Katsina Times | Lagos, April 23, 2026 —
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has inaugurated the Nigeria IPv6 Council, calling for coordinated and accelerated adoption of Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) to boost the country’s digital competitiveness, security and sovereignty.
The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr Aminu Maida, made the call during the inauguration ceremony held in Lagos on Thursday, describing the development as a critical step in Nigeria’s digital evolution.
Maida said Nigeria’s IPv6 adoption currently stands at about five per cent, significantly below the global average of over 40 per cent, stressing the need for urgent action to bridge the gap.
He explained that IPv6, the latest version of the internet protocol, was designed to address the limitations and address exhaustion challenges associated with Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4).
According to him, the depletion of IPv4 resources, alongside the rapid expansion of 5G networks, Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing and artificial intelligence-driven applications, has placed increasing pressure on legacy internet infrastructure.
“In this context, IPv6 is not optional; it is a strategic necessity for national competitiveness, security and economic sovereignty,” Maida said.
He noted that successful transition to IPv6 would require collaboration among regulators, telecom operators, enterprises, academia and government institutions.
The NCC boss added that the commission had already taken steps toward the transition through targeted policies and strategic partnerships, including collaboration with the African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC) to support capacity-building across sectors.
Maida said the newly inaugurated council would align efforts with a National IPv6 Deployment Strategy, which sets clear targets aimed at positioning Nigeria among Africa’s leading countries in IPv6 adoption within the next three years.
He outlined the council’s priorities to include establishing a monitoring and reporting framework with quarterly updates and an annual national report, promoting capacity building and certification of IPv6 engineers, and driving migration of government platforms to IPv6-enabled systems.
Other responsibilities include engaging key industry stakeholders such as internet service providers, data centres, content providers and financial institutions, as well as advising on policy incentives and regulatory frameworks to accelerate adoption.
Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), Muhammed Rudman, identified the continued availability of IPv4 as a major barrier to migration, noting that many operators lack urgency to adopt IPv6.
He revealed that although Nigeria has over 200 Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs) and more than 100 networks with IPv6 allocations, only a few are actively deploying the protocol for end users.
Rudman said reliance on Network Address Translation (NAT) under IPv4, while enabling multiple users to share limited IP addresses, poses challenges in security, traceability and performance.
He disclosed that the council had developed a National IPv6 Implementation Strategy with specific targets, including achieving at least 20 per cent IPv6 compliance in government networks by 2027, 25 per cent active deployment among telecom operators, and about 30 per cent nationwide adoption by 2030.
According to him, the council also aims to train at least 50 IPv6 professionals by October through structured programmes and partnerships with academic institutions and regional bodies.
Rudman noted that funding constraints and shortage of skilled manpower remain key challenges, exacerbated by migration of trained engineers abroad.
He added that implementation would commence with awareness campaigns and training in 2026, followed by policy integration and accelerated deployment in 2027, leading to wider adoption by 2030.
In his remarks, technology expert Chris Uwaje urged Nigeria to move away from legacy systems and embrace modern internet infrastructure to enhance digital sovereignty.
Uwaje emphasised that IPv6 adoption requires not only technical upgrades but also a shift in national mindset toward innovation, local capacity development and sustained investment in infrastructure.
