FG to Give Students 100MB Free Data Daily From October 1

ABUJA — The Federal Government has announced plans to provide Nigerian students with 100 megabytes of free data every day from October 1, 2026, to enable them access approved educational websites and digital learning platforms without paying data charges.

The initiative, known as the Zero-Rated Access to Educational Platforms and Content in Nigeria, is being implemented by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Education, telecommunications operators and other stakeholders.

Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, announced the commencement date on Thursday in Abuja at the launch of the initiative.

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

The minister said the programme would initially cover learners in public senior secondary schools and tertiary institutions, with plans to extend it to other categories of learners as implementation progresses.

Under the framework, participating mobile network operators (MNOs) will provide a daily 100MB zero-rated data allowance that students can use to access educational websites and digital platforms approved under the programme.

The allocation, however, is not unrestricted free internet data. It will apply to whitelisted educational platforms and websites approved by the relevant authorities.

Alausa said the initiative was designed to address the cost of internet access, which he identified as a major barrier to digital education, particularly for learners from low-income households.

“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,” the minister said.

He explained that removing data charges from approved educational resources could enable students to use mobile phones, tablets and computers as virtual classrooms and libraries, particularly where physical educational resources are limited.

READ ALSO:

• Two Arrested in London Over Suspected Links to Iran Intelligence
• Lagos Woman Jailed for Dumping Refuse in Drain During Rainfall
• Peter Obi’s Benue Convoy Blockade Raises Questions Ahead of 2027

The minister also said the government was working on measures relating to internet access for children below 16 years, with further details expected to be announced.

He stressed that online educational content made available to young people must be “appropriate, credible, safe and aligned with our educational objectives and our curriculum.”

Alausa said the Federal Government was also advancing the digitalisation of Nigeria’s education sector through initiatives including the Nigeria Education Data Infrastructure, Digital Nigeria Education Management Information System and the Learner Identification Number (LIN).

He disclosed that more than 240,000 schools had been geo-mapped and geolocated across the country.

The government is also digitising the Annual School Census to provide more accurate information on enrolment, teachers, classrooms, laboratories, libraries, connectivity and school safety.

According to the minister, better education data would help government improve planning, monitor developments and target interventions more effectively.

The NCC Director of Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis, Ayuba Shuaibu, said the commission and the Federal Ministry of Education would jointly determine the educational platforms that qualify to be whitelisted under the initiative.

He said eligible platforms would include learning management systems, digital libraries, educational repositories, teacher-development platforms, and technical and vocational training platforms.

“The framework also adopts the operator’s consult model for the initial rollout of the initiative. Under this model, a daily zero-rated data allowance of 100 MB will be provided by the participating MNOs for usage on approved websites and platforms,” Shuaibu said.

He explained that the initial rollout would provide zero-rated access to students in public secondary schools and public tertiary institutions, allowing them to use selected educational resources without incurring data charges.

The framework also contains requirements covering cybersecurity, consumer protection, child protection and data protection, while providing safeguards relating to net neutrality, fair competition and inclusivity.

NCC Executive Commissioner for Stakeholder Management, Rimini Makama, said millions of learners were unable to take advantage of digital learning platforms because of the cost of internet data.

She said the initiative was intended to ensure that a learner’s location or household income did not determine whether they could access educational content online.

“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.

She said the NCC, mobile network operators under the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), the Federal Ministries of Communications and Education and other stakeholders had undertaken research, benchmarking, testing and consultations before developing the framework.

Representing the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, at the event, Director of the National Frequency Management Council Secretariat, Adetunji Adeyemo, described the initiative as an important step towards making digital education more affordable and accessible.

He pledged the ministry’s continued support for programmes aimed at promoting digital inclusion, affordable connectivity and access to knowledge, particularly for learners in underserved communities.

NCC Executive Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Aminu Maida, said the initiative was about more than simply providing internet connectivity.

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

He noted that the telecommunications industry was continuing to invest in network infrastructure and disclosed that operators had committed to upgrading about 12,000 network sites in 2026, with about 70 per cent already completed.

According to Maida, improving connectivity in unserved and underserved communities would be essential to ensuring that digital education initiatives reach learners outside major urban centres.

In his closing remarks, NCC Executive Commissioner for Technical Services, Abraham Oshadami, identified MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria and Globacom among the major mobile network operators supporting the programme.

