• Maida warns road construction must not undermine Nigeria’s digital economy
By| Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has raised the alarm over more than 5,000 incidents of fibre-optic cable cuts recorded across the country in the first half of 2026, urging road construction companies, contractors, engineers and government agencies to strengthen coordination to protect critical telecommunications infrastructure.
The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, made the call on Tuesday, 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 (NSA), Abuja.
Maida warned that Nigeria’s drive to expand physical infrastructure must not come at the expense of the digital infrastructure that connects citizens to information, financial services, healthcare, education, businesses and government services.
According to him, communications infrastructure has become a critical national lifeline, supporting banking, commerce, education, healthcare, security, emergency communications and other essential services.
He said damage to fibre-optic infrastructure could trigger widespread service disruptions while imposing significant economic costs on citizens, businesses and government institutions.
“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 between January and June 2026, largely arising from road construction, excavation and other civil works.
He recalled that fibre cuts in February 2024, including those associated with road construction activities, caused an almost network-wide disruption for one telecommunications operator, affecting millions of subscribers for several hours and placing additional pressure on other networks.
Maida, however, said the issue was not about assigning blame to road contractors or telecommunications operators, stressing that neither party deliberately seeks to disrupt the activities of the other.
He said the solution lies in establishing a reliable system of early coordination among road contractors, telecommunications operators, government agencies, regulators and security institutions.
“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 EVC 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.
He said the committee was established to develop practical coordination mechanisms for the protection of fibre infrastructure before, during and after road construction and other civil works.
According to him, the membership of the committee has also been expanded to include representatives of the Office of the National Security Adviser, reflecting the growing security implications of protecting telecommunications infrastructure.
Maida noted that telecommunications infrastructure has been designated as Critical National Information Infrastructure, requiring it to be treated as critical national infrastructure and protected accordingly.
He urged all stakeholders, including telecommunications operators, contractors, government institutions, regulators and security agencies, to play their respective roles in preventing damage to fibre infrastructure.
The NCC boss stressed that coordination should become an integral part of the planning and execution of road construction and excavation projects rather than an afterthought.
He urged participants at the workshop to develop practical measures capable of making coordination a standard practice across the country.
The workshop is part of ongoing efforts by the NCC and other stakeholders to institutionalise mechanisms for safeguarding telecommunications infrastructure, reducing service disruptions and supporting Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda.
The meeting is expected to culminate in a framework for protecting telecommunications fibre-optic infrastructure during road construction, excavation and other civil engineering activities nationwide.
