By Abiodun Folarin
WorldStage— The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has disclosed that more than 5,000 telecom fibre-optic cable cuts were recorded across Nigeria in the first six months of 2026, largely linked to road construction, excavation and other civil works.
The Commission, therefore, urged road construction companies, contractors, engineers, government agencies and other stakeholders to strengthen coordination and adopt preventive measures to protect critical telecommunications infrastructure during construction activities.
The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, made the call on Tuesday at a stakeholders’ workshop on the protection of fibre-optic cables held at the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Abuja.
Maida said the country’s drive to expand physical infrastructure must not undermine the digital infrastructure that connects Nigerians to information, services, markets and opportunities.
According to him, telecommunications infrastructure has become a critical national lifeline, supporting banking, government services, education, healthcare, commerce, security and emergency communications.
He warned that damage to fibre infrastructure could disrupt essential services and impose significant costs on citizens, businesses and the wider economy.
“To a machine operator on a construction site, it may appear to be one buried cable. To the nation, it can mean failed calls, stalled payments, interrupted services and missed opportunities,” Maida said.
He recalled that fibre cuts in February 2024, including those caused by road construction, resulted in an almost network-wide disruption for one telecommunications operator, affecting millions of users for several hours and placing additional pressure on other networks.
The NCC chief executive stressed that the challenge was not about assigning blame, noting that road contractors did not deliberately seek to disconnect communities, just as telecommunications operators did not intend to obstruct road construction.
Rather, he said, there was a need for a dependable system of early coordination among all stakeholders involved in construction and excavation projects.
Maida disclosed that the Permanent Secretaries of the Federal Ministry of Works and the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy had inaugurated a Standing Committee on the Protection of Fibre Optic Cables to develop practical coordination mechanisms before, during and after road construction.
He added that the committee’s membership had recently been expanded to include representatives of the Office of the National Security Adviser, reflecting the security implications of protecting telecommunications infrastructure.
According to him, telecommunications infrastructure has been designated as Critical National Information Infrastructure, requiring it to be treated as national infrastructure and protected accordingly, with appropriate legal, regulatory and remedial consequences for damage.
Maida urged telecommunications operators, contractors, government agencies, regulators and security agencies to play their respective roles in preventing damage to fibre infrastructure.
He stressed that coordination must become an integral part of the planning and execution of road construction, rehabilitation and other excavation projects.
“Our central message is simple: Nigeria must build the roads that connect our communities while protecting the fibre networks that connect our economy. We need both forms of infrastructure, and we need them to work together,” he said.
The workshop is part of ongoing efforts by the NCC and other stakeholders to institutionalise coordination mechanisms aimed at safeguarding telecommunications infrastructure, minimising service disruptions and supporting Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda.
The engagement is expected to culminate in a framework for protecting telecommunications fibre-optic infrastructure during road construction and other excavation activities across the country.
