General News
Digitize Content to Localize Internet Traffic – Rudman
Mohammed Rudman is the managing director of Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN).
In his over a decade experience in the information and communications technology, Rudman has worked as network administrator in Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) from where he moved to Galaxy Backbone. He spoke to chike onwuegbuchi on how IXPN will help stimulate growth of local content on the internet.
Objective of IXPN in Keeping Local Traffic Local
Right now, almost all the providers are connected to our network and they are exchanging local traffic. First of all, we need to ask ourselves what is traffic?
Traffic is content. Even though big networks are connected, but they are just part of ‘iball’ networks.
Because if you divide the network into two, you will have people trying to browse, but what are they trying to browse? Content; so, the two, the end users and the content work together.
Presently, the content in Nigeria is low, even though we have huge network. So, networks that are iballs are the kinds of network we need in Nigeria.
They are networks that are heavy in content. We lack those contents heavy networks in Nigeria. Although the major network providers are connected, the traffic is not at its high capacity, because the content is not enough. We have very few content providers that are connected at our exchange point. For instance, we have Google. And Google is a network that provides content as well. The whole essence of coming together, even though some are idle, is that by the time we are together we can attract global content players to be part of the Nigerian network. At the same time, in coming together we are trying to see how those ISPs and telcos can provide value added services by hosting contents locally. It’s already happening.
Big data centers that were formally not available are now here with more coming on board. In April this year we organized an event on Local Internet Content aimed at bringing the ISPs, telecos, as the owners of the data centers, to engage them with the registrars of .ng and other registrars that are registering domains and hosting contents and even to the end users that generate contents like the iROKOtv and others; so that we can discuss issues on how to host contents in Nigeria.
So, there is an improvement in the exchange of traffic locally. We can see an annual growth of 300 to 400%.
Importance of the Local Internet Content Forum
After such engagements with stakeholders we usually come out with positions before implementations. The issue is that we do not see result immediately, but, I can say that from that event we have recorded immediate results.
The traffic at the exchange is increasing; we have seen major companies trying to shift ground from hosting abroad to hosting in Nigeria. One of them is Upper Link Limited which is the leading registrar in Nigeria. They have promised to migrate some of their servers into two Nigerian companies, because they have realized that those organizations have the data centers to host their contents.
They have signed their agreement. What we have to do now is to monitor if they have really moved their servers.
Secondly, we had discussions with the iROKOtv, the CEO is actually convinced towards the local hosting of contents. They are seriously thinking of replicating their serves into Nigeria to serve the Nigerian consumers.
Thirdly, the Ministry of Science and Technology is going to mandate all parastatals, ministries and agencies to register .ng and possibly host in the country and to have all email addresses that are locally driven. It is not going to be business as usual, especially for official purposes. Before now, we see government officials exchanging governments’ emails via personal emails.
I have seen a high ranked army official having Yahoomail on his call card, not as an additional mail, but it serves as his official email. So, from the event it was emphasized that by 2014 such emails should not be accepted in the government corridors.
As stakeholders, we do not make policies rather we brainstorm and make our positions known to the government and stakeholders, especially on how to digitize content; Nigeria has a lot of content. But the challenge is how to digitize and give access to them locally.
How Do We Digitize Contents
There are different techniques and organizations that are responsible for it. We need to find a way to achieve that.
And each ministry, department and agency (MDA) has to digitize themselves, so that one entity will not just be responsible for that. For instance, our universities have the responsibility to turn their libraries to e-books, projects and thesis of students at different levels.
That will enable other students across the globe to have access to it; that is huge content. These are huge contents that are seating on the floor of libraries of universities. In some cases, the contents are digitized, because nobody writes thesis now or projects with typewriters, so why can’t the school authorities start accepting the soft copies?
In the Immigration Service, they have started digitizing peoples’ passports, data, among others; the same thing with driver’s licence, these are processes that will generate digital contents for the country.
Also, the National Museum has a lot of information which should be readily available. Have you heard of the National War Museum (NWM) in Umuahia? I was there and amazed over the history of the war as depicted in the museum.
The tools used during the war and how they were used are there in the museum. But is there any website for that; I coincidentally got to know about the place.
There are a lot of artifacts there such as aircrafts, tankers, and images of tools manufactured locally by the Biafra Army. So, whose responsibility is it to digitizer this?
It falls under the purview of each of the MDAs to digitize what they have, whether old or new documents. Even some of our songs are going into extinction. We need to host them online as they are the contents we are referring to.
Eko Connect Project
It is about connecting schools. It is a project we are hoping to expand. At the same time, we are looking at how to bring other schools together. Presently, the Pan Atlantic University is now connected to the exchange; other higher educational institutions will join.
