The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has revealed that more than 5,000 fibre-optic cable cuts were recorded across Nigeria in the first six months of 2026, with most of the incidents linked to road construction, excavation and other civil works.
The NCC Executive Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Aminu Maida, disclosed this on Tuesday at a stakeholders’ workshop on the protection of telecommunications infrastructure during road construction and other civil works.
“Over 5,000 fibre cut incidents were reported on road excavation, construction, and related civil work,” Maida said.
According to him, many of the incidents could have been avoided if road contractors and telecommunications operators had properly coordinated and exchanged information before construction activities began.
Maida warned that fibre cuts go beyond the cost of repairing damaged cables, as they can disrupt banking, healthcare, education, government services, commerce, security and other activities that depend on digital connectivity.
“A damaged fibre cable is therefore not simply a cost to an operator; it is a cost to Nigerians and to the wider economy,” he said.
NCC Calls for Better Coordination
The NCC boss said stakeholders needed to shift from simply repairing damaged infrastructure to preventing fibre cuts before construction begins.
He urged telecommunications operators to provide accurate information on fibre routes and respond promptly to requests, while contractors should confirm the location of underground infrastructure before excavation.
“Our interests are aligned,” Maida said, stressing the need for “a dependable system of early coordination.”
Effiom Ewa, Director of Critical National Security and Infrastructure Protection at the Office of the National Security Adviser, said fibre-optic infrastructure had been designated as critical national information infrastructure.
He warned that damage caused through negligence or interference could constitute an offence under Nigerian law.
Road Projects, Fibre Networks Often Overlap
Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Works, Olarinre Adeladan, said road construction and telecommunications infrastructure frequently occupy the same physical space, making coordination between both sectors essential.
He called for improved mapping of underground utilities and accurate information on the location of fibre cables before excavation.
The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Nadungu Gagare, also warned that repeated fibre cuts were undermining investments in Nigeria’s broadband infrastructure.
He said the incidents increase costs for telecom operators, weaken network resilience and disrupt services used by millions of Nigerians.
Gagare added that the Federal Government had established a tripartite standing committee on the protection of fibre-optic infrastructure to improve coordination among government agencies, telecommunications operators and other stakeholders.
