We've linked 27 universities, 1,552 schools, 1.45m students to internet — FG

Almost 1.5 million Nigerian students and 27 Nigerian Federal Universities have been linked to the internet by the Ministry of Communication Technology (MCT).

This was revealed by the Minister of Communication Technology, Dr. Omobola Johnson, who said the feat was achieved through its collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the World Bank’s STEP-B project, Vanguard reports.

Johnson pointed out that students are a priority demographic for which the Ministry rolled out initiatives, through the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), to improve their internet connection.

This, she said will shortly enable them to join the West and Central African Research and Education Network (WAC-REN) and the Global Research and Education Network (REN) communities.

According to her, the program has equipped 1,552 secondary schools, thereby introducing an estimated 1,458,880 million students to ICTs.

She revealed that the National IT Development Agency (NITDA) initiated Tertiary Institutions Access Project (TIAP) had provided desktop computers, printers, and wireless network facilities to selected tertiary institutions across the country.

The Minister said 271 ICT centres had so far been established in six federal universities as knowledge access venues while the Connect Nigeria initiative has made available public access venues (PAVs), providing shared access to ICT facilities in underserved and unserved locations.

Johnson added that the USPF is collaboration with the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development deploying ICT facilities at fourteen institutes for the physically challenged.

The Minister said the second phase of the project will see 3.4 million polytechnics students connected by end of 2015.