Students of JSS Zone 1, Abuja, during a CITAD-led cyber safety training aimed at curbing cyberbullying and promoting responsible technology use.
As Nigeria’s education sector moves further into the digital age, the lack of basic ICT infrastructure in many public schools is exposing students to online threats without the tools to defend themselves.
At Junior Secondary School, Zone 1 in Abuja, the classroom walls are bare of digital equipment, no functional ICT lab, no internet-enabled devices, and no access to e-learning platforms. Yet the students, like millions across the country, are active online.
In response, the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), in collaboration with the Ndukwe Kalu Foundation, launched a cyber safety training to help students navigate the internet safely.
The initiative is part of a broader digital rights and online child protection campaign targeting over 500 students in the FCT, and thousands more in Kano, Bauchi, and Jigawa states.
CITAD’s Technical Officer for the FCT, Usman Isa, said the goal is to equip young people with knowledge to protect themselves against cyberbullying, identity theft, and online manipulation.
“The digital divide is real. Students are increasingly exposed online, yet most schools lack the basic infrastructure to educate them on digital safety,” he explained. “We’re advocating for long-term support from government.”
While students like Nathan Itabu and Maryam Abiyogadro expressed excitement about learning how to report abuse, protect personal data, and create strong passwords, the school’s principal, Dr. Mary Abrahams, raised deeper concerns.
She noted that past e-learning policies had been abandoned, with once-distributed digital tools like PC-mates now obsolete.
“We don’t have a working ICT classroom. Teachers don’t even have laptops,” she said, warning that students may be unprepared for upcoming computer-based testing (CBT).
Despite a phone ban in school, many students are still affected by cyberbullying through online contact outside school hours, often escalating into conflicts within the school environment.
The training, which includes lessons on online privacy, reporting abuse, and understanding harmful content, is already changing how students engage online.
But stakeholders agreed that awareness alone is not enough.
CITAD and school leaders are calling for urgent government action—provision of digital infrastructure, updated e-learning tools, and long-term investment in child online protection—to match policy shifts in Nigeria’s education system.
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