Earlier, we worked with Google, because the Google University Access programme is where and they are giving free bandwidth at the exchange point, but the substantial networking now is that National Universities Commission (NUC) has awarded the contract for National Educational and Research Network. About 27 Federal universities will be connected together.
We hope that part of the legs of the research institutions’ project will connect to the IXPN, so that other universities that are not connected will benefit from the interconnectivity.
Since we intend to be at the six geo-political zones, we hope to be the link that will connect the private universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, research institutions and other relevant organizations.
For Eko Connect, it entails small cluster of schools that have connected to the exchange. And other institutions that are not part of the cluster are getting connected now. The national and educational research network (NERN) is about connectivity.
When we talk about the exchange point, it is all about inter-connecting ISPs, telecos, content providers; to an extent we can still use the same platform to interconnect schools, and since the focus is on IP, you can communicate with each other.
Benefits Of Schools Connecting To NERN
It is mainly about collaborations on researches, exchange of ideas. Currently, you have schools conducting research on a particular subject and the other school conducting same research but for the same purpose. By the time they are together, they can put their resources together to conduct the same research.
It is a common phenomenon in Nigeria: students duplicate projects between one university and another.
But when all the projects are online, it will minimize such plagiarism. It will heighten the level of students’ interest in conducting research or writing projects.
When lecturers have access to all the projects and theses, it will be difficult to duplicate. With software that will be made available, it will be easy to detect when a student copies, even if it is a paragraph, just as it is in other developed countries.
Other benefits include, it gives them access to cheaper internet service; as they are coming together they buy internet in bulk. In the Nigerian ICT Forum there is what is called Bandwidth Consortium; it is about schools coming together, buy together so they can have negotiating power.
The economy of scale happens there. The whole idea of the internet started with the universities, why? They wanted to have the processing powers; one university may have supper computer, the other may not, so they share tools.
Doctors can collaborate and do surgeries. A lecturer from a particular university can give a lecture in another university without being physically present there. The possibilities are endless.
Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, director general of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has said that the 18 community IT centre the agency has built in the past two years are meant to be a beacon of calls and catalyst of change in those communities where they are cited.
He sated this at the commissioning/handing over of IT centre at Akesan area in Lagos. He noted that the IT centres, Innovation hubs among others are part of digital literacy programme of the agency.
“This center is designed and build to help Akesan community to be part of the digital economy, because the President is big and loud when it comes to national prosperity and inclusivity.
“Our target is to build more than 1600 across the country. We want every community every Nigerian to be part of this national prosperity and inclusivity when it comes to digital economy.
“Today, we are here to commission it, to ensure and encourage you to put it in a good use, because we call it a community center means that we want everybody to be part of it. We don’t want it to be suited in a school where the school will lock it for only students and the staff.
“That’s why we located it in the community. Schools can be part of it. Our senior citizens can be part of it. Our religious centers also can be part of it to learn.
“We want it to be a beacon of call as well as a catalyst of change in this community. We want to see more information technology gurus coming from Akesan community. So, I want to encourage you to also come with a sustainability model so that the center will be on. It is on because when you invest in this kind of infrastructure, we don’t want to be called when there are small things that we should come and fix it. That’s why we are handing it over to the community so that the community can put it in a good use. The community can find a way to make it self-sustaining,” he said.
Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani, Honourable Minister of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy, the NITDA Community Centre in Lagos, a space that is more than just a building. It is a strategic extension of our national mission – a bridge between the Federal Government’s digital economy policies and the unmatched energy, ingenuity, and innovation that Lagos represents.
The minister who was represented by Mr. Johnson Bareyei, director, e-governmance in the ministry, added that his ministry is committed to promoting inclusivity through capacity building initiatives like the 3MTT programme.
“We are also developing the National Digital Economy & e-Governance Bill, which is a robust legislative framework that will help guide our everyday engagement online.
“Our work at the Ministry also includes Project BRIDGE, our ambitious effort to improve interconnectivity by deploying 90,000km of fibre-optic cable across Nigeria. This is a critical imperative as we work towards making Nigeria a $1trillion economy powered by innovation, infrastructure, and inclusive growth,” he said.
Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) has dissociated itself from BNBEX’s activities and warned Nigerians against using the online trading platform.
BNBEX, a global cryptocurrency trading, with headquarters in Miami, Florida, USA, had claimed that the NFIU is conducting a compliance review of all transactions related to Nigerian users on her platform pursuant to Nigerian Financial Surveillance Regulation.
However, in a swift reaction, Sani Tukur, head, strategic communications department, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, said such circular was not issued by the NFIU and bears no connection whatsoever to any of the unit’s current regulatory or compliance initiatives.
According to him, ” the NFIU wishes to inform all financial system stakeholders and the general public that it did not authorise nor author the document recently posted by BNBEX on its website, which falsely claims that the NFIU is conducting a compliance review of all transactions related to Nigerian users on her platform pursuant to Nigerian Financial Surveillance Regulation.
