More than 5,000 fibre-optic cables were damaged across Nigeria in the first six months of 2026, with road construction, excavation and other civil works posing a growing risk to the country’s digital services and economic activity.
Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja at a stakeholder workshop on protecting fibre-optic cables during road construction, rehabilitation and other civil works.
Maida said the scale of the damage showed the cost of poor coordination among telecommunications operators, construction companies and government agencies before excavation and other infrastructure work begins.
“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.
Fibre infrastructure supports many parts of the Nigerian economy, including banking, government services, education, healthcare, commerce, security and emergency communications.
Maida said many fibre cuts happened because contractors started excavation without knowing where underground telecommunications cables were located.
He said the problem was not mainly about blaming contractors or telecom operators but about the lack of a system for coordinating projects that use the same space.
“When road construction and telecommunications infrastructure share the same physical space, coordination cannot be optional,” he said.
A single fibre cut can affect more than the telecommunications company whose cable is damaged. It can disrupt businesses and consumers that depend on internet and phone services.
Failed calls, loss of internet access, disrupted digital payments, interrupted public services and lost business can all add to the economic cost.
Maida referred to the telecommunications disruption in February 2024 as an example of how fibre damage can become a national problem.
Fibre cuts during the incident caused an almost network-wide outage for one operator, leaving millions unable to make calls, send messages or access the internet for several hours.
The disruption also pushed subscribers to other networks, putting additional pressure on their infrastructure. This showed how a problem on one network can affect the wider telecommunications system.
To reduce fibre damage, the permanent secretaries of the Federal Ministry of Works and the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy have set up a Standing Committee on the Protection of Fibre Optic Cables.
The committee is expected to develop ways for government agencies, contractors and telecommunications companies to coordinate before, during and after road construction and other civil works.
The Office of the National Security Adviser has also joined the committee to provide oversight of telecommunications infrastructure.
Maida said the workshop was part of the committee’s work and was designed to help construction companies, engineers, contractors and site supervisors understand the risks of working around fibre cables.
Telecommunications infrastructure has been classified as Critical National Information Infrastructure because of its importance to the economy and national security.
Maida said the classification was not intended to stop legitimate construction work but to ensure proper planning and responsibility.
He urged telecommunications operators to keep accurate records of their fibre routes and share the information with relevant stakeholders. He also asked contractors to check for underground infrastructure before starting excavation.
Government agencies, he said, should ensure that information about existing infrastructure is shared on time and that coordination is included in the planning of public projects.
Nadungu Gagare, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, represented at the workshop by Stanley Musa, director of telecoms and postal services, said fibre cuts were affecting investments in broadband infrastructure.
Gagare said the damage disrupts services, increases operating costs and affects people and businesses that depend on reliable connectivity.
He said the Ministry was working with relevant institutions to improve compliance with right-of-way rules, increase information sharing and coordinate infrastructure projects.
Gagare also said the Ministry had submitted a memorandum to the National Economic Council on harmonising right-of-way charges and how the policy would be implemented.
The Council approved the memorandum and directed the ministry to develop standards and guidelines for the harmonised right-of-way policy, including the “dig once” initiative.
The initiative is intended to ensure that infrastructure projects are coordinated so that roads and other public infrastructure do not have to be repeatedly dug up for separate projects.
A multi-stakeholder committee has also been set up to develop national standards, identify routes and propose a system for managing shared infrastructure.
Rafiu Olarinre Adeladan, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Works, said the growing overlap between road construction and telecommunications infrastructure made early coordination necessary.
Excavation, drainage works, road reconstruction, utility relocation and other activities can damage underground fibre cables when contractors do not have enough information about existing infrastructure.
Adeladan called for better mapping and marking of fibre routes and early communication among contractors, consultants, government agencies and telecommunications operators.
He said the Ministry of Works would continue to work with the NCC, Office of the National Security Adviser and other stakeholders to ensure that road construction does not damage the infrastructure that supports the digital economy.
“Our objective should be clear: to build roads without breaking our connectivity,” Adeladan said.
For the Office of the National Security Adviser, the issue goes beyond telecommunications and business.
Effiom Ewa, Director of Critical National Assets and Infrastructure Protection at the ONSA, said damage to fibre infrastructure could affect government services, economic activity and the daily lives of millions of Nigerians.
He said protecting the infrastructure was a shared responsibility involving government agencies, private organisations, contractors and telecommunications operators.
Ewa warned that because fibre-optic infrastructure has been classified as Critical National Information Infrastructure, negligence or interference that causes damage could be an offence under Nigerian law.
He urged stakeholders to follow the required procedures when carrying out construction, maintenance and other activities around telecommunications infrastructure.
For the NCC, the goal is to make infrastructure coordination a normal part of project planning rather than something addressed after damage occurs.
Maida said every fibre cut prevented could keep a business transaction going, maintain access to public services and support communication, security and emergency response.
“Every fibre cut we prevent is more than an engineering success,” he said. “It is a call that connects, a payment that goes through, a lesson that continues, a public service that remains available.”
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