Stakeholders in Nigeria’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector have raised serious concerns over what they described as a glaring violation of the Federal Government’s “Nigeria First Policy” by the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy. The allegation stems from certain provisions of the ministry’s recent $10 million partnership agreement with Hello.cv, a promoter of Cape Verde’s country code top-level domain (ccTLD), under the Three Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme.
Details of the Controversial Deal
Minister of Communications, Dr Bosun Tijani, had announced the deal, stating that Hello.cv would provide 20,000 3MTT fellows access to a profile package valued at $500 per fellow. The package includes a personal .cv domain, an AI-powered job search agent, and a professional CV writer. However, industry experts said that mandating Nigerian fellows to acquire a foreign domain (.cv) directly contravenes the “Nigeria First Policy” and sidelines the nation’s own digital identity, the .ng ccTLD, which is managed by the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA).
‘Nigeria First Policy’ Mandate
The “Nigeria First Policy Agenda,” approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on May 5, 2025, mandates all Federal Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to prioritise locally produced goods and services in government procurement. Pundits note that the Hello.cv package will only allow Nigerian fellows to utilise another country’s domain, promoting a foreign digital identity over Nigeria’s.
Experts Voice Concerns
Chief Executive Officer of DNS Africa Media and Communications, Dr Adebunmi Adeola Akinbo, while speaking on the issue, questioned the propriety of the deal, saying: “The number of people that will be onboarded to the .cv ccTLD is huge. Does .cv ccTLD have the policy to protect the privacy of Nigerians’ data? Even if they have, is it proper when we are talking about a government that says ‘Nigeria First’ as its priority? It is very improper, very, very improper.” Akinbo further noted that the .ng domain could easily accommodate such a large number of job seekers.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Programos and Innovationbed-Al Academy, Emmanuel Amos, lamented that government actions are eroding public trust. He said, “Nigeria seems to have lost the collective will to allow any technology to deliver real value for the ecosystem. We plan elections, invest in technology, and yet we often lack the institutional resolve to let that technology work effectively for us.”
Meanwhile, Ugonna Egwuatu of ECAM Global Services, an ICT and Data Protection firm, called on the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) to intervene. “We are talking about 20,000 data sources here. So, the NDPC should be concerned. What are they doing with the data of the people who visit the sites? Why the insistence on a foreign domain against the .ng that we know about? Are they trying to phish data? Are they trying to sell data?” he said.
The controversy highlights growing tensions between Nigeria's digital sovereignty ambitions and international partnerships, with stakeholders demanding that the government adhere to its own policies to protect local interests and data privacy.