He thanked the operators for their commitment to providing the data allowances required for learners to access approved educational platforms.

The initiative follows earlier consultations by the NCC with telecommunications operators, education authorities, digital learning providers and other stakeholders on ways to reduce the cost of accessing educational content online.

The commission had previously said that the high cost of data remained one of the challenges limiting digital learning and educational technology adoption in Nigeria.

With the October 1 rollout, the government hopes to remove at least part of that financial barrier for students in public senior secondary schools and tertiary institutions.

However, students will only be able to use the 100MB daily allowance on educational websites and platforms approved under the scheme. The initiative does not amount to 100MB of unrestricted free internet that can be used for social media, streaming, messaging or other general online activities.

The government and the NCC are expected to monitor the rollout, usage and impact of the programme as they work towards expanding digital inclusion and access to quality educational content across Nigeria.

FG to Give Students 100MB Free Data Daily From October 1

Agunbiade fires back at Deji Yesufu: Don’t mistake Boko Haram for Islam

• Says ‘Islam began with Iqra, not ignorance’
• Rejects claim Muslims use taqiyyah to deceive Christians
• Defends peaceful practice of Shari’a in Oyo
• Says Nigeria belongs equally to Muslims, Christians

An Islamic scholar and member of Rabwa Islamic Propagation, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Mallam Ibrahim Agunbiade, has fired back at Deji Yesufu over his recent commentary on Islam, warning against using the activities of Boko Haram and other extremist organisations to define the religion.

Agunbiade, in a strongly worded response issued on Thursday, said equating Islam with terrorism amounted to what he described as a dangerous distortion of the religion.

He said while he welcomed Yesufu’s call for dialogue and peaceful coexistence, he disagreed with what he regarded as the attempt to portray Islam through the actions of violent groups that had “abused the name of Islam.”

The response followed Yesufu’s write-up titled, “Islam: An Open Letter to Edmund Obilo.”

Agunbiade argued that the proper way to understand Islam, the Qur’an and Shari’a was through knowledge, context and intellectual honesty, rather than through the activities of extremist organisations.

“Boko Haram does not represent Islam, and terrorism cannot be used as the standard by which Islam is judged,” he declared.

‘Islam began with Iqra, not ignorance’

Taking his argument to what he described as the foundation of Islam, Agunbiade pointed to the first revelation received by Prophet Muhammad, saying the first command from Allah was Iqra—“Read”.

Quoting Qur’an 96:1, he said, “Read in the name of your Lord who created.”

He also cited Qur’an 39:9, where Allah asks whether those who possess knowledge can be equated with those who do not.

Agunbiade said the emphasis was significant because Boko Haram had become notorious for violence associated with hostility towards Western education.

“How, then, can an organisation associated with attacking schools, teachers and education be presented as the authentic Islam whose first revealed command was Iqra?” he asked.

He added: “Islam began with Iqra, not ignorance. It began with knowledge, not the destruction of schools.”

READ ALSO:

• Breaking the Cycle of Collective Guilt: When a Ruling Party Voice Backs Peter Obi
• Ahead of Dry Season Surge, NCDC Urges Proactive Measures Against Lassa Fever
• One Killed, Two Rescued as Two-Storey Building Collapses During Demolition in Lagos

According to him, Boko Haram should be understood as a violent extremist organisation and not as the embodiment of Islamic teachings.

‘Don’t rip Qur’an verses out of context’

The Islamic scholar also took aim at the use of selected Qur’anic verses to portray Islam as inherently hostile to Christians and Jews.

He specifically referenced Qur’an 5:51 and 9:29, arguing that presenting the verses as blanket commands for Muslims to hate or kill Christians and Jews ignored the historical and textual circumstances surrounding them.

Agunbiade urged critics of Islam to approach the Qur’an as a complete text rather than extracting individual verses and presenting them in isolation.

He pointed to Qur’an 2:256, which states that there is “no compulsion in religion”, as well as Qur’an 60:8, which instructs Muslims to act kindly and justly towards those who do not fight them because of their religion.

He argued that such verses demonstrated the need to examine the Qur’an within its broader context.

According to him, the same principle should apply to hadiths dealing with Jews and Christians.

