Nigeria’s growing dependence on telecom infrastructure for security operations, emergency response, financial transactions, government services and business activities has heightened concerns over the need to protect the infrastructure supporting the country’s digital development.
The concern follows the disclosure by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) that 5,934 fibre-optic cable cuts were recorded in the first six months of 2026, an average of about 65 incidents daily.
The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has linked the protection of telecommunications infrastructure to national security and economic stability, reflecting the wider importance of networks that support critical services across the country.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ workshop on the protection of fibre-optic cables during road construction in Abuja, the Director of Critical National Security and Infrastructure Protection at ONSA, Effiom Ewa, said damage to fibre infrastructure affects more than telecommunications services.
“Every fibre-optic cable damage is more than a disruption to a network,” Ewa said, adding that such damage affects “governance, economic productivity, public services, and the daily lives of Nigerians.”
The scale of the damage has also increased the financial burden on telecommunications operators.
Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, said operators spent N2.2 billion on direct repairs resulting from fibre cuts during the first half of 2026.
The figure does not include revenue lost during network disruptions or capital diverted from network expansion to emergency repairs.
The vulnerability of telecom infrastructure has implications for Nigeria’s expanding digital economy, particularly the financial sector.
The Central Bank of Nigeria’s Payments System Vision 2028 identifies security, interoperability, inclusion, innovation, trust and collaboration as key principles for the development of the country’s payments system.
Data from the CBN’s Q1 2026 statistical bulletin showed that transactions across major electronic payment channels were valued at N1.053 quadrillion during the quarter.
Electronic payment channels, including mobile payments, web payments, point-of-sale transactions and Nigeria Instant Payment, depend on communications networks to connect customers, merchants, banks and payment platforms.
A disruption to connectivity can therefore affect POS terminals, mobile banking applications, digital transfers and other services even when the financial institutions involved remain operational.
The implications also extend to emergency response.
The NCC operates Emergency Communications Centres connected to the 112 emergency number, with the centres designed to connect distressed citizens with response agencies including the police, fire service, Federal Road Safety Corps and ambulance services.
A network outage can affect the ability of citizens to contact emergency agencies and responders to communicate.
Telecommunications networks also provide communications support for security agencies, including coordination, information exchange and access to connected systems.
The Federal Government has recognised the wider importance of the infrastructure through its Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) framework.
The framework covers telecommunications networks, base stations, fibre-optic cables, data centres, towers, internet exchange points and other ICT facilities considered critical to national operations.
The February 2024 telecommunications disruption provided an indication of the consequences of damage to major fibre routes, affecting millions of users and interrupting access to telecommunications and digital services, including financial services.
The vulnerability is also becoming more significant as government expands the use of digital identity, data exchange and online public services.
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has identified digital public infrastructure as part of efforts to expand access to digital services and improve public-service delivery.
Government agencies require telecommunications networks to exchange information, access digital systems and provide online services.
Businesses, traders and other users similarly depend on reliable connectivity for POS transactions, logistics, online orders, communication and cloud-based operations.
Road construction has emerged as one of the major sources of damage to underground fibre infrastructure, prompting calls for better coordination between telecommunications operators and agencies responsible for road projects.
Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Works, Olarinre Adeladan, called for improved mapping and coordination between road projects and telecommunications infrastructure to prevent damage during excavation.
The NCC has established a Standing Committee on the Protection of Fibre Optic Cables involving government institutions and industry stakeholders, while ONSA has also been brought into the process.
Beyond construction activities, ALTON has raised concerns over attacks on telecommunications sites, theft of equipment and security challenges affecting maintenance personnel.
Adebayo said technicians sometimes face difficulties accessing affected sites because of insecurity, delaying restoration of services.
NCC Executive Vice Chairman, Aminu Maida, said the consequences of a damaged fibre cable could extend beyond the immediate location of the incident.
“To a machine operator on a construction site, it may appear to be one buried cable. To the nation, it can mean failed calls, stalled payments, interrupted services and missed opportunities,” Maida said.
The infrastructure supporting telecommunications services includes underground fibre routes, towers, base stations, data centres, power systems and other facilities spread across the country.
Protecting the infrastructure therefore requires both physical security and measures that can limit the impact of individual failures, including alternative fibre routes, backup power, multiple transmission paths, accurate infrastructure mapping and rapid fault-response mechanisms.
With telecommunications increasingly supporting security communications, emergency calls, financial transactions, public administration and business activity, the protection of the infrastructure has become an important part of sustaining Nigeria’s digital development.
The 5,934 fibre cuts recorded in the first half of 2026 and the N2.2 billion direct repair cost reported by operators highlight the scale of the challenge confronting the infrastructure on which an increasingly connected Nigerian economy depends.
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Seunmanuel Faleye is a brand and communications strategist. He is a covert writer and an overt creative head. He publishes Apple’s Bite International Magazine.
