The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has raised alarm over the increasing damage to telecommunications infrastructure nationwide, revealing that Nigeria currently records an average of 1,100 fibre cut incidents weekly.
The Executive Vice-Chairman of the NCC, Dr Aminu Maida, said during a Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) and Sustainability Conference in Lagos on Thursday that the commission also recorded 545 cases of access denial and 99 cases of theft on a weekly basis.
The event was organised by the Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA) in collaboration with the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) themed Critical National ICT Infrastructure and Industry Sustainability, Way Forward.
Mr Maida, who was represented by Mr Edoyemi Ogoh, Director, Technical Standards and Network Integrity Department, NCC, said that these incidents threatened service delivery, operational stability, and national security.
“These are not just numbers. They reflect a national emergency. Every fibre cut, every theft, and every case of sabotage contributes to dropped calls, failed transactions, interrupted emergency services and economic losses.
He added that the damages had become a major barrier to sustaining the country’s digital economy, which relied heavily on resilient telecom infrastructure.
“We are ensuring Nigerians understand that damage to telecom infrastructure affects not just big companies, but ordinary people who depend on mobile services, ATMs, hospitals and security alerts,” Mr Maida said.
He added that collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) was key to aligning telecom infrastructure protection with the nation’s broader security architecture.
The NCC boss further identified access denial to base station sites as a growing challenge, noting that in many cases, operators were prevented from conducting essential maintenance and operations, thereby prolonging network outages.
He noted that the situation was further compounded by Right-of-Way (RoW) bottlenecks, complex and delayed permit processes, and the rising cost of operations due to heavy reliance on diesel-powered generators, stating, “The security situation in parts of the country also poses a real barrier to safe and timely maintenance of telecom sites.”