The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has inaugurated the IPv6 Governing Board as part of efforts to boast Nigeria’s transition to Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) and strengthen the country’s digital infrastructure.

The inauguration, which took place in Lagos, aims at driving nationwide adoption of IPv6, a next-generation internet protocol designed to support the growing demand for internet-connected devices and emerging digital technologies.

Among those appointed to the board is Olusola Teniola, Director of ipNX, who along with other industry leaders and stakeholders were tasked with steering the country’s IPv6 adoption strategy.

Other members of the board include Muhammed Rudman as Chairman; Chris Uwaje as Vice-Chairman; as well as Funke Opeke, Mary Uduma, Gbenga Adebayo, Lanre Ajayi and Latif Ladid, and also representatives of relevant government agencies and regulatory institutions.

Speaking on his appointment, Teniola expressed appreciation to the NCC for the opportunity to serve and stressed the importance of accelerating Nigeria’s migration to IPv6.

According to him, the transition has become imperative as data consumption continues to grow and technologies such as 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have become increasingly integrated into daily lives and business operations.

“The transition to IPv6 is no longer a future consideration; it is an immediate priority for Nigeria’s digital economy.

“As data consumption grows and emerging technologies such as 5G, IoT and AI become more pervasive, we must ensure that our underlying infrastructure is scalable, secure and globally competitive,” he said.

Teniola stated that successful implementation of IPv6 would require strong collaboration among telecommunications operators, internet service providers, enterprises, academic institutions and government agencies.