The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) attributes the surge in fibre-optic cable cuts during road projects to poor coordination among key stakeholders, particularly the Ministry of Works.
NCC Executive Vice Chairman Dr. Aminu Maida, speaking at an Abuja stakeholders’ workshop themed “Secure Today: Connect Tomorrow,” urged stronger inter-agency collaboration to curb the damage. He revealed that more than 5,000 fibre cuts were recorded in the first half of the year, largely due to road excavation and construction work carried out without prior coordination.
NCC has further warned that rampant damage to fibre-optic cables threatens critical national services such as banking, healthcare, education, government operations, commerce, security and emergency communications.
Dr Aminu Maida, further calls for mandatory early coordination among road contractors, engineers, regulators and security agencies to prevent cuts that can cause hours-long, nationwide outages and heavy economic costs.
In response, a Standing Committee on the Protection of Fibre Optic Cables, now expanded to include the Office of the National Security Adviser has been tasked with developing practical coordination mechanisms before, during and after civil works, as telecoms infrastructure is designated Critical National Information Infrastructure with legal and regulatory consequences for damage. The initiative aims to institutionalize standard safeguards during excavation and road projects to minimize service disruptions and support Nigeria’s digital transformation.
