Students Say FG’s Promised Free Education Data Still Not Working

Students across public secondary and tertiary institutions say they are yet to access the Federal Government’s promised 100 megabytes of free daily data.

The students told another news media, LEADERSHIP, that they had neither received the data nor any notice on when they would get it.

The Federal Government had said eligible students would begin receiving the daily allowance from October 1, 2026, under the Zero-Rated Data Access to Approved Educational Platforms and Content Initiative.

According to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the scheme is being rolled out from October 1, with access limited to platforms approved and whitelisted under the programme.

In a statement on its official X account, the NCC said it is working with the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria and the Federal Ministry of Education to expand learning access through the initiative.

Students And Parents Report No Data Received

A final-year Microbiology student at the University of Abuja, Victor Aondo, said repeated checks since morning had shown no sign of the data.

“I have refreshed my phone since morning to check whether I have new data, but nothing has come. I have also asked some of my colleagues, but none of them has received it,” he said.

A parent of an SS3 student at St Winifred Girls Secondary School, Ihugh, Mrs Theresa Moji, said she had tried to help her daughter access the data without success.

“I tried to help my daughter access the free data online, but there was nothing to show. We have not received anything so far,” she said.

NCC Clarifies Scope Of The Data Scheme

The NCC clarified that the scheme is not a general-purpose 100MB internet bundle.

It said eligible platforms include Learning Management Systems, digital libraries, educational repositories, teacher development platforms, and technical and vocational training platforms.

As a result, students cannot use the allocation for WhatsApp, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram or general browsing unless a specific platform has been approved under the programme.

The Commission said the Federal Ministry of Education and the NCC would jointly approve and whitelist participating platforms, to ensure the free connectivity is used strictly for educational purposes.