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A History of the Nigerian School on Internet Governance (NSIG)

Background

Over the past years, the Internet has played a major role in the growth and prosperity of society in areas of trade, education, health, governmental services, and entertainment. As of 2012, access to the Internet is recognized as a basic human right, enabling individuals to “exercise their right to freedom of opinion and expression” as stipulated by the United Nations Human Rights Council.

To ensure the sustainable growth of a stable, secure, and robust Internet, it is vital that governments, civil society, technical communities, and other stakeholders engage in dialogue and forums about the Internet -its development, usage, and management. This is what Internet governance is about.

Internet Governance (IG) emerged from the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in 2003 and 2005, where it was agreed that a platform was needed to discuss and share knowledge on public issues relating to the Internet.

Understanding of Internet Governance and related issues has historically been low within Nigeria. Very few people are aware that Internet Governance requires the participation of multiple stakeholder groups for better inclusion and representation. While regional and continental Schools on Internet Governance exist across Africa, Nigeria had not held one of its own -a gap that likely contributed to the limited number of Nigerians participating in the IG space.

Origins and founding

The idea for a Nigerian School on Internet Governance took shape during the 2017–2020 term of the Internet Society (ISOC) Nigeria Chapter’s Executive Committee. Caleb Ogundele, then serving as the chapter’s Programme Secretary, was the initiator: he had participated that year as a Fellow in the African School on Internet Governance (AfriSIG), and the experience of navigating that fellowship application process, combined with what he learned there, convinced him of the need for a Nigerian equivalent.
 
On returning from AfriSIG, Ogundele sought and received permission from Anriette Esterhuysen -the convener of AfriSIG, then Executive Director of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) -to domesticate the school’s model in Nigeria. Recognizing that an initiative of this scale needed institutional backing and broader stakeholder support to get off the ground, he pitched the idea to Dewole Ajao, then President of the ISOC Nigeria Chapter, to run it under the ISOC Nigeria umbrella. Dewole and the chapter leadership backed the proposal, giving the initiative the institutional credibility it needed to bring other stakeholders on board.

This support did not rest on Caleb Ogundele’s efforts alone -it depended on the chapter’s willingness to lend its name and structure, and on a wider group of partners who stepped in to make the first school possible.
 
Members of the Nigerian Internet Governance Forum’s Multistakeholder Advisory Group (NIGF MAG) also lent their support and served in advisory roles during the school’s early days -support that was instrumental in giving the fledgling initiative legitimacy in the eyes of the broader Nigerian Internet governance community. As part of shaping the school’s design, it was agreed that NSIG would co-locate with the NIGF, running the school just ahead of the forum each year so that participants could carry what they’d learned directly into a national IGF setting.
 
Special thanks are owed to several individuals who backed the initiative in its early days: Madam Tokunbo of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Mrs. Edith of NIRA, Muhammed Rudman of NIRA, and Mary Uduma. The inaugural school also drew faculty support from the wider African and global Internet governance community, including Brice Abah of AFRINIC and Yaovi of ICANN. And particular thanks go to Joshua Josh, who supported the project as a project assistant.

The inaugural NSIG (Lagos, 2019)

With ISOC Nigeria’s backing secured, the initiative moved from idea to execution through collaboration with a set of key institutional partners:

  • Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA) -hosted the inaugural school at its Lagos office, with strong support from NIRA’s leadership and faculty drawn from its ranks.
  • Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)
  • National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)
  • Paradigm Initiative (PIN) -Gbenga Sesan of PIN generously provided scholarship support for some limited participants.

Funding for the school came from the Internet Society and other supporting stakeholders, covering fellow travel, accommodation, faculty honoraria, and programme logistics.
 
The inaugural Nigerian School on Internet Governance ran July 7–9, 2019 (with a preparatory webinar on July 5 and a group photograph/closing on July 9), in Lagos, timed to precede the Nigerian Internet Governance Forum (NIGF) so that participants could put their learning into practice at a national IGF shortly after.

