Mrs. Mary Uduma, President of Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA), has said that more than 250, 000 dot ng (.ng) domain names would have been recorded by the end of 2014.

She disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

She said that the association, as at Dec. 2013, through its registrars, had registered more than 50, 000 domain names.

We are expecting that we will reach 250, 000 domain names by the end of the year. We have already drawn up programmes on how to create awareness on the .ng domain names,'' Uduma said.

She said that one of the strategies put in place to achieve the 250, 000 target was the "Domain Name Fiesta'", which will hold later this month.

According to her, the fiesta will entail going round the states and local government areas to ensure that Nigerians know about the .ng domain name.

She said that another strategy to be taken by NIRA was its collaboration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

The NIRA president said that the collaboration would ensure that anybody registering its company's name with the CAC, also took a domain name.

She said that the association was already fine tuning the process with the commission, to ensure that the exercise was hitch-free.

Uduma also said that NIRA registrars would be giving out 100, 000 .ng domain names for free, with the goal of attaining the 250, 000 domain target.

She said that one of the advantage of taking up the .ng domain name was that it would launch individuals and businesses into the Internet.

According to her, it will further create employment and help to build local content.

A domain name is ones online identity, which allows Internet users from around the world to locate and browse the Website. It functions on the Internet in a manner similar to a physical address in the physical world.