The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has called on civil engineering firms, road contractors, project managers, and public sector stakeholders to institutionalize strict preventive measures and deepen operational coordination to protect subterranean fibre-optic infrastructure during civil works across the nation. The regulatory directive aims to halt the persistent, widespread destruction of high-capacity data cables that occur during road construction, dualization, and general urban rehabilitation projects.
Speaking on August 11, 2026, at a high-level stakeholders’ workshop hosted at the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) within the Office of the National Security Adviser in Abuja, NCC Executive Vice Chairman and CEO Dr. Aminu Maida emphasized that Nigeria’s drive for physical infrastructural expansion must not derail its digital backbone. He stressed that telecommunications infrastructure has evolved into a vital economic artery that directly powers electronic banking, digital governance, commerce, national security operations, healthcare delivery, and emergency response systems.
Illustrating the severe economic consequences of construction-induced damage, Dr. Maida disclosed that the telecom sector recorded over 5,000 fibre-cut incidents within the first six months of 2026 alone. Pointing out the ripple effects across society, he observed that while a severed line might look like a single broken cable to an excavator operator on a construction site, to the nation it instantly translates into failed financial transactions, disrupted public utilities, and substantial financial losses for enterprise networks and everyday citizens.
Recalling a severe precedent from February 2024—where simultaneous construction-induced cuts triggered an almost total nationwide blackout for a major mobile network operator—the EVC made a clear case for infrastructure co-existence. He reiterated that physical roads connecting physical communities and digital networks linking the broader economy are equally indispensable, meaning engineering practices must evolve so both critical assets progress simultaneously without one disabling the other.
Dr. Maida clarified that addressing this crisis is not about trade disputes or assigning institutional blame, acknowledging that contractors do not deliberately cause blackouts, nor do telecom operators intend to stall public works. Instead, the persistent challenge stems from a lack of systematic pre-excavation alignment, making early-stage mapping, multi-agency data sharing, and synchronized project execution urgent necessities across all construction corridors.
To formalize this collaboration, a joint Standing Committee on the Protection of Fibre Optic Cables was inaugurated by the Permanent Secretaries of the Federal Ministry of Works and the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, with its membership recently expanded to include the Office of the National Security Adviser. This inclusion reinforces the legal mandate behind telecommunications assets, which are officially designated as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) carrying strict legal protections and liabilities for unlawful destruction.
The Abuja consultative workshop represents a decisive step by the NCC and partner security institutions to transition from reactionary repairs to enforceable national standards. By building a binding inter-agency framework for pre-construction clearance and real-time utility monitoring, the Commission aims to permanently eliminate preventable network outages, safeguard private sector capital investments, and secure Nigeria’s digital transformation trajectory.