Over 5,000 fibre-optic cables were damaged in the first half of 2026 alone, prompting the Nigerian Communications Commission to warn that the nation’s digital infrastructure is under siege from road construction works.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has issued an urgent call to road construction companies, contractors, engineers, and other stakeholders to strengthen coordination and adopt preventive measures to protect fibre-optic cables during civil works across the country.
Dr Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, made the appeal on Tuesday at a stakeholders’ workshop on fibre-optic cable protection, held at the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, Office of the National Security Adviser, Abuja.
Maida cautioned that Nigeria’s push to expand physical infrastructure must not come at the expense of the digital backbone connecting citizens to information, services, markets, and economic opportunities. He described telecommunications infrastructure as a critical national lifeline, supporting banking, government services, education, healthcare, commerce, security, and emergency communications.
“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 stated.
The NCC boss revealed that more than 5,000 fibre-cut incidents were recorded in the first six months of 2026 as a result of road construction, excavation, and related civil works. He recalled that in February 2024, fibre cuts—including those caused by road construction—triggered an almost network-wide disruption for one telecommunications operator, affecting millions of users for several hours and placing additional strain on other networks.
Maida emphasised that the issue 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 called for a dependable system of early coordination among operators, contractors, government agencies, and other stakeholders.
“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 NCC EVC disclosed that the Permanent Secretaries of the Federal Ministry of Works and the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy had inaugurated the Standing Committee on the Protection of Fibre Optic Cables. The committee, whose membership has recently been expanded to include representatives of the Office of the National Security Adviser, was established to develop practical coordination mechanisms before, during, and after road construction works.
Maida further disclosed that telecommunications infrastructure had been designated as Critical National Information Infrastructure, requiring it to be treated and protected as national infrastructure. He added that appropriate legal, regulatory, and remedial consequences would apply in cases of damage.
The EVC urged all stakeholders—operators, contractors, government agencies, regulators, and security agencies—to play their respective roles in preventing fibre damage, stressing that coordination should become an integral part of planning and execution rather than an exception.
The workshop, according to the NCC, forms part of ongoing efforts to institutionalise coordination mechanisms that safeguard telecommunications infrastructure, minimise service disruptions, and support Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda.