The anathema of digital divide in the Nigerian higher education: Lessons from the pandemic

Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, is in the grip of an education lethargy. Academic freedom and excellent delivery have never been more challenging than witnessed during the pandemic. The low budget and inadequate infrastructural development, especially for the education sector, particularly higher education (HE), become more obvious with devastating effects on all the stakeholders. This chapter will examine extant literature on the extent of the digital divide that became more pronounced due to the pandemic, thereby provoking urgent discussions on the need to address the challenges witnessed in teaching, research, and other scholarly activities. We investigated and contextualised the degree to which the digital divide in the Nigerian HE has exacerbated the marginalisation of students, staff, and institutions since the pandemic, bring to the spotlight the implications of such a divide in digital learning, demystify how this has beclouded academic freedom, excellent delivery, and knowledge dissemination. Ultimately, we hope for a paradigm shift from the current vulnerability and to explore new ways of thinking and conducting HE academic activities.