The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has urged road construction companies, contractors, engineers and other stakeholders to improve coordination and adopt preventive measures to protect fibre optic cables during road construction, rehabilitation and other civil works across the country.
The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, Dr Aminu Maida, made the call on 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 in Abuja.
Maida stressed that Nigeria’s efforts to expand physical infrastructure must go hand in hand with the protection of the digital networks that connect citizens to information, essential services, businesses and economic opportunities.
He described telecommunications infrastructure as a critical national lifeline, supporting banking, government services, education, healthcare, commerce, security and emergency communications.
According to him, damage to fibre infrastructure can disrupt essential services and create significant economic costs for citizens, businesses and public 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 chief disclosed that more than 5,000 fibre cut incidents were recorded in the first six months of 2026, largely linked to road construction, excavation and other civil works.
He recalled that fibre cuts in February 2024, including those associated with road construction activities, contributed to an almost network-wide disruption experienced by one telecommunications operator, affecting millions of users for several hours and putting additional pressure on other networks.
Maida said the challenge should not be viewed as a matter of assigning blame, noting that road contractors generally do not intend to disconnect communities, while telecommunications operators also have no intention of obstructing construction projects.
Instead, he called for a reliable system of early coordination between telecommunications operators, contractors, government agencies, regulators and security authorities.
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.
The committee is expected to develop practical coordination mechanisms to be applied before, during and after road construction and other projects that could affect telecommunications infrastructure.
Maida further disclosed that the committee’s membership had recently been expanded to include representatives of the Office of the National Security Adviser, reflecting the security implications of protecting telecommunications infrastructure.
He noted that telecommunications infrastructure has been designated as Critical National Information Infrastructure, requiring it to be treated as national infrastructure and protected accordingly.
According to him, the designation also carries legal, regulatory and remedial implications where damage occurs.
The NCC boss urged all relevant stakeholders to make fibre protection an integral part of project planning and execution rather than treating it as an afterthought.
“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.
He urged participants at the workshop to develop practical measures that would make coordination a standard requirement for road construction, excavation and related civil works.
The workshop is part of ongoing efforts by the NCC and other stakeholders to institutionalise mechanisms for protecting telecommunications infrastructure, reducing service disruptions and supporting Nigeria’s digital transformation.
The engagement is expected to contribute to the development of a framework for safeguarding fibre optic infrastructure during road construction and other excavation activities.
