NCC sets October 1 launch for free daily data scheme for 5m Nigerian students

The Federal Government has announced October 1, 2026, as the commencement date for a new initiative that will provide free daily internet data to millions of Nigerian students to access approved educational platforms and digital learning content.

The programme, launched by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in Abuja on Thursday, will initially cover about five million eligible senior secondary and tertiary students.

Under the initiative, each beneficiary will receive 100 megabytes of free data daily for accessing approved educational websites, platforms and learning resources.

Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, who announced the commencement date at the launch, said the intervention was designed to remove the cost of internet access as one of the major barriers to digital education, particularly for students from low-income households and underserved communities.

“Let me let out the secret. This will be made available to Nigerian students from October 1, 2026,” Alausa said.

He said the programme had moved beyond policy discussions into implementation as part of efforts to democratise access to educational resources regardless of students’ geographical locations or economic circumstances.

According to the minister, the initiative is central to the Federal Ministry of Education’s Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative, which places digital technology at the heart of efforts to modernise the country’s education system.

Alausa said more than 240,000 schools had already been geomapped and geolocated, while the digitised Nigeria Education Management Information System was generating data on student enrolment, teachers, classrooms, laboratories, libraries and connectivity.

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He also highlighted the Learner Identification Number (LIN), which is expected to provide Nigerian learners with unique education identities and enable government to track their educational progression from primary through tertiary education.

However, the minister acknowledged that digital reforms would have limited impact if students could not afford the data required to access online learning resources.

“By enabling learners to access approved educational platforms and content without bearing the cost of data, we are removing one of the most significant barriers to digital learning in Nigeria,” he said.

The scale of the programme is significant. Alausa said providing 100MB daily to five million students would amount to about 15 billion megabytes of data every month, representing an estimated N180 billion in data value annually.

He stressed, however, that the success of the initiative would not be determined simply by the volume of data consumed.

The government, he said, must monitor who is accessing the platforms, how the resources are being used and whether the initiative is producing measurable improvements in learning outcomes.

Only credible, safe and curriculum-aligned educational platforms will qualify for the zero-rating arrangement, he added.

NCC Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Aminu Maida, described the initiative as an intervention that goes beyond telecommunications infrastructure.

“It is not about providing connectivity; it is about giving people connectivity to gain knowledge,” Maida said.

He commended participating telecommunications operators, noting that the industry was investing significantly in network capacity despite challenging operating conditions.

Maida disclosed that operators had committed to upgrading approximately 12,000 network sites in 2026, with about 70 per cent of the planned upgrades already completed.

He said the NCC would continue to prioritise connectivity in unserved and underserved communities, arguing that expanding network coverage would create more opportunities for students to participate in digital learning.

Representing the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, the Director of the National Frequency Management Council Secretariat, Engr Adeyemo Adetunji Olugbenga, pledged continued government support for affordable connectivity, digital inclusion and initiatives that expand access to knowledge.

The zero-rating initiative followed consultations led by the NCC with telecommunications operators, education stakeholders and other industry participants on eliminating data costs for access to approved educational platforms.