FG Announces Free 100MB Daily Data From October 1 For Students

The Federal Government has announced that Nigerian students will receive 100 megabytes of free daily data starting October 1, 2026, to access selected educational websites and digital learning platforms.

Developed by the Nigerian Communications Commission in collaboration with major telecommunications operators and the Federal Ministry of Education, the program will initially target students enrolled in public senior secondary schools and tertiary institutions.

Speaking in Abuja on Thursday, September 10, 2026, during the launch of the Initiative for Zero-Rated Access to Educational Platforms and Content in Nigeria, Minister of Education Tunji Alausa disclosed the official rollout date.

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

Under the implementation structure, participating mobile network operators will provide eligible students with a daily 100MB data allowance to navigate government-approved educational portals without incurring mobile data fees.

Alausa explained that while the intervention initially covers public secondary and tertiary institutions, plans are underway to extend the scheme to other categories of learners nationwide.

Highlighting the core objective of the intervention, the minister emphasized the need to remove financial obstacles to learning, stating, “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 added that the program aims to convert smartphones, tablets, and computers into virtual classrooms and digital reference libraries for students from low-income households.

Addressing online security concerns, Alausa revealed that the government is drafting regulatory framework guidelines to monitor and control internet exposure for learners under the age of 16.

Stated the requirement for content safety, he stressed that digital learning materials made available to minors must be “appropriate, credible, safe and aligned with our educational objectives and our curriculum.”

The minister noted that the free data initiative is integrated into broader structural digitisation programs, including the Nigeria Education Data Infrastructure, Digital Nigeria Education Management Information System, and the Learner Identification Number framework.

He disclosed that over 240,000 schools have been geo-mapped, while the digitisation of the Annual School Census is being executed to streamline administrative data management across educational institutions.

Providing technical details on platform eligibility, NCC Director of Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis, Ayuba Shuaibu, noted that the commission and the Ministry of Education will jointly approve qualifying digital portals.

Shuaibu stated, “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.”

Support for the project was further affirmed by NCC Executive Commissioner for Stakeholder Management Rimini Makama, who noted that the zero-rated model was designed to eliminate socioeconomic and geographic barriers to remote learning.

Emphasizing the equity aspect of the rollout, Makama declared, “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.”

Endorsing the initiative, NCC Executive Commissioner for Technical Services Abraham Oshadami confirmed that major telecom providers—including MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, and Globacom—have committed to providing the zero-rated data allocations to support digital inclusion across the country.