The Federal Government has revealed plans to connect all schools to the internet through a release on Wednesday by Folasade Boriowo, Press and Public Relations Director at the Federal Ministry of Education.
The plan follows a high-level meeting between Education Minister Dr. Tunji Alausa and Communications Minister Bosun Tijani.
President Bola Tinubu directed the initiative as part of efforts to expand digital infrastructure across key sectors, including education.
“The initiative will develop a coordinated framework to ensure connectivity across all levels of education, from foundational and secondary schools to universities and colleges,” Alausa said.
The government is currently planning to deploy 90,000 kilometres of fibre optic broadband infrastructure and install 3,700 telecommunications towers, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
Two technical working groups are currently driving implementation across all education levels.
The NgREN governing council is also being expanded to improve coordination.
Alausa is expressing optimism that the first phase will produce visible results within three months, giving students and teachers access to digital platforms and emerging technologies including AI.
Communications Minister Tijani is noting that while Nigeria hosts about eight international subsea internet cables, the challenge lies in distributing capacity inland.
“Most of the internet capacity enters Nigeria through submarine cables landing in Lagos, but without sufficient inland fibre infrastructure, that capacity cannot effectively reach schools and communities across the country,” Tijani said.
