Executive Vice Chairman.of NCC, Aminu Maida
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has raised alarm over the increasing damage to telecommunications infrastructure nationwide.
The commission said the country currently records an average of 1,100 fibre cut incidents weekly, along with 545 cases of access denial and 99 cases of theft.
NCC’s Executive Vice-Chairman Dr Aminu Maida, said this during a Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) and Sustainability Conference in Lagos on Thursday.
Maida said these incidents threaten 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.”
The affected infrastructure has been designated Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) by President Bola Tinubu. Maida stressed that stakeholders have a national security responsibility to protect these assets.
“Our fibre networks, towers, and data centres are the digital lifelines of the Nigerian economy. Any disruption to them has far-reaching consequences.”
The NCC has adopted a multi-layered approach to address the situation, including technical enforcement, mediation, public sensitisation, and stakeholder engagement. A nationwide awareness campaign is underway to educate the public on the dangers of vandalism and theft.
ALTON Chairman Gbenga Adebayo called on telecom operators to take greater responsibility in protecting their infrastructure.
“The ease with which stolen telecom components such as generators, batteries and cables are being sold openly in local markets is also of concern.
” It is a thriving black market that encourages continued vandalism.” He said
