The Federal Government has announced that Nigerian students will begin receiving 100 megabytes (MB) of free daily data from October 1, 2026, to access approved educational websites and digital learning platforms.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Thursday during the official launch of the Initiative for Zero-Rated Access to Educational Platforms and Content in Nigeria, organised by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in Abuja.
“Let me let out the secret. This will be made available to Nigerian students from October 1st, 2026,” Alausa said, while acknowledging the support of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) for the programme.
Under the scheme, participating mobile network operators will provide a daily zero-rated data allowance of 100MB specifically for use on approved educational platforms. The initiative will initially cover learners in public senior secondary schools and tertiary institutions, with plans to expand it to other categories of students later.
According to the minister, the programme is expected to benefit about five million eligible students at the initial stage. The 100MB daily allocation for this number of students amounts to approximately 15 billion megabytes of data monthly, representing an estimated value of ₦180 billion annually.
Alausa described the intervention as a major step under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, aimed at removing the cost of internet data as a barrier to quality education.
“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.
He emphasised that poverty or geographical location should no longer prevent Nigerian children from accessing educational resources, noting that a smartphone, tablet or computer could serve as a classroom and library once data costs are eliminated.
The NCC and the Federal Ministry of Education will jointly approve the educational platforms to be whitelisted under the initiative. These are expected to include learning management systems, digital libraries, educational repositories, teacher development platforms, and technical and vocational training resources.
Officials noted that the framework would comply with existing telecommunications regulations on cybersecurity, consumer protection, child protection and data protection.
The announcement has been widely welcomed as a significant boost for digital education in a country where high data costs have long limited access to online learning resources for many students, particularly those from low-income households and underserved communities.
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