NCC Records Over 5,000 Fibre Cuts in H1 2026, Urges Protection During Road Works

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 civil works across the country.

The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, Dr Aminu Maida, made the call on 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 in Abuja. He stressed that Nigeria’s push to expand physical infrastructure must not undermine the digital infrastructure connecting Nigerians to information, services, markets and opportunities.

Maida described communications infrastructure as 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.

According to the NCC chief, 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 other related civil works. He also recalled that fibre cuts caused by road construction in February 2024 resulted in an almost nationwide telecommunications disruption for one operator, affecting millions of users for several hours and putting additional pressure on other networks.

Maida said the issue should not be viewed as one of assigning blame, noting that road contractors do not deliberately seek to damage telecommunications infrastructure, just as telecom operators do not intend to obstruct road construction. Instead, he called for a dependable system of early coordination among all stakeholders involved in infrastructure projects.

He 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 tasked with developing practical coordination mechanisms before, during and after road works.

The committee’s membership has also been expanded to include representatives of the Office of the National Security Adviser, reflecting the security implications of protecting telecommunications infrastructure. The NCC said telecommunications infrastructure has been designated as Critical National Information Infrastructure, requiring it to be treated and protected as national infrastructure, with appropriate legal, regulatory and remedial measures for damage.

Maida urged telecom operators, contractors, government agencies, regulators and security organisations to play their respective roles in preventing fibre damage. He stressed that coordination must become an integral part of the planning and execution of infrastructure projects rather than an exception.

The NCC said the workshop forms part of its broader efforts to institutionalise coordination mechanisms that will safeguard telecommunications infrastructure, minimise service disruptions and support Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda. The process is expected to culminate in a framework for protecting telecoms fibre-optic infrastructure during road construction and other excavation activities.