By Abubakar Yunus
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says more than 5,000 fibre-optic cable cuts were recorded in Nigeria in the first six months of 2026.
The NCC linked the incidents largely to road excavation, construction, and other civil works.
Aminu Maida, the NCC’s executive vice-chairman and chief executive officer, spoke 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.
The CEO said many of the incidents occurred because of inadequate coordination between road contractors and telecommunications operators before construction work began.
He said fibre cuts are not merely an operational cost to telecom companies as they could disrupt banking, government services, healthcare, education, commerce, security, and other activities that depend on digital connectivity.
Maida said the incidents could have been prevented through better coordination and information sharing before excavation began, adding that stakeholders must move from repairing damaged infrastructure to preventing the damage.
The executive secretary said a damaged fibre cable should not be viewed merely as a cost to telecommunications operators, because its impact extends to businesses, government services and households.
“To a machine operator on a construction site, it may appear to be one buried cable. To the nation, it can mean failed calls, poor payments, interrupted services, and missed opportunities.”
He said the impact of fibre cuts could be seen in everyday activities, including financial transactions, healthcare delivery, education, and security operations.
“A damaged fibre cable is therefore not simply a cost to an operator; it is a cost to Nigerians and to the wider economy,” Maida said.
Maida said the incidents were largely preventable, arguing that the problem was often due to a lack of coordination between contractors and telecoms operators before construction work begins.
“No road contractor sets out to disconnect the community. No telecommunications operator wants to obstruct the building of a road. No public agency wants one vital national project to undermine another. Our interests are aligned,” he said.
The NCC chief said what is needed is “a dependable system of early coordination” to ensure that fibre infrastructure is identified and protected before excavation begins.
“Operators must share accurate route information and respond promptly,” Maida said.
“Contractors must check before excavation and plan for protection. Government agencies must support timely information exchange.”
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.
Ewa said damage to the infrastructure through negligence or interference could constitute an offence under Nigeria’s legal framework.
He called for greater compliance with established procedures by contractors and telecommunications operators during construction and maintenance activities.
“Every fibre-optic cable damage is more than a disruption to a network, or simply a cable cut,” Ewa said.
“It is indeed a disruption to governance, economic productivity, public services, and the daily lives of Nigerians.”
On his part, Olarinre Adeladan, permanent secretary, federal ministry of works, said road construction and telecommunications infrastructure often occupy the same physical space, making coordination between the two sectors necessary.
Adeladan called for improved mapping of underground utilities and accurate information on the location of fibre cables before excavation.
He said cable cuts result in disruption of critical services, loss of productivity, financial losses and inconvenience to Nigerians.
“Appropriate mapping and coordination with telecommunications operators” are necessary to prevent damage to fibre infrastructure, Adeladan said.
Also speaking, Nadungu Gagare, permanent secretary at the ministry of communications, innovation, and digital economy, represented by Stanley Musa, director of telecommunications and postal services, said repeated fibre cuts were undermining investments in the country’s broadband infrastructure.
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