The 2019 Faculty

The inaugural faculty was drawn from across Nigeria’s Internet governance, regulatory, legal, and civil society ecosystem -a direct reflection of the multistakeholder model the school was built to teach. According to the school’s own records, the 2019 faculty comprised:

  • Caleb Ogundele -Faculty / Organiser (the only faculty member credited with the dual “Organiser” role)
  • Dewole Ajao -Faculty (then ISOC Nigeria Chapter President, who backed the initiative institutionally)
  • Mary Uduma -Faculty (former NIRA President and convener of the Nigerian Internet Governance Forum)
  • Muhammad (Muhammed) Rudman -Faculty (representing NIRA’s role as the .ng ccTLD registry)
  • Tope Ogundipe -Faculty
  • Raymond Onuoha -Faculty
  • Olusegun H. (“Segun”) Olugbile -Faculty
  • Olumide Babalola -Faculty (legal/data protection specialist)
  • Oloyede (“Rildwan”) Ridwan -Faculty
  • Inye Kemabonta -Faculty
  • Chuks Chukwuwen Okoriekwe -Faculty
  • ‘Gbenga Sesan -Faculty (Paradigm Initiative)

What the inaugural curriculum covered

The 2019 agenda ran across a preparatory webinar and then three intensive days in Lagos:

  • Day X (Fri, July 5): A preparatory webinar, “Internet Governance 101,” with Caleb Ogundele as speaker -setting the baseline knowledge participants needed before arriving.
  • Day 0 (July 7): Orientation and introduction to the practicum, with participants grouped to work on policy briefs across six tracks: privacy/digital rights, internet shutdowns in Africa, fake news/disinformation, access and digital inclusion, cross-border data governance, and youth/multistakeholderism.
  • Day 1 (July 8): Sessions covered the history of the Internet and Internet governance globally, regionally, and in Nigeria (Mary Uduma); the broader IG institutional ecosystem (Caleb Ogundele); the Internet’s addressing system -names and numbers, covering ICANN, AFRINIC, and NIRA as the ccTLD registry (Muhammad Rudman); diplomacy and multistakeholder approaches at the international/regional level (Segun Olugbile); the state of Internet access and infrastructure in Nigeria (Raymond Onuoha); a first practicum on participants’ lived experience of IG in Nigeria (all faculty); legal aspects of Internet governance (Inye Kemabonta); and the economic and development aspects of IG for Africa and Nigeria (Chuks Okoriekwe).
  • Day 2 (July 9, themed “Emerging Issues”): Sessions on data protection and privacy challenges in Nigeria (Olumide Babalola); privacy, encryption, cybersecurity, and IoT (Segun Olugbile and Caleb Ogundele); digital rights, advocacy, and emerging tech issues like AI and algorithmic justice (‘Gbenga Sesan); gender and socio-cultural inclusion in Internet governance (Tope Ogundipe); and a closing panel on addressing IG issues in Nigeria and youth initiatives in multistakeholderism, featuring Joshua Josh, Mary Uduma, Gabreal Odunsi, Bolutife Adisa, and Rildwan Oloyede, moderated by Uffa Modey -followed by group policy-brief presentations, evaluation, certificate handover, and a closing gala dinner.

Why NSIG

  • To raise awareness among young people and new entrants about Internet Governance issues and promote their participation in the discussion, with a focus on Nigeria.
  • To educate Nigerian stakeholders on the essence of IG and encourage more effective participation in the public policy issues IG focuses on.
  • To groom the next generation of Internet governance experts for Nigeria.
  • To motivate participants to design effective questions and take action as stakeholders in real life.
  • To bring together people from government, civil society, business, and other stakeholder groups to interact and explore common ground around a public-interest approach to IG.
  • To foster critical debate in a multistakeholder forum on IG issues from an African/Nigerian and gender-balanced perspective.
  • To identify and develop Nigerian/African positions on current issues in Internet policy and governance.
  • To encourage local-to-global learning and application of skills and expertise derived from the network.
  • To train new leaders of opinion in all aspects related to Internet Governance, from a global and African perspective, with a focus on Nigeria.

Participants and target audience

The inaugural school targeted at least sixty participants, including thirty ISOC Nigeria Chapter members offered fellowships to attend, alongside interested stakeholders from civil society, regulators/government, academia, and the technical community, distributed evenly across sectors.

Target audience included:

  • ISOC members
  • Private sector
  • Policymakers/regulators
  • University students
  • Legislators / legislative aides
  • Civil society
  • Academia
  • National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members

Structure and budget (2019)
Expected attendance was 60–70 persons: 30 from within Lagos and 30 from outside Lagos, with a proposed gender distribution of 55% female / 45% male, and a demographic split of 70% youth / 30% non-youth. At least 30 of the 60 participants were targeted for full or partial fellowship funding from partners.
 