“The NFIU categorically states the circular was not issued by the NFIU and bears no connection whatsoever to any of the Unit’s current regulatory or compliance initiatives.
“Secondly, the Unit wishes to state that ‘Nigerian Financial Surveillance Regulation’ referenced in the circular is non-existent and has no basis in Nigerian law or regulatory frameworks.
“It further states that the logo and insignia used in the circular does not belong to NFIU and is fake. Additionally, the Unit presently has no office situated at Central Business District, Abuja or any other location outside it’s head office at No. 1 Monrovia Street, Wuse II, Abuja.
“NFIU therefore, strongly dissociates itself from the claims made in the circular and urges members of the public to rely only on official NFIU channels for accurate and legitimate information. Finally, the Unit has no affiliation to the entity known as BNBEX nor validated any of its operations.
“For purposes of clarification or to report suspicious information purporting to be from the NFIU, please contact the Strategic Communications Department at info@nfiu.gov.ng.”
Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has emphasized the critical need for robust collaboration among academia, industry, and government.
This call was made during a working visit by a delegation from Lancaster University, United Kingdom, led by Professor Kirk Semple, Director of International Research, to NITDA’s corporate headquarters in Abuja.
The visit centred on exploring avenues for strategic collaboration under the Research and Innovation Partnership for Entrepreneurship (RIPE) programme, an initiative aimed at leveraging academic research and innovation to spur entrepreneurial development and economic transformation.
Addressing the delegation, Inuwa noted that Nigeria and Africa broadly face a significant research investment gap that continues to hinder the continent’s progress toward building knowledge-based economies. “For us to build a robust and sustainable economy, we need to invest in research. That is where we have a huge gap in Nigeria and Africa at large, we don’t invest in research,” he said.
Using agriculture as a case in point, Inuwa observed that many Nigerian farmers lack access to critical data and digital tools that could revolutionise productivity and resource efficiency. He stressed that research and development (R&D) are foundational to solving such sector-specific challenges and to informing policies and regulations that can accelerate digital transformation.
Inuwa further outlined NITDA’s focus on emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), blockchain, robotics, and additive manufacturing, noting that these technologies hold vast potential for solving local problems and creating new economic opportunities.
“The goal is to create a vibrant technology-research ecosystem that unites academia, industry, government, entrepreneurs, and risk capital,” he stated.
He further emphasised the need to align university curricula with real world industry demands, encouraging institutions to develop talent capable of addressing practical challenges through innovation. Inuwa also called for better coordination among stakeholders, warning against the inefficiencies of duplicative efforts.
Inuwa also referenced the eight strategic pillars identified by the Federal Government as drivers of national development. These include Reforming the economy for inclusive and sustainable growth, strengthening national security for peace and prosperity, boosting agriculture to achieve food security, unlocking energy and natural resources, enhancing infrastructure and transportation, focusing on education, health, and social investment, accelerating diversification through industrialisation and innovation, Improving governance and service delivery.
To support these priorities, Inuwa further highlighted NITDA’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan 2.0 (SRAP 2024–2027), which is structured around eight complementary pillars. These include Foster Digital Literacy and Cultivate Talents, build a Robust Technology Research Ecosystem, Strengthen Policy Implementation and Legal Framework, Promote Inclusive Access to Digital Infrastructure and Services, Strengthen Cybersecurity and Enhance Digital Trust, Nurture an Innovative and Entrepreneurial Ecosystem, Forge Strategic Partnerships and Collaboration, and Cultivate a Vibrant Organisational Culture and an Agile Workforce in NITDA.
“We place a strong emphasis on research because without it, you can not develop effective policies or regulations that drive real change in the ecosystem,” Inuwa added.
The meeting marked a significant step forward in NITDA’s commitment to international collaboration, aligning with the broader objectives of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, and positioning Nigeria to take a leadership role in the global digital economy through research-led innovation, DG stated.
In his earlier remarks, Professor Kirk Semple highlighted Lancaster University’s global research reputation and its commitment to strategic collaborations that deliver societal value. He described the (RIPE) programme as a vehicle for knowledge mobilisation moving beyond academic theory to practical application.
“Universities today are under pressure to demonstrate value beyond knowledge creation. Strategic partnerships like this with NITDA helps ensure research informed policy, supports innovation, and drives meaningful change in communities,” Semple said.
He also underscored the role of innovation in bridging the gap between academia and society, noting that universities serve as critical hubs for organisations especially those lacking R&D capabilities to access expertise and resources necessary for solving global issues like climate change, public health, and technological inequality.
Professor Semple concluded by affirming the importance of creating diverse, long-term networks that foster cooperation across sectors, emphasizing that the true measure of success lies in sustained impact rather than accolades.
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