The Nigerian Communications Commission has recorded more than 5,000 fibre-optic cable cuts in the first six months of 2026, with the majority linked to road excavation, construction and related civil works. Executive Vice Chairman Dr. Aminu Maida disclosed the figure at a stakeholders’ workshop in Abuja focused on protecting critical telecom infrastructure during road projects.
Maida said many of the incidents occurred because of inadequate coordination between road contractors, government agencies and telecommunications operators before work began. He stressed that the problem was not about assigning blame but about closing gaps in planning and information sharing. A single cut, he noted, can disrupt banking, healthcare, education, government services, commerce and security systems that rely on reliable connectivity.
The regulator recalled a major outage in February 2024, when fibre cuts including those caused by road construction led to an almost network-wide disruption for one operator, affecting millions of users for several hours and placing additional strain on competing networks.
To address the issue, the permanent secretaries of the Federal Ministry of Works and the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy have inaugurated a Standing Committee on the Protection of Fibre Optic Cables. The committee is tasked with developing practical coordination mechanisms before, during and after road construction.
Fibre infrastructure has been designated as critical national information infrastructure. Officials from the Office of the National Security Adviser warned that damage caused by negligence could attract legal consequences under Nigerian law.
Recurring fibre cuts remain a persistent challenge for Nigeria’s telecom sector. Operators absorb repair costs and service disruptions, while customers experience dropped calls, failed payments and interrupted digital services. The NCC’s latest figures underscore how road development programmes, while essential, continue to undermine the resilience of the digital backbone that supports the wider economy. Stronger pre-construction coordination and clearer protocols will be necessary if the frequency of these incidents is to decline.
