FG Approves N24.2b Free Internet For 20 Airports, Varsities.

The Federal Government has approved two contracts worth N24.20 billion for the provision of broadband for free internet in 75 public places, including 20 airports, tertiary institutions and markets nationwide.

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, made the announcement while addressing State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council, FEC meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa midweek in Abuja.

All the ministers who spoke at the post-FEC media briefing said a total of N209.36 billion was approved for various projects in their ministries.

Giving a breakdown of the approvals for his ministry, Pantami said his two memoranda were related, since they both focused on providing free internet connectivity services.

The minister said the second memorandum was complementary to a similar one approved last year.

His words: “President Buhari has approved two memos for the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). In these two memos, certain intervention projects are going to be implemented by the Federal Government, through NCC, of providing Internet in 20 selected airports in Nigeria and higher institutions of learning, and also some markets to support micro, small and medium enterprises.

“The two memos are related. Memo number one is the award of a contract for the provision of broadband in some selected domestic and international airports. Twenty of them are going to be covered in the first phase of the project.

“In each geopolitical zone, you have about three airports. So, all these airports are going to be covered and the Federal Government will provide broadband for free to passengers that are coming through the airports.

So, in both memos, you will discover that they will provide broadband to these institutions at the price of approximately N24.20 billion, and the project is going to be implemented by NCC.

“The duration for the project is four months minimum and maximum of five months, and there is a budgetary provision for that.”