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Govt plans regulated internet access for under-16s in Nigeria, Education Minister says – Technology Times
The Federal Government plans to introduce regulated internet access for children below 16 years across Nigeria, Maruf Tunji Alausa, Minister of Education, says.
Alausa disclosed this while delivering a keynote address at the launch of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) initiative on zero-rated access to approved educational platforms and content.
The minister says the proposed regulation is part of broader government efforts to protect children from cyberattacks and harmful online content as digital technologies become increasingly integrated into education and everyday life.
“At some point, the full announcement will come. There will be regulated access to internet for every child in Nigeria that is below the age of 16 years,” Alausa says.
He says further details on the measure will be announced by the relevant security agencies in the coming days or weeks, including how the regulation will be implemented across the country.
“We will be regulating internet access to children below 16 years old. Further announcement on this will be coming from our security agencies, and they will roll out across this country to protect the dignity of every child in this country,” he says.
The proposed regulation adds a child-safety component to the Federal Government’s wider push to expand digital access and technology-enabled learning.
Alausa says increased connectivity must be accompanied by safeguards that allow children to benefit from digital technology while reducing their exposure to online threats.
The minister says the proposed regulation is part of broader government efforts to protect children from cyberattacks and harmful online content as digital technologies become increasingly integrated into education and everyday life. “At some point, the full announcement will come. There will be regulated access to internet for every child in Nigeria that is below the age of 16 years,” Alausa says.
Digital education and child safety
The minister linked the proposed internet regulation to the NCC’s zero-rating initiative, which is designed to allow learners to access approved educational platforms and content without paying for the associated data.
He says the Federal Ministry of Education recognises that digital inclusion involves more than providing internet connectivity, stressing the need to ensure that educational content accessed by learners is safe, credible and appropriate.
“Zero-rating should not mean indiscriminate access to every platform that describes itself as educational,” Alausa says.
He says content made available to children through the initiative must be “appropriate, credible, safe, and aligned with our educational objectives and our curriculum.”
The position comes as the government increasingly integrates digital technology into education reform, with internet access, education data and digital identity forming part of its transformation agenda.
Alausa says the government is implementing the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative, known as NESRI, with data and digitalisation at the centre of its education reform efforts.
He also says more than 240,000 schools have been geomapped and geolocated through government education data initiatives.
The government is also implementing the Learner’s Identification Number, which is expected to give Nigerian learners a unique education identity and enable their educational journeys to be tracked from primary through tertiary education.
Government targets wider digital inclusion
Alausa says the digital transformation of education must improve access and learning outcomes rather than deepen existing inequalities.
He says children in remote communities, those from low-income households and learners living with disabilities should also benefit from digital education.
“A child in Uga community should be able to access the same high-level quality learning resources as a child in Abuja or Lagos,” he says.
The minister also called for closer cooperation between the education and telecommunications sectors as Nigeria prepares young people for an increasingly digital economy.
He says the country’s objective should extend beyond producing technology consumers to developing young Nigerians who can create technology, develop solutions, innovate and compete globally.
The proposed under-16 internet regulation therefore introduces a child-protection dimension to Nigeria’s expanding digital education programme.
However, the government has yet to provide details of the proposed restrictions, including the specific forms of internet access that would be regulated, how age verification would work, which agencies would enforce the measure and whether the rules would apply to all internet services or specific categories of online platforms.
Further details are expected from the relevant security agencies as the government develops the framework for regulating internet access for children below 16.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says drug-resistant bacterial infections kill about one million people globally every year, calling for coordinated action across human, animal, food and environmental sectors to curb the growing threat.
Jean-Pierre Nyemazi, Acting Director of the AMR Department at WHO Headquarters, said this at a virtual media conference marking an exhibition at the European Parliament on AMR and its human impact.
The virtual conference preceded the exhibition, “AMR: The Human Stories Behind a Silent Pandemic,” being held at the European Parliament from 28 September to 2 October and featuring stories of people affected by AMR across Europe.
“AMR is taking many lives. One million people die every year due to drug-resistant bacteria alone – that is, two people every minute die of bacterial AMR,” Mr Nyemazi said.
He said the scale of deaths meant that AMR should no longer be treated as a “silent pandemic”, stressing that “we know what works” to prevent and control the threat.
“Preventing infections is the number one priority. This can be done through better vaccination, infection prevention and control, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), and improved animal husbandry,” he said.
“All of these work and can prevent AMR.”
Mr Nyemazi said strengthening surveillance, responsible use of antimicrobials, access to quality medicines and diagnostics, and reduction of environmental contamination could also make a difference.
“The tools exist, and the evidence is there, but the cost of inaction is rising. The longer we delay action, the higher the cost becomes,” he said.
He said the One Health approach, which recognises the links between human, animal, plant and environmental health, was essential because drug-resistant pathogens could move across sectors and borders.
According to him, parliamentarians have a critical role in ensuring that national AMR commitments are supported by legislation, financing and accountability.
“The media also plays an indispensable role. Journalists help bring AMR out of scientific circles and into public debate,” he said.
“They raise awareness, combat misinformation, and ensure that AMR remains visible to decision-makers and the public alike.”
He said WHO Member States approved an updated Global Action Plan on AMR at the World Health Assembly in May, providing a framework for combating AMR over the next 10 years through a One Health approach.
Mr Nyemazi said the updated plan placed stronger emphasis on prevention, governance, behavioural change and measurable targets, and that the four Quadripartite organisations developed it jointly.
He said the organisations comprised the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), WHO and World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).
“What is new about the updated Global Action Plan on AMR for the next 10 years is that it is truly multi-sectoral – a genuine One Health plan.
“The previous plan was heavily focused on human health; this time the four Quadripartite organisations worked together and engaged all sectors,” he said.
Mr Nyemazi said a 10 per cent reduction in AMR was achievable through infection prevention and control, vaccination and improved access to quality antimicrobials, with better coordination, education and surveillance capable of delivering further gains.
He also called for investment in new antibiotics, antifungals, phage therapy and other technologies, while stressing the need to preserve existing medicines.
He said there was also a major access problem, with many regions unable to obtain even existing antibiotics.
A member of the European Parliament, Martin Häusling, said excessive antibiotic use in food-producing animals was contributing to the problem, particularly through mass treatment.
“When it comes to food-producing animals, we still use far too many last-resort antibiotics, and we must get away from that,” Mr Häusling said.
He said AMR was a global issue that could affect anyone, adding that it could destroy families and livelihoods.
To tackle it, the parliamentarian said it was important to create public awareness so that parliaments could address the issue properly, adding that the issue was still not taken as seriously as a future challenge should be.
Rob Purdie, an AMR survivor and member of the WHO Task Force of AMR Survivors, said his experience demonstrated the consequences of delayed diagnosis and treatment.
Mr Purdie said an infection that began with a headache eventually progressed to fungal meningitis after he received antibiotics for a condition that had not been properly diagnosed.
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He said he eventually spent about $250,000 on hospital costs and had been unable to work for about five years.
“My ability to earn a living was eliminated for about five years in a single-income household where I provided for my wife and two children,” he said.
Mr Purdie said his experience underscored the need to keep AMR visible in public discussions.
“That is why it is so important for those of us who have survived and can speak, to remove the word ‘silent’ from the ‘silent pandemic’,” he said.
(NAN)
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