*ALTON demands stiffer penalties for infrastructure vandals
Broadbased Communications on Friday said that the persistent issue of fibre cuts in Lagos State had resulted in an estimated ₦5 billion loss to telecom operators in 2024 alone.
The Senior Manager, Broadbased Communications, Mr Jude Ighomena, made this know at the 7th edition of the Policy Implementation Assisted Forum (PIAFo) in Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of this year’s PIAFo is: “Strengthening Protection on Critical Information Infrastructure Through Proactive Implementation and Strategic Coordination.”
Ighomena said that in 2024, telecoms operators in Lagos recorded over 2,500 fibre cuts causing significant disruptions to telecom services.
He said that the high risk zones for fibre cuts include Ikeja, Lekki, and Victoria Island, where road expansions and private developments frequently damaged buried fibre cables.
According to him, Mainland and Alimosho Local Government Areas in Lagos have also become notable for fibre cable theft and vandalism.
“These recurring incidents are attributed to poor planning, lack of coordination and overlapping regulatory mandates.
“The lack of a centralised regulatory framework results in government agencies, construction firms and telcos operating independently, leading to repeated damages without accountability.
“The impact of fibre cuts on telecom services is multifaceted, resulting in economic losses, service disruptions, consumer frustration and security concerns,’’ he said.
Ighomena advocated for stronger policies, stricter enforcement and effective redress mechanisms to address the issue.
According to him, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has guidelines in place to recognise telecom infrastructure as critical and grant operators the right to report and seek redress for damages.
He, however, said that more needed to be done to protect telecom infrastructure and ensure service reliability.
“The time to act is now! Continuous disruptions threaten financial stability, business operations and public trust,” Ighomena said.
Meanwhile, in a panel discussion, stakeholders at the forum called for collective efforts by the government, regulators and private sector stakeholders.
They called for a collaboration to establish a Fibre Protection Framework, implement realtime monitoring, enforce strict penalties and push for legal compensation mechanisms.
The Chief Executive Officer, Cedarview Communications Ltd., Mr Wale Owoeye, said that the use cases of Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) was growing hugely.
Owoeye said that Telemedicine, E-governance, ease of doing business, human lifestyle, entertainment, security, safety, access control, aviation, all leverage on the infrastructure.
He said that it was important to ensure that all reach a stage whereby the CNI are well protected, adding that a lot of work was needed in the industry to fast track and ensure enforcement and prosecution.
Mr Segun Okuneye, Divisional CEO, IxPN, said that what had worked in these scenarios was self-regulation.
“Regulations can send directions and roadmaps, but the operators themselves, must all come together to self-regulate and self-align with each other,” he said.
The Chief Executive Officer, Swift Telephone Network, Mr Wole Adetuyi, called on the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) to be more proactive in disseminating information on data protection.
Adetuyi said that as long as hackers did not relent, so also NDPC should not relent in ensuring safety and security of information sharing.
The Chief Administration and Human Resource Officer, LASIMRA, Dr Motunrayo Abimbola, called for education and creating awareness of the need to protect Critical National Infrastructure.
Abimbola noted that sometimes, there are deliberate and neat fibre cable cuts noticed by the regulators which are not associated with regular damages.
She said that these are a challenge because the cable cuts are done to get information and should be discontinued.
Abimbola called for sensitisation of residents on the implications of being caught in the act of cutting cables.
Also speaking at the occasion, the Convener, PIAFo, Mr Omobayo Azeez, said that there was the need for stakeholders to work together to protect Nigeria’s digital economy.
Azeez said that the recent passage of the Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) Order by President Bola Tinubu was a significant milestone in strengthening Nigeria’s digital economy.
He, however, stressed that the implementation of the order required a concerted effort from all stakeholders to prevent incessant fibre cuts, nationwide service outages and financial losses.
The convener commended telecommunications operators, associations, regulators, and ICT journalists for their role in championing the passage of the CNII Order.
He also expressed gratitude to sponsors and partners for their support, saying that their contributions were invaluable to the mission of PIAFo.
NAN reports that the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has the task of implementing the CNII Order.
STIFFER PENALTIES
Mr Gbenga Adebayo, Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), has called for punitive action against vandals wreaking havoc on telecommunications base stations.
Adebayo said this during the seventh edition of the Policy Implementation Assisted Forum (PIAFo) Summit in Lagos on Friday.
The theme of the event is: “Strengthening Protection of Critical Information Infrastructure through Proactive Implementation and Strategic Coordination”.
He said that these malicious individuals had been disrupting and stealing from these critical infrastructure hubs, compromising the nation’s communication networks.
According to him, any vandal found tempering with the telecommunications infrastructure should be prosecuted and awarded a jail term.
Citing an example, Adebayo said: “In England, if you crash into a telecommunications pole while driving, the state prosecutes the offender, not the telecoms provider.
“This highlights the seriousness of damaging public infrastructure, which can result in significant penalties, including imprisonment.”
The ALTON boss stressed the need to apply a similar approach to protecting Nigeria’s Critical National Infrastructure (CNI).
He emphasised the need for a united front against these vandals, who were not only harming the telecommunications industry but also undermining the country’s economic growth and development.
Adebayo noted that as the telecommunications industry continued to play a vital role in Nigeria’s economic development, it was imperative that the government took decisive action against the vandals, who not only damage but steal batteries and generators at base stations.
He added that by doing so, goverment would not only be protecting the industry’s infrastructure but also ensuring the continued provision of essential communication services to the Nigerian people.
Highlighting the importance of deterrence, Adebayo explained that if there were no significant consequences for people’s actions, the country would not make any progress in the area of CNI.
According to him, the current lack of effective prosecution has led to a culture of impunity, with individuals and organisations feeling they could damage public infrastructure without facing consequences.
He emphasised the need for stakeholders to work together to develop and implement effective protection plans, including the prosecution of offenders.
Adebayo also called for the establishment of clear legal frameworks for deterrence, prosecution, and enforcement.
On his part, Tony Emoekpere, President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), said the association needed a national plan to implement a CNI protection plan, which could be realised through collaboration among all stakeholders.
Highlighting the importance of enforcement, Emoekpere noted that stakeholders needed to identify the civil authority that would be responsible for enforcing the CNI protection plan.
Emoekpere suggested that the civil defence corps could play a key role in patrolling base stations and other critical infrastructure.
He said that mapping critical infrastructure nationwide was an important strategy in identifying the location, assets and the protection needed.
“The CNI will not become passive while trying to pass messages or get needs met from the government, as the infrastructure is necessary for communication, the “ATCON boss said.
Also, Emoekpere emphasised the need for budgeting and funding for the CNI implementation framework and protection plan.
He added that the funding approach should ensure the resilience of the infrastructure to threats and hazards and support the protection plan implementation.
