FG to Give Over 5 million Students Free Daily Data, While Tightening Internet Rules for Children Under 16

The Nigerian Federal Government will reportedly begin providing 102400 kilobytes of free daily data to over five million Nigerian students from 1 October 2026, while security agencies are expected in the coming weeks to announce rules restricting internet access for children under 16.

Both announcements were made today in Abuja at the launch of the Initiative for Zero-Rated Access to Educational Platforms and Content, organised by the Federal Ministry of Education and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) with telecommunications operators.

According to report gathered by EruditeBlog, the data scheme is designed to remove connectivity costs as a barrier to digital learning. Eligible students in public senior secondary schools and public tertiary institutions will be able to use the daily 102400kb allowance only on approved educational websites and platforms. The allocation will not cover general browsing, social media or unapproved sites.

Education Minister, Dr Tunji Alausa said the programme sits under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative. “This initiative goes beyond connectivity. It is about putting learning within reach of children who may otherwise be unable to afford the data required to access it,” he said.

He added that a smartphone, tablet or computer could become “a classroom, a library and a gateway to human capital development” once the cost of accessing approved materials is removed. Poverty, location and weak traditional school infrastructure, he argued, should not decide who gets to learn online.

"Officials put the scale of the first phase at about five million learners. At 100MB a day, that is roughly 15 billion megabytes a month, valued by the minister at about N180 billion a year. The scheme is expected to expand later to other categories of learners." NAN discloses.

NCC Director of Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis Ayuba Shuaibu said the ministry and the commission will jointly whitelist platforms. Categories expected to qualify include learning management systems, digital libraries, educational repositories, teacher development platforms, and technical and vocational training services. Rollout will follow an “operator consult” model, under which participating mobile network operators provide the daily allowance. MTN, Airtel and Globacom are among operators backing the initiative.

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NCC board member Ikechukwu Ugwuegede compared the scheme to the e-book revolution, saying free access to approved academic sites would give rural and urban learners the same window onto knowledge. Senate and House committee members at the event commended operators for supporting the launch.

Alausa was equally firm that cheaper access must not mean unfiltered access. “Zero-rated access should not mean indiscriminate access to every platform that describes itself as educational,” he said. Content for children, he added, must be “appropriate, credible, safe and aligned with our educational objectives and our curriculum.”

He disclosed that security agencies will in the coming days or weeks announce guidelines regulating internet access for children under 16, to protect minors from cyber threats and harmful exposure. “It is our duty to protect every Nigerian child, more so underage children, from all sorts of cyberattacks and digital exposure,” he concluded.

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