The President, Nigerian Internet Registration Association (NIRA), Rev. Sunday Folayan, has said that the Ministry of Communications, under the current dispensation has done credibly well, in establishing and enhancing friendly internet ecosystem in Nigeria.

He gave the commendation recently while appraising the Impact of Internet Governance process in Nigeria in the last six years during the 2018 Edition of Nigerian Governance Forum at the Shehu Musa Yar’adua Centre, Abuja.

Rev. Folayan stated that the various forums where the Ministry has in several times brought ICT experts from across the globe with a view to leveraging on the interaction of stakeholders in the Nigerian ICT sector and their counterparts in other parts of the world to boost innovations and economic breakthrough via exchange of ideas and technology on internet, deserves to be commended as it yields positive results in contemporary Nigeria.

Mr Sunday, however, confessed that the performance of the Ministry of Communications under the watch of Dr. Adebayo Shittu has left him stunning, as he earlier doubted if a barrister had anything new to offer in the management of communications industry, bearing in mind that there was no link between a law professional and computer professional for him to judiciously deliver in the transformation of communications sector.

On the above note, the NIRA Boss gave a nod to the Minister to become a member of the Nigeria Internet Registration Association.

In a related development, Rev. Sunday also lauded the two sister agencies of the Ministry — National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) — for various innovations and reforms they have brought to the internet ecosystem in Nigeria.

He maintained that any stakeholder in the internet world that is unaware of the changes being effected in recent time by NITDA, the person is still “on the floor”.

Folayan called on the Minister to draw the attention of the Federal Executive council to an ugly trend where some Nigerian Police officers on highways intimidate Nigerian youths operating their handsets and computer in vehicles while on transit on the guise that they (youth) are doing “yahoo yahoo”. He said the youth should be allowed the freedom to use the internet to the fullest, without negative hitches.

In a comment, the Minister of Communications, Dr. Adebayo Shittu, said that he applied for the membership of NIRA because of his zeal to be part of the internet world after the expiration of his ministerial appointment.

•Caption: L-R: President Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA), Rev. Sunday Folayan, Senior Economic Advisor, Africa Economic Development Policy Initiative (AEDP), Dr. (Mrs) Oby Ezekwesii, Minister of Communications, Dr. Adebayo Shittu, Chairman, Nigeria Internet Governance Forum(NIGF), Mrs. Mary Uduma, Director, New Media and Information Security (NCC), Haru Alhassan and other participants at the Nigeria Internet Governance Forum (NIGF 2018) with a theme: An Enabler for Good Governance held at Shehu Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.

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