Village Extension Agents' Use of ICT in South-South, Nigeria

In Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Abuja in collaboration with Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations determined to turn extension workers and rural farmers into internet users, initiated the Farm Radio Network (FRN) in 2004. In a bid for Nigerian government to bridge the digital divide, it launched the Nigerian economy into the information age with NIGCOMSAT-1 in December, 2005. Rural Internet Resource Centers and Mobile Internet Units were established for accelerating ICT diffusion into the rural areas of Nigeria. With this laudable effort of government, it is only pertinent to ascertain through empirical data the awareness, access, and use of ICT facilities to justify the government's huge investment in ICT. Research has not brought a clear picture of the level of usage of ICT facilities by extension workers, especially in the South-South geopolitical Zone. This has resulted in a knowledge gap. The ensuing gap has been a serious constraint to formulating polices and designing programmes for improvement. Against this background, it is imperative therefore to ascertain the level of ICT usage.