Extending web services to rural areas,
The move in the House of Representatives for the extension of “free” internet services to designated public places and the rural areas is mired in unnecessary controversy despite its clearly beneficial objectives.
Championed by Abubakar Yahaya Kusada (APC Kankia/Ingawa/Kusada Federal Constituency, Katsina State), the Bill seeks to establish a sound foundation to ensure that under-served and hitherto excluded sections of the populace are brought into inclusion to enable them enjoy their membership of the digital global village phenomenon.
The Bill provides a platform for institutional collaboration between government and private sector partners (service providers) to ensure that any member of the public who needs access can be availed of it. According to Kusada: “The need for this legislation cannot be overstated. In today’s global landscape, internet access is not just a communication tool. It is an essential resources for education, employment, innovation and civic participation”.
When the Bill was being read a second time in plenary, Kingsley Ogundu Chinda (PDP, Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency, Rivers State) observed that though the idea of providing free internet access to the citizens is desirable, it should be a policy, rather than legislative instrument. “Once we have a law such as this,” he said, “what it means is that if government fails to provide it, government is going against the law that we have made”.
What matters to us is the fact that inclusive internet accessibility has become a necessity in today’s global digital environment. The telephone used to be the preserve of the rich. Today, just about everybody has access to it, including Smartphones. It is a great irony that people in many villages in Nigeria remain functionally outside the global village due to lack of effective access to the web.
Our rural areas are seriously under-served. Internet services, where they exist at all, is a nightmarish experience for those who seek to use them in the rural and suburban areas. Service providers prioritise higher net worth neighbourhoods in siting their digital infrastructure and service; and understandably so.
We support this Bill wholeheartedly. Federal and state governments should partner with service providers to ensure the extension of effective internet services to the hinterland. Even if the services are not provided free of charge, they should be subsidised for wider inclusion.
It will bring rapid development to the rural areas and reverse the rural-urban population drift. Higher economic activities in the rural areas will promote employment, wealth creation, security and cultural stability. These are benefits worth investing on.
This Bill will sensitise leaders to include digital development in the rural areas as part of essential amenities such as roads, water, schools, health, agriculture and others which are annually provided for in budgets. It is an agent of rapid rural development.
Pass this Bill.
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The move in the House of Representatives for the extension of “free” internet services to designated public places and the rural areas is mired in unnecessary controversy despite its clearly beneficial objectives. Championed by Abubakar Yahaya Kusada (APC Kankia/Ingawa/Kusada Federal Constituency, Katsina State), the Bill seeks to establish a sound foundation to ensure that under-served […]
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, , Emmanuel Okogba, {authorlink},, , Vanguard News, July 10, 2025, 12:03 am