He said a hadith relating to a specific historical conflict, territory or circumstance should not automatically be transformed into a universal instruction governing peaceful Muslim-Christian relations in contemporary Nigeria.

Agunbiade rejects ‘taqiyyah’ deception claim

The scholar also rejected the claim that Muslims practise taqiyyah as a general religious licence to deceive Christians and other non-Muslims.

He described the claim as a serious misrepresentation of the concept.

Agunbiade explained that taqiyyah had a particular theological and historical context, especially within Shi’a thought, relating to concealment of faith under persecution.

He therefore challenged the portrayal of taqiyyah as a universal Islamic doctrine authorising Muslims to lie to Christians.

‘Millions of Muslims live peacefully with Christians’

Agunbiade further dismissed the argument that there was no such thing as a moderate Muslim.

He said the daily reality of Nigeria contradicted such a claim.

According to him, millions of Muslims and Christians across the country work together, trade together, attend schools together and live as neighbours without allowing their religious differences to degenerate into violence.

He argued that judging an entire religion by the actions of extremists was fundamentally unfair.

“To label all Muslims as potential extremists because some criminals claim Islamic justification for their crimes is no more reasonable than judging Christianity by the actions of every violent person who claims to be a Christian,” he said.

‘Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis are not Islam’

Agunbiade also cautioned against lumping Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis together as if they represented Islam as a whole.

He said the Muslim world comprised different schools of thought, political systems, cultures and movements.

He argued that Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis had different histories, political objectives and circumstances and should therefore be assessed individually.

He, however, drew a line at attacks on innocent civilians.

“Most importantly, deliberate attacks on innocent civilians cannot be justified by Islamic principles, regardless of who commits them,” he said.

‘Shari’a is not being introduced into Oyo’

The scholar also challenged concerns over the alleged “introduction” of Shari’a into Oyo State.

Agunbiade insisted that Shari’a was not new to the state, arguing that Muslims had practised aspects of Islamic law peacefully for decades.

He cited the existence of a Shari’a arbitration panel at Oja’Oba Central Mosque in Ibadan, where, according to him, Muslims voluntarily take disputes for resolution according to Islamic principles.

He said such voluntary religious arbitration should not be confused with terrorism or extremist activity.

“This is not Boko Haram. It is not terrorism. It is peaceful religious dispute resolution,” he stressed.

Agunbiade also pointed to Section 275 of the 1999 Constitution, which provides for the establishment of a Sharia Court of Appeal in a state subject to the constitutional requirements.

He said discussions about Shari’a should therefore be separated from discussions about terrorism.

According to him, Muslims, like Christians, are entitled to practise their religion within the provisions of Nigerian law.

‘Nigeria is not the property of one religion’

Agunbiade also rejected any suggestion that Nigeria’s development could be credited to one religious community.

He declared that Nigeria belonged to all Nigerians, regardless of religious affiliation.

He said Muslims and Christians had contributed significantly to the country’s development in education, medicine, law, politics, business, science, agriculture, security and public service.

The scholar maintained that the country’s problems would not be solved by turning Muslims against Christians or Christians against Muslims.

Instead, he urged Nigerians to unite against corruption, insecurity, poverty, injustice, poor governance and extremism.

‘Condemn Boko Haram, not Islam’

Agunbiade ended his response with a call for religious tolerance and responsible public discourse.

He said Nigerians must learn to distinguish between a religion and individuals or organisations that commit crimes while claiming religious justification.

“Let us condemn Boko Haram without condemning Islam.

“Let us oppose terrorism without demonising Muslims.

“Let us defend Christians without portraying Muslims as their enemies.

“Let us defend Muslims without excusing criminals who misuse the name of Islam,” he said.

He urged Nigerians to approach sensitive religious issues with knowledge, context and intellectual honesty.

Returning to the first revelation of the Qur’an, Agunbiade said Iqra should serve as a guide for contemporary debates about Islam.

“The first command of the final revelation was Iqra. Read. Let that command guide our discussion of Islam,” he said.

He added: “Nigeria needs knowledge, justice, dialogue and mutual respect. It does not need religious caricature.”

Agunbiade’s position, he said, was ultimately a call for Nigerians to reject religious stereotyping and choose dialogue over confrontation in addressing differences between the country’s two major faith communities.

Agunbiade fires back at Deji Yesufu: Don’t mistake Boko Haram for Islam