NITDA trains MDA officials on IPv6 migration
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NITDA trains MDA officials on IPv6 migration
By Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman
The National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA has urged senior government officials to support Nigeria’s transition from Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) to Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) to strengthen digital infrastructure and improve online public services.
The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, made the call at the opening of an IPv6 migration readiness workshop in Abuja, organised in collaboration with the Nigeria IPv6 Council and the African Network Information Centre.
Inuwa, who was represented by the Director of Digital Development Services, Oladejo Olawumi, said management support was crucial to ensuring a smooth transition across Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
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He explained that the workshop had two training streams, with one designed to equip directors and management-level officials with the knowledge required to support the migration, while the other focused on developing the technical skills of personnel responsible for implementing it.
The NITDA boss said senior officials needed to understand the process and provide the necessary support to their technical teams.
“It is to help you understand the process of transitioning from IPv4 to IPv6 and why we need to do it. And importantly, to support the technical staff who are also being trained.
“If you don’t understand what you are trying to do, it might be difficult for your technical staff to move forward,” he said.
Inuwa described the participants as the first set of management officials undergoing the training, adding that their involvement was necessary for the successful adoption of IPv6 across government institutions.
He said the migration had become imperative as the number of internet-connected devices and digital services continued to increase.
IPv4, the existing internet addressing protocol, supports approximately 4.3 billion unique addresses, while IPv6 provides a vastly larger address space to accommodate the growing demand for internet connectivity.
The transition is expected to provide a stronger foundation for expanding digital services as government agencies increasingly adopt online platforms for storing information, processing data and delivering services to citizens.
Inuwa linked the migration to the Federal Government’s digital transformation agenda, particularly efforts to expand access to public services online and strengthen the National Sovereign Cloud Initiative.
He said reliable and scalable digital infrastructure was necessary to enable government institutions to accommodate growing demand and reduce the need for citizens to visit public offices physically to access services.
The director-general also urged management officials to encourage their technical personnel to take the training seriously, noting that the specialised skills acquired could improve their professional prospects.
He disclosed that NITDA was funding certification for participating technical personnel, who were expected to sit examinations at the end of the programme.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Nigeria IPv6 Council and Chief Executive Officer of the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria, Mohamed Rudman, who served as the lead facilitator, commended the collaboration with NITDA.
Rudman urged participants to engage actively with the trainers, describing their involvement as important to preparing government institutions for the transition.
