The Federal government, the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, and the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, on Tuesday expressed concerns over persistent fibre-optic cuts across Nigeria, and warned against further damage as a result of its impacts on the economy.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovations and Digital Economy, Dr Nadungu Gagare and his counterpart in the Federal Ministry of Works, Engr Rafiu Adeladan, said it had become imperative for stakeholders to address the phenomenon holistically in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the present administration.
They made the remarks at the National Workshop for the protection of fibre-optic cables, held at the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) to the President.
The Workshop was jointly organised by the two federal Ministries, ONSA, NCC and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC.
Speaking at the workshop, Gagare, who was represented by the Director of Communications and Poster Services in the Ministry, Engr Stanley Musa, said government institutions must come together to address the challenges posed to Nigeria’s digital Infrastructure by fibre optic cuts across Nigeria.
He noted that the Ministry had written memos to the Federal Executive Council on other critical issues regarding the telecommunications sector, especially on the Right of Way (RoW) and the need to get other stakeholders along to fast-track policies that would change the narrative in the industry.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Works, Dr Adeladan, congratulated the stakeholders for coming together to address challenges of fibre optic cuts, especially during road construction across Nigeria.
He expressed the willingness of the Ministry to collaborate and engage with other stakeholders to proffer lasting solutions to the problems.
In his remarks, the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr Aminu Wada Maida, lamented that within the first six months of 2026, over 5,000 fibre-optic cuts were recorded across Nigeria.
‘In the first six months of this year alone, over 5,000 fiber cut incidents were reported from road excavation, construction, and related civil work. Many occurred because there was little or no coordination between works before they began, or before the first shovel entered the ground’, Dr Maida said.
While emphasising that telecommunications infrastructure has become a lifeline for the Nigerian economy, the EVC enjoined critical stakeholders to work together to protect telecommunications infrastructure, especially as President Bola Tinubu targets a one trillion dollars economy for the country.
He said the workshop aimed to ‘clarify stakeholder responsibilities and strengthen coordination between work construction and network operators so that damage is prevented rather than repaired after the fact.’
Also, the Director of Critical National Assets and Infrastructures in ONSA, Air Vice Marshall Effiom Enebong Ewa, maintained that acts of damage to Assets and infrastructure constitute an offence under Nigerian law.
AVM Ewa said, ‘Your presence here today, despite your demanding status, is a strong demonstration of your commitment to the protection of Nigeria’s digital future. Thus, the objective of this engagement is to foster stronger collaboration amongst critical stakeholders whose collective actions have directly impacted, and continue to impact, the future of Nigeria’s digital future.
‘As we deliberate today, let us recognise that every fatal cable damage is more than a disruption to a network, or simply a cable cut, as we hear in the field.
‘It is indeed a disruption to governance, economic productivity, public services, and the daily lives of millions of Nigerians. Accordingly, protection of fibre optic infrastructure is a shared national responsibility of every citizen, government institutions, private organisations, contractors, or operators residing here in Nigeria.
‘Let us also remind ourselves that fibre optics have been designated as critical national information infrastructure, and any damage due to negligence or interference with the assets or acts directly or indirectly which predisposes the assets to damage, constitute an offence under Nigeria’s legal framework.’
AVM Ewa highlighted the importance of institutional coordination and strict adherence to established protocol, and urged stakeholders to abide by guidelines and procedures, especially during construction and maintenance activities.