issues in national development.

According to him, “It is our professional opinion that our nation is faced with a monumental challenges on how to structure, configure and reposition information and Communications Technology and especially software Nigeria, as a prime industry for nation building, national security and global competitiveness.

“To address these concerns, there is need for fundamental need to establish an initiative to review existing ICT policies, strategies and establish as well as implement a National Software strategy and policy aimed at ensuring that Nigeria will be able to satisfy its domestic, regional and international requirements for application software solutions, content development and usage”, he added.

Mr. Uwaje also lamented several failed software projects in Nigeria including transfer of an estimated more than One Billion US Dollars from Nigeria annually in the form of cost of licensing software, delivery services and technical support.

The he said is in addition to evidence of colossal losses to banks in the country and the oil sector, and even government due to inconsistent version upgrade and processes leading to failed software products, project implementation and services.

He listed areas of central concerns to Nigeria’s economic development and national security to include unregulated state of foreign software products in Nigeria, non existence of national policy and legislation on software, implementation of e-government, e-education, tele-medicine and protection of our cyberspace for national security and survivability.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Chinese govt blocks Gmail to avert protest

Chinese government may have taken to blocking of access to Google Mail (Gmail) to avert seeming anti-government protests, according to the PCmag.com reports.

Gmail in the country has been reported to witness intermittent crippling as users could not send e-mails or messages are marked as unread.

“There is no technical issue on our side. We have checked extensively. This is a government blockage carefully designed to look like the problem is with Gmail,” Google told eWeek.

The effort is reportedly tied to the “Jasmine Revolution,” a call for Chinese citizens to protest the country’s lack of reforms. The movement picked up steam online and via Twitter and was compared to similar efforts in the Middle East, but as Time reported, the Chinese government quickly cracked down on any anti-government activity.

Google’s Apps Dashboard shows no disruption with Gmail in the past few days, save for a brief downtime on March 17.

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The move comes about eight months after China renewed Google’s Internet content provider license amidst a battle over censored search results. In July, Google announced a hybrid approach to search in the region. To avoid losing its license in China, Google said it would stop completely re-directing all Google.cn traffic through its Hong Kong site and instead reinstate the Google.cn landing page. The search component is still an unfiltered option going through Google.com/hk, while other Google.cn services that have traditionally been unfiltered, like music and text translate, will be available via Google.cn.

That came after Google discovered that cyber attacks originating in China had tried to gain access to Google intellectual property as well as the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists.

In December, China declared that all Internet phone services other than those provided by the two state-run telcos, China Telecom and China Unicom, were illegal.

Remmy Nweke:
ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

MTN supports Nigeria Internet Governance forum , holds tomorrow

All is now set for the third edition of the Nigeria DigitalSENSE forum series which focuses on Internet Governance and Development in Nigeria, just as the largest mobile operator in the country, MTN Nigeria has through its support on the event.

Executive Director, DigitalSENSE Africa, the organizers of the forum, Mrs. Nkemdilim Nweke, said that all is now set for the successful hosting of the two-day event which commences Thursday, tomorrow at the Golden Gate Paradise Ikoyi, Lagos.

She also said that the forum to be presided over by the former president of the Nigeria Internet Group (NIG) and immediate past president, Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem with the theme: Internet Governance and Broadband Evolution in Nigeria.

Mrs. Nweke also said that MTN Nigeria is to deliver a special paper on what makes its broadband services thick, she said that MTN has been described recently by the regulator as the only mobile operator that has lived up to its broadband deployment.

Commending MTN for supporting this year’s forum, she said that leadership of the mobile operator understands what it takes deliver better mobile services to the end-users, especially on its 3.5G products, which have been tailored to accommodate various users.

She recalled that last week, Starcomms plc, one of the nation’s Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) leading operators endorsed forum coming up on Thursday, March 24 at the Golden Gate Ikoyi-Lagos.

The Nigeria DigitalSENSE forum focuses on Internet Governance and development in the country in relation to the global Internet Governance Forum (IGF) which would be this year hosted by Kenya in Nairobi in the last quarter.

Also, she said, Teledom Group is supporting the event due to the importance the company attaches to broadband-based internet services such as video on demand and electronic learning among others.

Further, she said that there are several other options for support and sponsorship available at the event as the predicted that participants for 2011 would definitely grow beyond the magic of last year, where the venue was filled to the brim.

Participants would have the opportunity of hearing from the Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Eugene Juwah on the theme, while the Minister of Information and Communications, Mr. Labaran Maku and his counterpart in Science and Technology Prof. Muhammad Abubakar Ka’oje have been lined up as special guests of honour to the occasion.

Lagos State governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, she further said, would lead the state delegation to the Nigeria DigitalSENSE forum as chief host accompanied by his Commissioner for Science and Technology, Dr. Obafemi Hamza among others.

Remmy Nweke:
ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

FG names Isoun chairman of NigComSAT board

The former Minister for Science and Technology, Prof. Turner Isoun has been named the chairman, board of Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) Limited by the Federal Government (FG).

Assistant General Manager, Corporate Communications, Mr. Sonny Aragba-Akpore, made this disclosure in a press statement made available to ITRealms Online at the weekend.

He also said that the board which was inaugurated recently by the National Security Adviser (NSA) Lt. Gen. Owoye Azazi (rtd) had Messrs Daudu Festus Yusufu Narai, Adi Bernard Barau and Hasue Isah Mohammed as members.

Equally, he said, the board has Mr. Wahab Kolawole Jimoh representing Science and Technology Ministry, Mr Munir Abiodun Alao representing Finance Ministry and NIGCOMSAT representatives Ahmed Rufai, Abimbola Alale and Olabode Oroge.

He quoted the NSA as saying the board members were carefully selected to meet with the challenges of the times, adding that they should live up to their billings.

At its maiden board meeting thereafter, Isoun, who midwifed NigComSat and gave it the statutes to operate, when he was Minister said he was pleased with what has been done at NIGCOMSAT so far considering the short time it has existed.

He explained that despite the drawback when NigComSat-1 was deorbited, “I am impressed with what Ahmed-Rufai has done within this short period especially bringing together a galaxy of stars from all over Nigeria to serve their fatherland” he said.

Isoun who met with management staff of the company, recalled that when the company was set up in April 2006, it there was no anticipation of any formidable growth.

“we didn’t anticipate this formidable growth” adding that “we are happy with what you are doing especially in a cutting edge technology industry in which you are pioneers not only in Nigeria but also in Africa.”

Isoun, the longest serving Science and Technology Minister, between 2000 and 2007, noted “if you make success of this venture, which I am sure you will, it will be well with your soul.”

A science and technology technocrat, Isoun pointed out that the purpose of the board is to create checks and balances, because everybody has a role to play.

“But we must work together as one to achieve progress for Nigeria,” he said.

Speaking, the managing director, NigComSAT, Mr. Ahmed-Rufai said that apart from the board providing direction, it will create good corporate governance for the company which adds up to quality service delivery.

He noted that there was an initial interim board of governors which was dissolved in conformity with the provisions of the Company and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) of 1990 and a new one was constituted.

The new board, he said, has the responsibility to set policy and strategy for the company and report to the President through the Science and Technology Minister and the NSA.

Remmy Nweke:
ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D