NCC Warns Contractors as Fibre Cuts Exceed 5,000 in Six Months

L - R: Rafiu Adeladan, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Works; Air Vice Marshal Effiom Ewa, Director, Directorate of Critical National Assets and Infrastructure Protection (DCNAIP), Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA); Dr. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC); during the Stakeholders’ Workshop for the Protection of Fibre Optic Cables During Road Construction, held on 11 August 2026 at the National Counter Terrorism Centre, Office of the National Security Adviser, Abuja

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has called for stronger coordination among road construction companies, contractors, government agencies, engineers and telecommunications operators to prevent damage to fibre-optic infrastructure during road projects and other civil works.

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, Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Abuja.

Maida disclosed that more than 5,000 fibre-cut incidents were recorded in the first six months of 2026, largely arising from road construction, excavation and other civil engineering activities.

He warned that continued damage to fibre infrastructure could have far-reaching consequences for Nigeria’s economy and essential services, noting that telecommunications networks now underpin 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 said.

The NCC boss stressed that the issue should not be approached as a conflict between road contractors and telecommunications operators, but as a coordination challenge requiring all stakeholders to work together.

He said Nigeria must simultaneously develop its physical and digital infrastructure, adding that roads should connect communities while fibre networks connect the economy.

According to him, 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 establish practical mechanisms for coordination before, during and after road construction.

He disclosed that representatives of the Office of the National Security Adviser had recently been included in the committee because of the security implications associated with telecommunications infrastructure.

Maida explained that telecommunications infrastructure had been designated as Critical National Information Infrastructure, requiring stronger protection and appropriate legal, regulatory and remedial measures where damage occurs.

The EVC also recalled that fibre cuts in February 2024, including those linked to road construction, caused an almost network-wide disruption for one telecommunications operator, affecting millions of subscribers for several hours and putting additional pressure on other networks.

He therefore urged contractors, operators, regulators, government agencies and security organisations to make fibre protection an integral part of project planning and execution.

The workshop is expected to produce a framework for protecting telecommunications fibre infrastructure during road construction, excavation and related activities, while reducing service disruptions and supporting Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda.

L