The Federal Government has unveiled a major plan to connect schools across Nigeria to reliable internet services, a move aimed at strengthening digital learning and expanding access to modern educational tools for students and teachers.
The initiative was disclosed in a statement released in Abuja by the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, Folasade Boriowo. According to the statement, the plan was discussed during a high-level meeting between the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, and the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani.
Boriowo quoted Alausa as saying that the initiative followed a directive from President Bola Tinubu to expand digital infrastructure across critical sectors, including education, as part of efforts to modernise learning in the country.
The minister explained that improved connectivity would allow schools to harness emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence to improve teaching and learning while giving students and educators access to global digital resources.
He said the government intends to develop a coordinated national framework that will ensure internet connectivity across all levels of education, including foundational schools, secondary schools, universities and colleges.
Alausa noted that the programme would build on earlier efforts under the Nigerian Research and Education Network, which provided broadband connectivity to tertiary institutions through a World Bank-funded initiative.
While the programme recorded notable success in connecting universities, he said progress slowed after the initial funding cycle ended, making it necessary for the government to revive and expand the initiative to cover the entire education sector.
According to him, the renewed effort goes beyond fibre-optic broadband, incorporating telecommunications towers, satellite systems and other digital infrastructure required to deliver reliable internet services nationwide.
As part of the rollout, the Federal Government plans to deploy about 90,000 kilometres of fibre-optic broadband infrastructure across the country. In addition, about 3,700 telecommunications towers will be installed, especially in rural and underserved communities, to strengthen nationwide connectivity.
Alausa said the strategy is designed to ensure that schools are deliberately connected as broadband cables are laid and telecommunications towers are deployed across the country.
To improve coordination, the governing council of the Nigerian Research and Education Network will be expanded to include representatives from foundational and secondary education.
He added that two technical working groups have also been established to drive implementation, one focusing on tertiary institutions and the other on foundational and secondary schools.
The minister expressed optimism that the first phase of the initiative would begin to deliver visible improvements within three months.
He said reliable internet access would enable students and teachers to benefit from digital learning platforms, access global knowledge resources and explore emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence.
Alausa also noted that expanded digital infrastructure would support examination reforms through the gradual transition to Computer-Based Testing for national examinations.
Speaking at the meeting, the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, stressed that technology-driven education cannot succeed without reliable connectivity.
He explained that although Nigeria currently hosts about eight international subsea internet cables, the highest number in Africa, the main challenge remains distributing that internet capacity across the country.
Tijani said most of the capacity enters Nigeria through submarine cables landing in Lagos, but without sufficient inland fibre infrastructure, it cannot effectively reach schools and communities nationwide.
He said the government’s new broadband expansion plan is designed to bridge that gap by extending fibre networks deeper into the country, ensuring that digital connectivity reaches classrooms and communities across Nigeria.