By Katsina Times
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has called on road construction companies, contractors, engineers, government agencies and other stakeholders to strengthen coordination and adopt preventive measures to protect fibre-optic cables during road construction, rehabilitation and other civil works across the country.
The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, made the call on August 11, 2026, 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, Abuja.
Maida stressed that Nigeria’s efforts to expand physical infrastructure must not undermine the digital infrastructure connecting citizens to information, services, markets and economic 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-optic 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.
The NCC boss disclosed that more than 5,000 fibre-cut incidents were recorded in the first six months of 2026, largely 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, 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.
Maida said the issue should not be viewed as one of assigning blame, noting that road contractors do not deliberately seek to disconnect communities, just as telecommunications operators do not intend to obstruct road construction.
Rather, he said, there was a need for a dependable system of early coordination among all stakeholders before construction and excavation activities commence.
He 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 works.
He added that the committee’s membership had recently been expanded to include representatives of the Office of the National Security Adviser, in recognition of the security implications of protecting telecommunications infrastructure, which has been designated as Critical National Information Infrastructure.
According to him, the designation means telecommunications infrastructure must 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 should become an integral part of the planning and execution of road construction 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.
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!