The Federal Government has announced that Nigerian students will receive 100 megabytes (100MB) of free data every day from October 1, 2026, to access approved educational websites and digital learning platforms.
The initiative is being implemented by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in partnership with telecommunications operators and the Federal Ministry of Education.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, announced the commencement date on Thursday at the launch of the Initiative for Zero-Rated Access to Educational Platforms and Content in Nigeria in Abuja.
“Let me let out the secret. This will be made available to Nigerian students from October 1st, 2026,” Alausa said.
The minister explained that the programme would initially cover students in public senior secondary schools and public tertiary institutions before being extended to other groups of learners.
Under the scheme, participating mobile network operators will provide a daily 100MB data allowance that students can use on approved educational websites and platforms without paying for the data.
Alausa said the government’s goal was to ensure that lack of money for internet data did not prevent Nigerian students from accessing quality educational materials.
“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.
The minister said the high cost of internet data had become a major challenge to digital learning, especially for students from low-income families.
He added that the initiative could help turn mobile phones, tablets and computers into classrooms and digital libraries for students.
The NCC Director of Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis, Ayuba Shuaibu, said the Federal Ministry of Education and the NCC would jointly approve the websites and platforms that would be covered under the programme.
He said the approved platforms could include learning management systems, digital libraries, educational repositories, teacher development platforms, and technical and vocational training platforms.
Shuaibu said the programme would operate under a framework that also covers cybersecurity, consumer protection, child protection, data protection, fair competition and inclusivity.
The NCC Executive Commissioner for Stakeholder Management, Rimini Makama, said the initiative was introduced because millions of students were unable to use digital learning platforms due to the cost of data.
She said the programme was designed to ensure that students were not denied access to educational content because of their location or family income.
The major mobile network operators supporting the programme include MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria and Globacom.
The government also said it was working to further digitalise the education sector through initiatives such as the Nigeria Education Data Infrastructure, Digital Nigeria Education Management Information System and the Learner Identification Number.
According to Alausa, more than 240,000 schools have already been geo-mapped and geolocated across the country as part of efforts to improve education planning and data collection.
