Dr. Olunifesi Suraj
An average student and business owner relies heavily on the internet for daily activities and transactions. For a student, he or she depends on it for communication, learning resources, and entertainment. Business owners are not left behind; they rely on the internet for online transactions, business resources, internet banking, and communication with customers, stakeholders, and employees.
An internet shutdown occurs when there is an intentional disruption of internet or electronic communication services, which makes them inaccessible or difficult to use.
This situation automatically disrupts the activities of internet users, especially students and business owners whose daily lives are strongly centered on online services.
An internet shutdown usually targets a specific population or location and is often carried out to control the flow of information. Shutdowns are sometimes called “blackouts” or “kill switches.”
The scope and scale of an internet shutdown can vary in the following ways:
- In some cases, it involves a total network outage, where access to the internet is completely cut off.
- In other cases, access to mobile networks, websites, social media platforms, or messaging applications may be blocked, slowed down (throttled), or made difficult to use.
- Shutdowns may affect an entire country, specific towns or regions, or even multiple countries, and can last from a few hours to several months.
These shutdowns can be classified as total blackouts, partial or network-specific shutdowns, throttling, and platform blocking.
For example, in 2021, Nigeria experienced its first major internet restriction when Twitter was banned for over six months. The government cited concerns about hate speech, misinformation, and civil unrest linked to regional agitation for self-governance and protests against police brutality.
More recently, in 2025, several local government areas in Zamfara North (including Birnin Magaji, Kaura Namoda, Shinkafi, and Zurmi) experienced prolonged internet disruptions that lasted for months. The outage affected major mobile networks and left students, businesses, and residents without reliable access.
Civil society and international digital-rights organizations publicly called for the restoration of internet services, citing global standards that consider access to the internet a basic right essential for education, communication, and economic activities.
Internet shutdowns have serious effects on students. They can disrupt online classes, prevent access to research materials and assignments, make exam and test information difficult to obtain, and limit communication with lecturers and classmates.
These disruptions also cause mental stress and wasted time, affecting students’ overall learning experience.
Business owners are equally affected. Shutdowns can cause mobile banking and POS failures, disrupt management of online shops and social media accounts, delay delivery services, and result in loss of customers and income due to poor communication.
Both students and businesses rely heavily on the internet, making shutdowns a major obstacle to education and economic activity.
Internet shutdowns, whether nationwide or localized, disrupt the daily lives of students, businesses, and communities. From Nigeria’s six-month Twitter ban in 2021 to the prolonged outages in Zamfara North in 2025, these disruptions have affected education, commerce, and communication.
Understanding how internet shutdowns occur and the consequences they bring is critical for businesses, citizens, and policymakers who rely heavily on digital connectivity in today’s world.
