100MB Free Data: Students Wait As FG Restricts Access To Approved Platforms.

Students across public secondary and tertiary institutions are waiting to access the federal government’s promised 100 megabytes of free daily data.

This is just as the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said the benefit is restricted to approved educational websites and digital learning platforms.

The federal government had announced that 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.

The NCC, on its official twitter page yesterday, said the initiative was being rolled out from October 1, with access limited to platforms that had been approved and whitelisted under the programme.

However, on the first day the government said it will be rolled out, some students and parents across Nigeria’s public secondary schools and tertiary institutions told LEADERSHIP Friday that they were yet to see the promised data on their lines.

This means students cannot simply use the allocation for WhatsApp, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram or general browsing unless the particular platform or traffic has been approved under the programme.

The commission said the Federal Ministry of Education and the NCC would jointly approve and whitelist participating educational platforms.

The restriction is intended to ensure that the free connectivity is used specifically for educational purposes, with the framework also providing safeguards for net neutrality, fair competition, child protection, cybersecurity, consumer protection and data protection.