The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has disclosed that more than 5,000 fibre-optic cable cuts were recorded across Nigeria in the first half of 2026, largely linked to road construction, excavation and other civil works.
The commission said the incidents pose a growing threat to telecommunications services and the country’s digital economy, urging road contractors, engineers, government agencies and other stakeholders to improve coordination before carrying out construction and excavation activities.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ workshop on the protection of fibre-optic cables in Abuja on Tuesday, Aminu Maida, NCC executive vice chairman and chief executive officer, said telecommunications infrastructure had become a critical national lifeline supporting banking, government services, healthcare, education, commerce, security and emergency communications.
Maida warned that damage to fibre infrastructure could disrupt essential services while imposing high costs on businesses, government institutions and citizens.
“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,” he said.
According to the NCC chief, Nigeria’s physical infrastructure expansion must be matched with measures to protect the digital infrastructure that connects communities and supports economic activity.
“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,” Maida said.
He recalled that fibre cuts in February 2024, including those caused by road construction, contributed to 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 said the issue should not be viewed primarily as a conflict between road contractors and telecommunications operators, noting that most incidents are not deliberate.
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Maida called for a dependable coordination system that allows telecommunications operators, contractors and government agencies to identify and protect fibre infrastructure before construction begins.
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.
The committee is expected to develop practical coordination mechanisms covering the stages before, during and after road construction and other civil works.
Its membership has also been expanded to include representatives of the Office of the National Security Adviser which reflects the security implications of protecting telecommunications infrastructure.
The NCC said telecommunications infrastructure has been designated as Critical National Information Infrastructure which requires it to be treated as critical national infrastructure and protected through appropriate legal, regulatory and remedial measures.
Maida urged telecommunications operators, contractors, government agencies, regulators and security agencies to take responsibility for preventing fibre damage and make coordination a standard part of infrastructure project planning.
The Abuja workshop is part of ongoing efforts by the NCC and other stakeholders to institutionalise measures for protecting fibre-optic infrastructure during road construction and excavation activities.
The commission said the engagement is expected to culminate in a framework for protecting telecommunications fibre infrastructure thereby reducing service disruptions and supporting Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda.
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