The sectoral Information and Communications Technology (ICT) stakeholders, have raised alarms over an apparent breach of the Federal Government's “Nigeria First Policy” reports ITREALMS.
The controversy stems from specific clauses in a recent agreement signed by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy (FMCIDE) with Hello.cv; a platform promoting Cape Verde’s country-code Top-Level Domain (.cv), under the flagship 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme,
ITREALMS recalled that the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, recently announced a $10 million partnership with Hello.cv.
According to the Minister, the deal grants 20,000 3MTT fellows access to the company’s premium profile package, valued at $500 per beneficiary. The bundle includes a personalized .cv domain, an AI-powered job search agent, and professional CV-writing tools.
However, local industry experts argued that mandating Nigerian youth to adopt a foreign national domain (.cv) directly violates domestic procurement directives and sidelines Nigeria's official digital identity on the internet: the .ng domain.
While applauding the Ministry's initiative to secure global partnerships to complement indigenous training efforts, stakeholders insisted the domain component of the deal was a misstep.
ITREALMS recalled that the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, recently announced a $10 million partnership with Hello.cv.
According to the Minister, the deal grants 20,000 3MTT fellows access to the company’s premium profile package, valued at $500 per beneficiary. The bundle includes a personalized .cv domain, an AI-powered job search agent, and professional CV-writing tools.
However, local industry experts argued that mandating Nigerian youth to adopt a foreign national domain (.cv) directly violates domestic procurement directives and sidelines Nigeria's official digital identity on the internet: the .ng domain.
While applauding the Ministry's initiative to secure global partnerships to complement indigenous training efforts, stakeholders insisted the domain component of the deal was a misstep.
They argued the Federal Government should have unbundled the agreement, ensuring that the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA); the statutory manager of the .ng registry, retained the exclusive right to host the 3MTT fellows.
Alternatively, analysts suggested that Hello.cv could have been mandated to host the beneficiaries on a sub-domain, such as hello.cv.ng, thereby preserving Nigeria's digital sovereignty.
Reacting to the development, Dr. Adebunmi Adeola Akinbo, Chief Executive Officer of DNS Africa Media and Communications, questioned the long-term data implications of the deal.
“The first thing we must understand is the sheer scale of onboarding thousands of citizens to the .cv ccTLD. Does the Cape Verde registry have the specific frameworks to protect the data privacy of Nigerian youths? Even if they do, is it appropriate for a government that champions 'Nigeria First' as a priority? It is highly improper.”
Dr. Akinbo emphasized that the .ng registry possesses the infrastructural capacity to easily accommodate the data load.
“If branding is their priority, Hello.cv should come and secure hello.cv.ng. If they view this as an entrepreneurial launchpad to scale, they can collaborate with local stakeholders to seamlessly onboard millions of Nigerians directly onto our country-code domain,” he said.
Approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on May 5, 2025, the "Nigeria-First Policy Agenda" is a strategic economic framework mandating all Federal Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to prioritize locally produced goods and services in public procurement. The policy was specifically designed to reduce foreign import dependency, stimulate domestic industries, and catalyze local job creation.
Industry observers noted that by outsourcing internet identity to a foreign registry, the $10 million FMCIDE package inadvertently cedes a massive block of Nigerian digital footprint to another nation. They contend that an internet domain is a critical symbol of national identity and should have been excluded from the foreign deal, given NiRA's readiness to support national projects.
Commenting on the development, Mr. Emmanuel Amos, CEO of Programos and founder of the Innovationbed-AI Academy, lamented that structural inconsistencies are eroding public trust in government directives.
“Nigeria seems to have lost the collective will to allow technology to deliver authentic domestic value. We plan initiatives, invest heavily, yet we often lack the institutional resolve to let local technology work effectively for us. There is an urgent need for systemic alignment where we envision solutions and rigidly enforce what is right for our own digital ecosystem.”
Dr. Akinbo further tied the issue to national security, referencing the Ministry's recent cybersecurity initiatives: “When discussing cybersecurity, .ng must remain at the forefront to protect national data intelligence, leaving foreign domains at the backend. Taking citizen data outside the jurisdiction of the Federal Republic of Nigeria—where we have zero regulatory oversight—is an error. Thankfully, activations only began last month, so there is still a window for the Ministry to make structural amendments and retain Nigeria's digital value.”
