News
The Need for Telcoms to Exempt Educational Resources from Data Charges
By Joel Popoola
Data is a luxury many families cannot afford but education is a necessity for Nigeria.
Telecommunications firms must make exempt educational resources from data charges.
The Nigerian government has announced that schools will reopen in the next phase of easing the Covid-19 lockdown.
But for many children, nothing will change.
According to the United Nations, 10.5 million of our 5 to 14 year-old are not in school.
One in every five of the world’s out-of-school children is a Nigerian.
And that was before COVID-19.
These figures shame us.
It must be acknowledged that no other nation faces the challenges we do when it comes to tackling this problem.
In some areas, economic barriers – the need for children to work to support their families – make education financially impossible for families. In others, school attendance is actively discouraged, especially for girls. In others, there is the impact of insurgencies which, according to the United Nations, have destroyed almost 500 classrooms and left another 1400 badly damaged.
But we can go some of the way to addressing the educational impact of these vast challenges with technology.
The COVID-19 pandemic is turning existing educational gaps into gulfs, but it is also revolutionising digital and online education across the world, as lessons move online.
But in Nigeria, many homes are not equipped to adapt to these new methods of learning.
This can mean that kids who currently can’t keep up with their peers may never catch up. This in turn means that Nigeria will continue to feel the effects of the coronavirus for long after the pandemic is over.
Long term, we need to ensure our children benefit from an education worth having, one which young people are prepared for the workplace of the future, whether that means embedding basic digital skills in every area of the curriculum, and putting higher level digital expertise at the heart of our national skills ambitions.
But we need to take action now to ensure children already lagging are not left behind and forgotten forever by the current crisis.
That means Telecommunications firms must exempt educational resources from data charges.
Hardware is not the problem. Within four years, roughly two-thirds of Nigerians will use a smartphone. But while wealthier Nigerian families have reliable and affordable access to the internet, millions of Nigerians cannot receive home lessons as they cannot afford to buy enough data to access the internet.
It is within Nigeria’s grasp to become Africa’s first truly digital democracy, starting with universal broadband. But that takes time and money. And we need action now.
This is why telecommunications firms must exempt educational resources from data charges
If not, Nigeria risks a lost generation of students, at a time we can least afford it.
People before Profit!
As founder of the Digital Democracy campaign, I know the impact digital connectivity can have when it comes to improving our political system.
Our free Rate Your Leader app is designed to allow registered voters to directly contact their local politicians – building trust, transparency and accountability, and allowing a two-way flow of information which educates and benefits both parties.
All of this is done with the touch of a smartphone button from the comfort of the home.
We can use the same process for education, connecting teachers with students who cannot leave their homes due to the lockdown occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic, cultural practices or conflict, and safely and effectively giving children the learning resources to build a better future for themselves and for our nation.
But that needs data. Data is a luxury many families cannot afford. Education is a necessity Nigeria cannot progress without.
As a matter of urgency, the Minister of Communication, Dr Isa Patami, should encourage both indigenous and non-indigenous telecommunication providers to play their part to help millions of Nigerian children cross the digital divide and to kickstart our economic recovery. If they do not, Dr Patami should consider compelling them to.
Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy, the continent’s largest producer of oil and will have a bigger population than America within 30 years – and yet 40% of us live in poverty.
This will never change unless we equip the next generation to face the challenges, and seize the opportunities of the twenty-first century.
With one simple action, our telecommunications firms can put us on the path to achieving that today.
Joel Popoola is a Nigerian tech entrepreneur, digital democracy campaigner and is the creator of the free Rate Your Leader app. You can reach Joel on +447920178732, joel@rateyourleader.com or Twitter @JOPopoola
By Eric Elezuo
The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has announced the kickoff of the 2026 West African Second-term School Certificate Examination, saying it would be computer-based, and decrying the decline of male participation as against their female counterparts.
The Council made the disclosure on Monday, while addressing the media at its National Office in Yaba, Lagos, on steps so far taken to ensure a hitchfree 2026 Examination.
In his address, the Head of National Office, Mr. Jacob Josiah Dangut, remarked that the 2026 computer-based WASSEC, started on April 21, 2026 with practical test papers, stressing that the nitty gritty parts of the exercise will kick off on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, therefore the reason for the sensitization of the Nigerian public on the exams.
He noted that nearly two million candidates registered to sit for the examinations.
In his words, “A total of 1,959,636 candidates from 24,207 schools enrolled for the examination.
“Of this number, 958,564 candidates (48.92%) are male, while 1,001,072 candidates (51.08%) are female. This reflects an increase in female participation and a decline in male participation compared to last year.”
Dangut called on policy formulations to take the matter serious so as to reinvent the urge for education among the malefolks.
Meanwhile, Dangut informed the public that candidates are being tested in 37 subjects across 97 papers, supervised by about 29,000 senior secondary teachers nominated by state ministries of education.
Dangut said the rise in computer-based entries followed the successful debut of the format in 2025, with more schools and offshore institutions adopting it for its efficiency and alignment with global standards.
The 2026 exercise will run through to June 19th.
The simmering political battle in Rivers State appears to have taken a fresh turn, following the screening of aspirants for the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Assembly primaries, with several loyalists of Governor Siminalayi Fubara failing to make the party’s final list.
In a development already stirring political intrigue across the state, former Obio/Akpor council chairman Chijioke Ihunwo and serving lawmakers Sokari Goodboy and Victor Oko-Jumbo — all widely regarded as strong allies of Governor Fubara — were among those not cleared by the party’s screening committee for various reasons.
Political observers are interpreting their failure to scale through as more than just a routine internal party exercise. They say it is the latest signal of the deepening political fault lines in Rivers, where Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Minister Nyesom Wike, remain locked in a prolonged struggle for political supremacy.
On the other side of the divide, the list of cleared aspirants appears to favour established political figures and returning lawmakers, largely seen as loyal to the Wike camp.
Among those cleared are:
Maol Dumle
Major Jack
Enemi Alabo George
Tonye Smart Adoki
Tekenari Granville
Their emergence is being viewed as a reinforcement of the influence of the former governor within the APC structure in Rivers State.
The screening exercise, announced by Rivers APC publicity secretary Chibike Ikenga, comes at a politically sensitive time, with alignments already forming ahead of future elections and control of the Rivers State House of Assembly remaining a critical battleground.
For many political watchers, the outcome raises fresh questions: Is the APC in Rivers consolidating into a single power bloc? And does this effectively shut the door on Fubara’s loyalists seeking alternative political platforms?
Fubara, elected under the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023, joined the APC last year, following a political dispute with Wike.
The Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) has been factionalized ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The rival factions emerged after its chairman, Governor Hope Uzodimma, was reportedly removed on Thursday.
While Uzodimma insists that he remains PGF chairman, Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun and his Kwara State counterpart, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, are reportedly leading a separate faction.
Another bloc within the forum has reportedly queued behind the duo of Abiodun and AbdulRazaq.
The development, which comes amid growing political realignments within the ruling party, marks a significant crack in the ranks of APC governors ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to reports by Arise TV, details surrounding the disagreement remain unclear, but sources within the party said tensions have been building over internal leadership control and strategic positioning ahead of the next election season.
As of the time of filing this report, none of the factions had made an official clarification regarding the alleged division.
