FG Announces Free Daily 100MB Data for Public School Students, Tertiary Learners
- The Federal Government announced the free daily data initiative at a launch event in Abuja on Thursday, July 2026
- The Nigerian Communications Commission is partnering with telecom operators including MTN, Airtel, and Globacom to roll out the scheme
- Education Minister Dr Tunji Alausa said the initiative will start with public secondary school and tertiary institution students
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Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over eight years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
FCT, Abuja - The Federal Government has set October 1, 2026, as the start date for a scheme that will give Nigerian students 100 megabytes of free internet data daily to access approved educational websites and learning platforms.
Education Minister Dr Tunji Alausa made the announcement on Thursday at the launch of the Initiative for Zero-Rated Access to Educational Platforms and Content in Nigeria, held in Abuja.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is coordinating the rollout alongside the Federal Ministry of Education and licensed telecommunications operators.
"Let me let out the secret. This will be made available to Nigerian students from October 1st, 2026."
As reported by The Punch, Alausa also acknowledged the role of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria in making the programme possible.
Who benefits first
The scheme will initially cover students in public senior secondary schools and public tertiary institutions before being extended to other categories of learners.
Alausa said the cost of data had become one of the biggest obstacles to digital learning, especially for children from low-income homes, and that removing that barrier could turn mobile phones, tablets, and computers into effective classrooms.
"Our ambition must be that, ultimately, no Nigerian learner should be denied access to quality educational content simply because he or she cannot afford data," he said.
NCC Director of Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis, Ayuba Shuaibu, explained that the Federal Ministry of Education and the NCC would jointly decide which platforms qualify for the zero-rated access.
Eligible platforms are expected to include learning management systems, digital libraries, educational repositories, teacher development tools, and technical and vocational training platforms.
MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, and Globacom are among the mobile network operators that have committed to providing the free daily data allowance under the framework, according to NCC Executive Commissioner for Technical Services, Abraham Oshadami.
Internet rules for children under 16
Alausa also revealed that the government is working on measures to regulate internet access for children below the age of 16, though he said further details would be announced later.
He stressed that all educational content available to young learners must be "appropriate, credible, safe and aligned with our educational objectives and our curriculum."
NCC Executive Commissioner for Stakeholder Management, Rimini Makama, said millions of students had been locked out of digital education because of affordability constraints, describing the initiative as a direct response to that gap.
"The Zero-Rated Access Initiative exists to erase that line. Its principle is simple: no learner should be shut out of educational content because of where they live or what their family earns," Makama said.
The minister also noted that over 240,000 schools had already been geo-mapped as part of the government's broader push to digitalise the education sector, which also includes the Nigeria Education Data Infrastructure and the Learner Identification Number programme.
Source: Legit.ng
