L- R: Rafiu Adeladan, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Works; Air Vice Marshal Effiom Ewa, Director, Directorate of Critical National Assets and Infrastructure Protection (DCNAIP), Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA); Dr. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC); during the Stakeholders’ Workshop for the Protection of Fibre Optic Cables During Road Construction, held at the National Counter Terrorism Centre, Office of the National Security Adviser in Abuja on August 11, 2026.
By Peace Udugba
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has urged road construction companies, contractors, engineers and other stakeholders to strengthen coordination and adopt preventive measures to protect fibre-optic cables during road construction, rehabilitation and other excavation works across the country.
The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, Dr Aminu Maida, made the call on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, at a stakeholders’ workshop on the protection of fibre-optic cables held at the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Abuja.
Maida stressed that the expansion of physical infrastructure must not undermine the digital infrastructure that connects Nigerians to essential services, businesses, markets and opportunities.
According to him, telecommunications infrastructure has become a critical national lifeline, supporting banking, government services, education, healthcare, commerce, security and emergency communications.
He warned that damage to fibre infrastructure could disrupt essential services and impose significant costs on citizens, businesses and the wider economy.
“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 NCC boss disclosed that more than 5,000 fibre-cut incidents were recorded in the first six months of 2026, largely as a result of road construction, excavation and related civil works.
He recalled that fibre cuts in February 2024, including those caused by road construction, contributed to an almost network-wide disruption for one telecommunications operator, affecting millions of users for several hours and placing additional pressure on other networks.
Maida said the issue should not be viewed as a matter of assigning blame, noting that road contractors do not deliberately seek to disconnect communities, just as telecommunications operators do not intend to obstruct construction projects.
He, however, emphasised the need for a reliable system of early coordination among all stakeholders before construction and excavation activities begin.
Standing committee established
The NCC EVC disclosed that the Permanent Secretaries of the Federal Ministry of Works and the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy had inaugurated a Standing Committee on the Protection of Fibre Optic Cables.
The committee is expected to develop practical coordination mechanisms for stakeholders before, during and after road construction works.
Maida further disclosed that the committee’s membership had recently been expanded to include representatives of the Office of the National Security Adviser, reflecting the security implications of protecting telecommunications infrastructure.
He noted that telecommunications infrastructure has been designated as Critical National Information Infrastructure, requiring it to be treated as national infrastructure and protected accordingly.
According to him, the designation also carries appropriate legal, regulatory and remedial consequences for damage to such infrastructure.
NCC seeks stronger coordination
Maida urged telecommunications operators, contractors, government agencies, regulators and security agencies to play their respective roles in preventing fibre damage.
He stressed that coordination must become an integral part of the planning and execution of road construction, excavation and other civil engineering projects.
“Nigeria must build the roads that connect our communities while protecting the fibre networks that connect our economy. We need both forms of infrastructure, and we need them to work together,” he said.
He urged participants at the workshop to develop practical measures that would make coordination among road construction and telecommunications stakeholders standard practice rather than an exception.
The workshop is part of ongoing efforts by the NCC and other stakeholders to institutionalise mechanisms for safeguarding telecommunications infrastructure, minimising service disruptions and supporting Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda.
The workshop is expected to culminate in the development of a framework for protecting telecommunications fibre-optic infrastructure during road construction and other excavation activities.
