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The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has inaugurated a new board for the Nigerian Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) Council, marking a major step in Nigeria’s efforts to modernise internet infrastructure and accelerate migration to next-generation internet protocols.
The inauguration, held in Ikeja, Lagos, comes as global demand for Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) addresses continues to outstrip available supply, intensifying the need for countries to transition to IPv6 to sustain digital growth.
Muhammed Rudman, Chief Executive Officer of the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), will continue to serve as Chairman of the Council, while a representative of the NCC will serve as Co-Chairman.
Speaking after the inauguration, Rudman described the transition to IPv6 as a strategic national priority essential to Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda, economic growth ambitions, and global competitiveness.
“The transition to IPv6 is a strategic national priority. It is essential for enabling Nigeria’s digital transformation, economic growth, and global competitiveness,” Rudman said.
He noted that the council’s strategy positions IPv6 as a key enabler of national development, particularly in supporting emerging technologies such as 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT), and other digital services requiring scalable internet infrastructure.
According to him, the migration will also strengthen network security, improve performance, and reduce reliance on legacy solutions such as Network Address Translation (NAT), which have become increasingly constrained under the current IPv4 environment.
Rudman acknowledged the contributions of former council members, including Olusola Teniola, former President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON); Funke Opeke, Founder of MainOne; Mary Uduma, former President of the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA); and Lanre Ajayi, former President of ATCON.
He said their contributions were instrumental in laying the foundation for Nigeria’s IPv6 migration efforts.
Membership of the IPv6 Council remains institution-based, bringing together key stakeholders from across Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.
The reconstituted board includes representatives from the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Internet Service Providers Association of Nigeria (ISPON), and the Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN).
Veteran technology experts Dr. Chris Uwaje and Prof. Latif Ladid will serve as advisers to the council.
The board has been tasked with leading Nigeria’s nationwide migration from IPv4 to IPv6 through policy coordination, technical implementation, stakeholder engagement, and regulatory advocacy.
To drive adoption, the council’s action plan will focus on two major priorities: awareness creation and technical capacity development.
The council plans to organise targeted workshops, stakeholder engagements, and national sensitisation campaigns aimed at promoting IPv6 awareness among operators, enterprises, and public institutions.
In addition, training programmes will be rolled out for network engineers across internet service providers, telecommunications companies, financial institutions, and academic institutions to strengthen local implementation capacity.
The council will also oversee the development of Nigeria’s national IPv6 strategy, monitor adoption levels across sectors, identify technical implementation gaps, and provide periodic reports to the Federal Government.
Part of its mandate includes recommending policy and regulatory measures that encourage internet service providers, telecom operators, enterprises, and educational institutions to upgrade infrastructure in line with global internet standards.
With the IPv6 Council now operational, stakeholders say the transition will play a critical role in sustaining Nigeria’s digital economy ambitions, broadband expansion, and emerging technology ecosystem as internet demand continues to grow.
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