Students of the University of Cross River State, Calabar (UNICROSS), will have free access to laptops, desktop computers, and other digital resources following the commissioning of a ₦1bn Information and Communication Technology Digital Experience Centre (ICTDEC) at the institution.
First Lady Oluremi Tinubu commissioned the facility at the university’s main campus over the weekend, where she presented it as an intervention aimed at reducing the financial barriers that prevent some tertiary students from acquiring the devices needed for digital learning.
The centre was delivered through the Renewed Hope Initiative in partnership with the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), while the programme is designed to extend access to digital facilities in higher institutions across Nigeria.
Speaking at the ceremony, Tinubu said students should be able to learn and develop digital skills without the cost of personal devices becoming an obstacle.
She explained that the facility would give beneficiaries opportunities to learn, create and build digital competence without being restricted by limited access to computers or unreliable electricity.
The intervention is not limited to UNICROSS. Tinubu disclosed that the project forms part of a nationwide programme covering tertiary institutions in Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
Several institutions have been selected for the pilot phase, including Ekiti State University, Federal Polytechnic, Oko in Anambra State, Kaduna State University, Kwara State University, and Taraba State University.
The choice of digital access as a focus of the intervention places students who cannot readily afford personal computers at the centre of the programme.
According to the First Lady, the facility is intended particularly to support students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, who may struggle to obtain laptops or other devices for academic work.
The centre therefore provides a shared technological environment where students can access equipment without having to bear the full cost of acquiring such resources themselves.
Tinubu said the facility would also provide students with uninterrupted opportunities to acquire practical digital skills.
The project combines access to computing equipment with an effort to address electricity constraints, which she identified as another factor capable of limiting students’ ability to use digital resources effectively.
The commissioning, at UNICROSS, represents the arrival of a major technology facility within the institution’s main campus. The ₦1bn investment also signals the scale of resources committed to the digital component of the initiative.
The partnership with TETFund gives the project an institutional dimension beyond the provision of individual devices. TETFund is the federal intervention agency responsible for funding public tertiary institutions through education tax revenue.
Tinubu’s intervention also forms part of a larger attempt to extend digital resources beyond institutions that already have substantial technological facilities.
The participating universities and polytechnic are spread across different parts of the country, reflecting the stated objective of reaching institutions in the six geopolitical zones.
At UNICROSS, students are expected to benefit from access to computers and other digital tools without paying for the use of personal devices.
The First Lady said the facility would help students learn, create and develop skills in an environment where access to technology and power would not constitute the principal limitations.
With the commissioning, UNICROSS joins the group of institutions selected for the pilot phase of the nationwide digital experience centre initiative.
The project consequently places digital access at the heart of the intervention, with the stated aim of making technology-assisted learning more accessible to students who might otherwise struggle to afford the necessary equipment.
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