While preparing this manual, I started analyzing the question that everybody likes to pose when hearing and talking about the Internet:

(a) what is the Internet

(b) how is it useful

(c) what can I get from it

Basically the Internet looks like a telephone network that has been designed to allow computers to communicate with each other but it is evident that on the computer network there are people and this fact makes the whole thing very interesting.

We can define the Internet as a network of people connected via computer.

Information exchange should facilitate the solution of problems in areas such as education, health, environment, technology and business.

The Internet offers the opportunity to make resources available to a very large group of users. We know that in the modern age one of the primary research instrument is the computer.

And through the computer and the telephone line we can connect to the Internet. The promotion of Internet connectivity and awareness will help the growth of the national information infrastructure and strengthen the local capacity.

However the main barrier to the internet expansion in Nigeria remains the lack of a reliable telecommunications infrastructure, competitive regulatory policy, affordable communication, high cost of equipment and internet connectivity and lack of awareness of potential benefits. These are the points, that led to the idea to organize courses for internet awareness and practice to make it possible for a large number of people to understand the capability and the relevant benefit, that this new information technology will bring to them. This manual is a compendium of the lecture that Internet Society Nigeria chapter is carrying out to develop the awareness of Internet in Nigeria.
We hope that this manual will help all our students to refresh their memories on Internet basic concepts.
This program is part of a large one that the Internet Society Nigeria Chapter is implementing for the development of education, technology, business and information in the country. We strongly believe that diffusion of Internet to the greatest number of Nigerians will reduce the gap with the industrialized countries and will enhance the development of the nation.

Engr. G. Massari

Vice President, ISOC Nigeria Chapter.

February 1999

Back To Table Of Content                          Return To Top