Duration: July 8–10, 2019 (5 days). Location: Lagos
 
Resources required:

  • Transportation for fellows and facilitators
  • Accommodation for fellows and facilitators
  • Auditorium seating for 70–90 persons
  • Refreshments (tea/coffee, lunch)
  • Venue for closing dinner
  • Closing dinner costs

Pictures Gallery can be found here
https://archive.sig.ng/2019-gallery/

Legacy and continued involvement

NSIG has continued every year since its 2019 founding, through to the present (2025) edition, running consistently as a co-located event just ahead of the NIGF, and continuing the multistakeholder, partnership-driven model established at the start. This institutional legacy was continued by the executive team led by Engineer Kunle Olurundare after Caleb Ogundele’s resignation as President, when he later won an election to the ISOC Global board of trustees’ role.
 
Caleb Ogundele’s own role evolved along with the school: after his term as ISOC Nigeria Chapter President ended, he moved from an operational leadership role into an advisory one, and continues to serve on the school’s Advisory Group. As of the 2025 edition, the NSIG Advisory Group includes Caleb Ogundele, Professor Wale Adedokun, Rudman Mohammed, Sade Dada, ‘Gbenga Sesan, Engr. Kunle Olorundare, and a representative of the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy (FMCIDE) -a mix of founding-era contributors and newer stakeholders continuing to steer the school’s direction.
 
The school’s stated mission today is threefold: to increase the number of Nigerian representatives in international Internet governance debate spaces; to motivate participants to voice their opinions and become active participants in IG meetings where the Internet’s future is shaped; and to develop those participants into Nigeria’s and the region’s future Internet governance leaders.
 
 
Here is the revised narrative incorporating the curriculum evolution, the WSIS+20 focus, and the outlook for the upcoming edition:



Summary of the Nigerian School on Internet Governance (NSIG) Leadership and Facilitation

The Nigerian School on Internet Governance (NSIG) reaches a major milestone in 2026 as it runs its 7th edition. Over the years, the initiative has grown into a premier national platform for capacity building and policy leadership, guided by dedicated stewardship across its successive cycles:

  • 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Editions: Coordinated and led by Caleb Olumuyiwa Ogundele, who pioneered the coordination of the school’s foundational structure, curriculum framework, and initial stakeholder engagement model.
  • 4th, 5th, and 6th Editions: Coordinated by Engr. Kunle Olorundare, who expanded the program’s reach, incorporated emerging technical and policy subjects, and introduced expanded live group work in terms of seminars in addition to online module assignments for fellows.
  • 7th Edition (2026): Currently being organized and coordinated by Engr. Kunle Olorundare, continuing the mission to equip emerging digital leaders across Nigeria.

Curriculum Evolution & Global Impact

The NSIG curriculum continuously evolves to address the most pressing challenges within the global, regional, and national Internet Governance ecosystem:

  • 2025 Focus (WSIS+20): In 2025, the curriculum placed a strong emphasis on the WSIS+20 review process. NSIG was part of the unanimous global advocacy efforts that successfully secured the permanence decision for WSIS, a major victory for global internet governance advocacy and multistakeholder engagement.
  • Looking Ahead: The upcoming 2027 edition will further deepen discussions on the post-decision implementation of WSIS, exploring its implications for national policy, regional coordination, and global digital governance.

Facilitator Profile Summary

The faculty behind the NSIG brings together high-level expertise across all pillars of the multistakeholder ecosystem. Please note that this evolves depending on trendy issues being looked at:

  • Cross-Sector Domain Experts: Facilitators include seasoned figures from technical organizations (such as ICANN, AfriNIC, and ISOC), regulatory and government bodies, civil society groups, academia, and the private sector.
  • Comprehensive Curriculum Coverage: Instructional modules delivered by the faculty span critical internet resources, domain name system (DNS) operations, cybersecurity policy, routing security, data privacy, and artificial intelligence governance.
  • Practicum & Mentorship Approach: Facilitators act not only as lecturers but also as mentors, guiding fellows through interactive workshops, mock multistakeholder deliberations, and policy draft development.