Use of cybercafé for internet access by the students of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Nigeria

PurposeThe study aims to investigate the use of cybercafé for internet access by students of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachUsing descriptive design, 382 copies of a structured questionnaire were administered to students of the Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, who were using the institution cybercafé as at the time of the study.FindingsThe findings revealed that 75 percent of the male students make use of the cybercafé compared with their female colleagues, while the majority strongly agreed that they use it for research purposes. Google and Yahoo were the leading search engines used to explore resources, while the students acquired internet search knowledge and skills through teaching themselves followed by computer training programmes. It was also discovered that irregular electricity supply was the leading problem faced while using the cybercafé by the students, among others.Originality/valueThe paper contains an extensive study on the use of cybercafé in an academic environment in Nigeria, which will help in improving the internet access of students of tertiary institutions in Nigeria.