Legal and cybersecurity experts are now calling on data regulators to intervene. Ugonma Egwuatu of ECAM Global Services, an ICT and Data Protection firm, noted that since a federal ministry has greenlit the use of a foreign domain for thousands of citizens, the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) must demand answers. Stressing that NDPC itself mandated the use of .ng domains for its licensed Data Protection Compliance Organizations (DPCOs).
“We are looking at 20,000 sensitive citizen profiles; the NDPC should be deeply concerned,” Egwuatu stated.
“There must be total transparency regarding the backend architecture. What happens to the metadata of users visiting these sites? Why bypass .ng for a foreign alternative? Are there risks of data scraping or commercialization? We must assume the Ministry performed due diligence, but given that citizen data security is on the line, formal clarifications are necessary.”
Alternatively, analysts suggested that Hello.cv could have been mandated to host the beneficiaries on a sub-domain, such as hello.cv.ng, thereby preserving Nigeria's digital sovereignty.
Reacting to the development, Dr. Adebunmi Adeola Akinbo, Chief Executive Officer of DNS Africa Media and Communications, questioned the long-term data implications of the deal.
“The first thing we must understand is the sheer scale of onboarding thousands of citizens to the .cv ccTLD. Does the Cape Verde registry have the specific frameworks to protect the data privacy of Nigerian youths? Even if they do, is it appropriate for a government that champions 'Nigeria First' as a priority? It is highly improper.”
Dr. Akinbo emphasized that the .ng registry possesses the infrastructural capacity to easily accommodate the data load.
“If branding is their priority, Hello.cv should come and secure hello.cv.ng. If they view this as an entrepreneurial launchpad to scale, they can collaborate with local stakeholders to seamlessly onboard millions of Nigerians directly onto our country-code domain,” he said.
Approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on May 5, 2025, the "Nigeria-First Policy Agenda" is a strategic economic framework mandating all Federal Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to prioritize locally produced goods and services in public procurement. The policy was specifically designed to reduce foreign import dependency, stimulate domestic industries, and catalyze local job creation.
Industry observers noted that by outsourcing internet identity to a foreign registry, the $10 million FMCIDE package inadvertently cedes a massive block of Nigerian digital footprint to another nation. They contend that an internet domain is a critical symbol of national identity and should have been excluded from the foreign deal, given NiRA's readiness to support national projects.
Commenting on the development, Mr. Emmanuel Amos, CEO of Programos and founder of the Innovationbed-AI Academy, lamented that structural inconsistencies are eroding public trust in government directives.
“Nigeria seems to have lost the collective will to allow technology to deliver authentic domestic value. We plan initiatives, invest heavily, yet we often lack the institutional resolve to let local technology work effectively for us. There is an urgent need for systemic alignment where we envision solutions and rigidly enforce what is right for our own digital ecosystem.”
Dr. Akinbo further tied the issue to national security, referencing the Ministry's recent cybersecurity initiatives: “When discussing cybersecurity, .ng must remain at the forefront to protect national data intelligence, leaving foreign domains at the backend. Taking citizen data outside the jurisdiction of the Federal Republic of Nigeria—where we have zero regulatory oversight—is an error. Thankfully, activations only began last month, so there is still a window for the Ministry to make structural amendments and retain Nigeria's digital value.”
Legal and cybersecurity experts are now calling on data regulators to intervene. Ugonma Egwuatu of ECAM Global Services, an ICT and Data Protection firm, noted that since a federal ministry has greenlit the use of a foreign domain for thousands of citizens, the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) must demand answers. Stressing that NDPC itself mandated the use of .ng domains for its licensed Data Protection Compliance Organizations (DPCOs).
“We are looking at 20,000 sensitive citizen profiles; the NDPC should be deeply concerned,” Egwuatu stated.
“There must be total transparency regarding the backend architecture. What happens to the metadata of users visiting these sites? Why bypass .ng for a foreign alternative? Are there risks of data scraping or commercialization? We must assume the Ministry performed due diligence, but given that citizen data security is on the line, formal clarifications are necessary.”
Uj. N. Dominic/Editor
Short URLs:
goo.gl,
mcaf.ee,
cli.gs
No comments:
Post a Comment