FG Takes Internet to 474 Schools

Universal Service Provision Fund, (USPF) has provided Internet tools and facilities to 474 schools, spread across the six geopolitical zones of the country.
 USPF is a special fund set up by the Federal Government under the National Communications Act 2003, designed to provide telecommunications and ICT services to unserved, underserved and deprived groups and communities in the country.
Alhaji Aliyu Ikra Bilbis, minister of State for Information and Communica-tions, who commissioned some of the projects in the North Western States of Kaduna and Katsina at the weekend, said  Federal Government is committed to providing information communication technology facilities through the installation of network services in all the nooks and crannies of Nigeria. The facilities commissioned by the Minister in Kaduna and Katsina States include CCC site at No. 9 Queen Elizabeth Road, Zaria, Gov. Commercial College, Sabongari,    Govt Jnr Secon-dary School, Katsina,  CCC Site at Sarki Mukta Road (opposite State Library) Katsina, and  Govt Girls Snr. College (WTC).
Bilbis, who was joined at the commissioning events by Senator Sylvester Anyanwu, Senate Committee chairman on Communications, spoke at the Government Commercial College, Sabongari, Zaria in Kaduna State where he said the Federal Government has approved the establishment of Community Communications Centers, CCC, School Access Programme, and subsidized Base Station Transceivers, as part of the efforts to achieve national and grassroots connectivity.
“This ceremony is a fulfillment of the government’s desire to improve the standard of the living of the people at the grassroots through provision of effective communications network”, he said. He commended President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua for his bold and visionary programmes directed at changing the socio-economic fortunes of Nigeria.
Senator, Anyanwu while addressing participants at the event said that the 21st century belongs to technology and that any country which fails to invest in technology education in headed for doom. “The 21st Century is technology driven and any student whether in nursery secondary or tertiary institution without access to computers and Internet, or do not have the skills to use these facilities would consider him or herself illiterate in the next five years”, he said.
He told the students that time is fast coming when all these exams including WAEC, NECO, JAMB will all be conducted online and that they need to master all these technologies to pass these exams”, he said.
He commended the Nigerian Communications, and the USPF for the initiative to ensure that Nigerians, especially the youth have access to this vital tool of education
“I want to commend the USPF, and the NCC for this wise thought an indeed the President of this county for the support he has given to the NCC and the USPF to promote ICT and Communications in our schools throughout the federation”, he said.  He enjoined the Commission and the USPF not to relent in supporting this project as the legislators are solidly behind its full implementation across the country.
Earlier in his remark, Mr. Funsho Fayomi, secretary of USPF, said the Fund has has ten of such facilities for schools in  each of the states of the federation  comprising of one beneficiary school in each of the senatorial zones and one from the State capital. He said SAP is an ICT project to provide Internet access to schools in which each of the beneficiary schools received 100 computers with full Internet access.
While stating that USPF is the intervention fund that the government has set up to bridge the gap between the information rich and information poor, he said the fund has also completed 76 Base Station transceivers in which GSM operators are involved in extending services to grassroots locations to ensure coverage.
“These are in support of the Federal Government’s 7 Point Agenda in creating the necessary infrastructure, training the youth to acquire more skill for job placements and providing access at Community Communication Centers for the benefit of the populace”, he said.