Nigeria has urged construction companies to avoid damaging fibre-optic cables during road construction and other civil works across the country.
The telecom regulator warned that as a result, an increasing number of avoidable fibre cuts caused by negligence would no longer be ignored, and offenders will face punishment because their actions are criminal.
Under the Designation and Protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure Order 2024, telecommunication fibre infrastructure is classified as Critical National Information Infrastructure.
The situation is severe that the regulator, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) are now working together to protect fibre optic cables, which they say are critical national assets that power the country's digital economy, enable communication, support emergency services, connect businesses, and facilitate government operations.
The two entities said their destruction (fibre cables), whether through negligence, lack of coordination, or wilful actions, poses a direct threat to national security, economic stability, and public safety.
The NCC and NSCDC, warned: “Future damage to fibre optic infrastructure caused by excavation, road construction, or any civil engineering activity conducted without due consultation or collaboration with network operators and relevant regulators will attract strict legal consequences.”
To ensure full compliance, federal, state, and local government agencies, road construction companies, utility service providers, and private developers should conduct pre-construction verification of fibre routes and collaborate with the NCC, telecom operators, and NSCDC during construction.
The government's latest action to secure fibre comes shortly after MTN Nigeria, the country's largest telco, reported 9,218 fibre cut incidents and vandalism at 211 telecom facilities in 2025, resulting in severe disruptions to network and internet services across the country.
According to the data, fibre cut incidents happened between January 1 and December 31, 2025, while theft and vandalism damaged 211 sites between January 1 and November 30, 2025.
MTN Nigeria said that service disruptions contributed to 1,624,263 consumer complaints.
Share
