The Federal Government has inaugurated fibre-to-hostel internet connectivity at the University of Abuja (UniAbuja) as part of its broader plan to ensure 24-hour internet access in special institutions across the country by the end of 2026.
Speaking at the launch event in Abuja on Wednesday, the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Alausa, said the initiative underscores the government’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for teaching and learning in Nigerian institutions.
According to Dr Alausa, UniAbuja now enjoys uninterrupted internet access as one of the pilot beneficiaries of the project. He noted that this is in line with President Bola Tinubu’s broader energy and digital infrastructure agenda aimed at transforming educational institutions.
“President Bola Tinubu is energising institutions. We have special institutions in the country today enjoying 24-hour electricity via the presidential renewable mini-grid project, the solarisation project,” Alausa said. “University of Abuja is one of the beneficiaries. You have a 3.3 megahertz mini-grid here and everybody can attest to it now that you have 24-hour electricity supply.”
He added that before the end of 2026, all special institutions in the country would be equipped with similar mini-grid systems to ensure stable electricity supply, which in turn would support the round-the-clock internet access.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, described UniAbuja as the first of seven universities selected for the first phase of the fibre-to-hostel connectivity pilot project. He assured that all seven institutions would be connected by the end of July.
“This initiative we are launching here today is the first of the seven in a pilot scheme, and by the end of July we would have connected the seven universities,” Tijani said. “Galaxy Backbone has the infrastructure in place already; all we are doing is to take the fibre to hostels.”
Tijani emphasised the importance of reliable internet for students, saying that meaningful connectivity is essential for learning and innovation.
“We have taught it to be important that Nigerian university students cannot continue to learn without access to meaningful connectivity. When we give you this access, not only are you going to be better in what you are learning, but you are actually going to create the future that our president is asking that we create as a nation,” he said.
In her welcome remarks, the Acting Vice-Chancellor of UniAbuja, Prof. Patricia Lar, commended the project, noting that it would make access to educational resources easier and more equitable.
“It is a special initiative that is going to create opportunities for students of all economic status to access data to be able to use for knowledge and education and to feed their creativity with ease,” she said. “We are grateful for deploying fibre to our hostels. This also works with the solar power backup that has been installed on our campus.”
Speaking on behalf of the students, the President of the Medical Students Association, Faith David, expressed appreciation to the government for the initiative.
“We appreciate both ministers for this initiative. We are enjoying 24-hour power and now our hostels have been connected to internet to make learning easier for us,” she said.
